How I helped design a zillion sign-up flows to accelerate the energy transition
Client
iCHOOSR
Timeline
6 Months
Website
Do we have a problem?
Well, imagine having 17 slightly different sign-up flows for the same service, each with its own design and technical stack. Inefficient, hard to maintain, and expensive? Yes, but they do their job, and the business is successful. There is no immediate need to change; apparently, there is no problem.
But the business is so successful that you want to expand to new regions, offer new products, and target new audiences. Continuing on this path will lead to an increasing number of varied flows. You’re not only scaling your business but also the inefficient, high-maintenance, and costly service design you’ve created. And that is a problem.
Although many components differ slightly, they are essentially the same
Scaling back, the path to growth
The brief was straightforward: Design one ideal flow that could serve all countries and products in the future. This flow needed to be standardised so that its components could be reused as much as possible.
One size fits all, or does it?
How do you design for a future state that remains unclear? Making decisions for hypothetical user segments, markets, and products can be very risky. Additionally, designing for a future where technical capabilities evolve rapidly makes it nearly impossible to predict what the user experience will look like in, say, three years. These uncertainties led us to realise that a single master flow would not be sustainable in the long run. We needed a system capable of generating an unlimited number of flows. This approach allows us to adapt not only to different countries, target groups, and products but also to unforeseen future developments, ensuring we always serve people in the best possible way.
We don't need one perfect flow, we need a system to create endless flow variations
Wait, how did we end up with 17 different sign-up flows in the first place?
Creating one flow or a system of flows seems like the obvious direction, and it’s not as though we’re breaking entirely new ground. So my first question was: “Why hasn’t this been done before?” The truth is, there have been previous attempts. However, these efforts didn’t produce the desired results. There appears to be a tendency within the company to deviate from standard flows, leading to fragmentation.
Before risking a repeat of this pattern, I knew it was crucial to understand how we ended up in this situation in the first place. To uncover the root cause, I spoke with stakeholders across the company who had been involved in developing the previous flows. The goal was to understand how we ended up with 17 different sign-up flows and what lessons we could learn to avoid repeating the patterns that led to this fragmentation.
Turning insights into requirements, a few examples
/ INSIGHT
“Because there are not many opportunities for change, we tried to change too much when we had the chance.”
// REQUIREMENT
The new flow should allow for continuous updates instead of relying on a few large updates each year.
/ INSIGHT
“Some parts are so different across countries that they simply can’t be standardised, like local subsidies, for instance.”
// REQUIREMENT
There should be a quick and easy process for adding custom elements to the flow when standardisation isn’t possible.
/ INSIGHT
“Since we needed development for every small change, we often hacked components by modifying them ourselves.”
// REQUIREMENT
The templates in the new flow should be flexible enough to accommodate most changes without requiring extensive development.
/ INSIGHT
“We copied the source and made adjustments. Because each copy was modified, we ended up with different versions.”
// REQUIREMENT
The new flow should have a single source of truth. All changes should be made within the template, avoiding the need for copies.
Laying the foundation
After finishing research and planning, I designed a foundation for iChoosr that they can use as a framework for all future sign-up flows. I provided a clear service blueprint to help the company’s stakeholders work together and make informed decisions when choosing vendors.
A service blueprint for each product group
Involve the user? What user?
The tricky part is figuring out who our user is. We know the users we serve now, but we don’t know who our future users will be. That’s why we focused on enabling the product teams to adapt to their users once the system was in place. This way, they can stay responsive and keep the user experience smooth, no matter who the user turns out to be.
We didn’t talk to users right from the start, but we made sure to keep them in mind every step of the way. We used behavioural science to sketch out a design strategy for the flow, which we could tweak and improve later by getting user feedback. Take ordering solar panels, for example—it’s a pretty long and tricky process.
phase 1
Make it as fast and easy as possible for users to experience value by showing how benefits can impact their goals.
phase 2
Encourage users to commit to the offer by removing friction and cognitive load.
phase 3
Keep users engaged and satisfied throughout the installation process by building a strong mental model and manage expectations in every step of the journey.
Templates, the building blocks for iChoosr’s growth
Along with this, I created a simple, clickable prototype using customisable templates—think of it as a white-label sign-up flow—making it easy for the team to quickly build new flows. This wasn’t just about completing a project; it was about giving iChoosr the tools they need to grow and adapt efficiently.
PHASE 1
The goal was to quickly confirm that we could meet users’ specific needs and budget, making the value clear right away. Instead of just relying on marketing copy, we focused on providing immediate reassurance that solar panels were a viable solution for them, helping users move forward with confidence.
PHASE 2
At this stage, we focused on making it easy for users to accept the offer by removing friction. We distilled and layered information to reduce cognitive load and addressed potential anxieties, ensuring a smooth, stress-free decision-making process.
PHASE 3
The time between accepting the offer and installing the panels can take weeks or months, making it crucial to keep customers engaged and prevent churn. We focus heavily on expectation management, keeping users informed and involved at every step, while addressing any uncertainties they may have to ensure a smooth and satisfying experience.
First pilot is running in the UK
With this contribution, we laid the foundation for a new initiative in the UK, allowing people to subscribe for heat pump installations. Using our blueprint and page templates, we collaborated with UK stakeholders in a design sprint to develop and test a realistic prototype. These insights led to the creation of the first sign-up flow, which is now live. iChoosr is treating this launch as a pilot, leveraging the feedback to refine a ‘white label flow’ for all future schemes and products. The first results are expected by the end of November 2024, which will help shape the direction of future launches.
You can check out the flow and see if you’re eligible for the heat pump offer, which is a pretty good offer if I my say so :)
Jorrit Bosma - Product manager
Demmy Onink - Lead Product Designer
Thomas Dallmeir - Product Designer
Lisanne van der Palen - Product Designer
Claire van Erck - Head of growth
As the Lead Designer, I led the project from start to finish. I conducted research, developed the design strategy, and created the templates and prototype. I managed stakeholders from five countries, ensuring their needs were met. Additionally, I facilitated workshops, guiding teams through key decisions.