A framework for in-platform messaging

What was the problem?

Problem & goals

There was no good way of delivering key messaging in platform to many users at once. Previous methods of thin banners at the top of the page weren't converting and had been used and abused for many different purposes, so they lost their meaning.

The initial pop-up was to be a call to action for users to upgrade their system (no charge) so that they can continue to operate effectively on.

Team & process

Working closely with product, engineering and user experience I helped to design & create an impactful communication strategy that can scale and adapt to our needs.

Scope & timeline

Since this was a more of a technical/development-led project, we began with a tech approach to evaluate the needs of both the user and the business. Since we already had content for the first use case, the design and copy writing process worked in parallel with development and testing.

Balancing simple, effective communication to deliver important, while working with product managers, developers and localisation teams to create a framework for expanding the feature beyond the first use case.

Guidelines for use, to avoid falling into the trap of the banners
Prioritisation strategy for cases when there are multiple, competing alerts.

The evolution

Feature requests

Naturally, as the feature was released, iterations were planned and the desire to utilise this feature grew.

More complex requirements arose, including:

Carousel with multiple alerts (including prioritization weighting)
Snooze functionality to allow users to temporarily dismiss
Built-in feedback loops

Design evolution

As we evolved the general aesthetic of the platform, the interstitial pop-ups evolved too. A range of use cases from account critical alerts to friendly product updates allowed for the style to adapt to the messaging and tone.

Impact and outcomes

7-14

We regularly achieve between 7 and 14% click through rate.

3-5

Average conversion rate for a pop-up.
(Source Sumo/Wisepops)

Challenges and constraints

First of all, nobody likes pop-ups.

Technical challenges were also often blockers on this project, when it came to targeting users and ensuring they retained some level of user control of their experience (snoozing, repeating etc).

Conflicting priorities and stakeholder management issues arose frequently, with some teams favouring certain messages over others - if everything is important, then nothing is important was a key mantra.

What was missing?

A backup plan

A successful communication strategy needs multiple formats in order to maximise effectiveness. Despite being out of scope, we could have explored other secondary options for message delivery. If a user doesn't action a CTA multiple times in the same format, then it's time to change tactic. A combination of interstitial pop-ups, toast icons or contextual messaging could have improved results further.

The latest

Continued experimentation

These have been a key part of our seasonal releases over recent years - highlighting exciting and important updates for users (not just the mandatory stuff!) both in platform and outside of the platform, complimenting nicely the work of our marketing and product marketing teams.

A framework for in-platform messaging — designed to cut through the noise