Merging multiple subscriptions across two apps into one
Tackling the complexities of migrating 6 different user segments to a new subscription plan
This transformation project was an exercise of many moving parts.
Summary
Over the course of a decade, two separate SongPop (music trivia) apps and four different subscription plans had sprouted.
The benefits of separate subscriptions were becoming difficult to prove to our users (and getting harder to maintain), so we moved to unify all of the above into one single subscription plan.
We uprooted every corner that the subscription had grown into in both apps. Then we carefully crafted an account migration flow that was successful in re-subscribing the majority of paying users, even though the price doubled for the largest segment.
Project info
I was the Creative Director for the SongPop games and I worked closely with our VP Product and Product Manager to hammer out every single detail of this transformation.
We started planning in the winter, changes began gradually in the spring, and launched the full transformation in June of the same year (2022).
I did the majority of the design myself. This included the UX flows, prototyping, UI design, interstitials, social media posts, and email images and copy writing for everything.
An animator contributed on each app, and one UI designer helped with some interstitials while another assisted with porting designs from Figma into Flash for the legacy game.
Yeah, Flash. You heard me.
Our new framework of choice.
Goals
Create the smoothest possible migration experience for existing paying users and avoid any interruptions to their game progress
Optimize the maintenance and development of subscription-related features on both apps by consolidating all subscription plans
Effectively communicate specific changes to every type of user to alleviate concerns and avoid unnecessary subscription cancellations
Problems to solve
With two separate but similar apps (SongPop 2 and SongPop 3) running in the app stores, we had two paid subscription tiers on both apps and non-paying user segments on both (6 buckets total). Having so many user segments added unnecessary complexity to new features and improvements, and an exponentially increasing amount of maintenance for all the supported versions.
Also, SongPop 3 was launched the year prior with more modern features, more interesting game modes, built on newer technology (i.e. not Flash). A lot of older SongPop 2 users were not feeling incentivized to explore what the shiny new app was offering since they would have to pay twice to fully enjoy it.
We decided to
re-brand the app names to signal the future of SongPop
simplify all the different subscriptions into one with a new name
offer monthly and annually renewing price points with the same benefits
allow that one subscription to work on both apps
at the end of the year, offer the subscription to both apps on one app only
Planning
Looking at our data, we realized that we weren’t gaining much by having multiple subscriptions, and the USPs weren’t compelling enough between each one. It made sense to simplify.
SongPop 3 was meant to appeal to a slightly different profile of mobile players, but with the same award-winning core game loop at its very essence, we wanted to draw more SongPop 2 users to try it out and extend their LTV. Besides, the fun new features would be way harder to implement in SongPop 2 because of the aging technology.
We knew this move was going to be a risky one. A huge number of players had been with SongPop for close to a decade, and there had been no price increases since.
All subscribers would receive the benefits of the highest priced tiers. We eliminated the lower tiers. This new subscription was called SongPop PLUS and would allow full, ad-free access to both apps.
Sounds simple, but it would be a lot of change.
Most SongPop 2 subscribers would see an increase (from $5/month to $10/month), while SongPop 3 users would see no change or a 50% reduction (there was a $20/month plan and a $10/month plan). The $20/month plan on SongPop 2 would be decreased to $10/month. Some loyal fans who had been paying $20/month on both apps separately would now be paying $10/month instead of $40!
We began by changing the names of the apps and subscriptions in the spring. SongPop 2 became SongPop Classic, and SongPop 3 became SongPop. We announced that some big changes would be coming in the summer, coinciding with SongPop’s 10 year anniversary.
The name change signified the fun new future of SongPop while reassuring original players that their favourite old game wasn’t going anywhere. It also coincided with being able to access both apps with one subscription.
The next challenge was adoption.
Most players needed to manually cancel their existing plans and subscribe to the new ones.
This was not something we could do for them automatically. We created many different flows to assist in the change, routing players through step-by-step instructions to avoid an unwanted interruption in their benefits and hard-earned streaks.
Design
We need users to sync separate accounts. This connection enabled the single PLUS subscription, purchased on either app, to be recognized on both apps.
The account sync was the beginning of a link that would allow us to share more between the two games, including things like friends, cosmetic items, and eventually progress, missions, and achievements.
Once the product flows were worked out, we worked on the clarity of the communications and copy from end to end. Most importantly, error flows had to take into account the fact that users could kill either app at any moment and interrupt the syncing process.
Working with both front-end and back-end devs, I wrote every word of copy carefully to cover as many edge cases and errors as humanly possible.
As you can see in the top left, I decided to expand the messaging from one dialog per subscription tier to a slideshow for each one.
Step-by-step migration UX
The most important piece was the PLUS assistant, a series of flows spanning both apps that would help all manner of subscribers complete the necessary steps to
sync their accounts
subscribe to the annual plan
cancel their monthly plan
collect their goodies on both apps
get help if they need it
We prioritized by user segment size to best meet our goal of migrating as many existing paying users as possible. We were able to re-use the migration assistant flows for additional subscription changes later in the year.
Mapping out what different users see depending on subscription tier and migration progress.
Visual design of the subscription assistant, which ends with a treasure chest of goodies.
Explaining ourselves
The final piece of the puzzle was the messaging. We started with a single dialog box, but after testing with our beta group (some of whom had been playing the game for almost ten years), we received a lot more questions than anticipated.
I designed several sets of in-game interstitials to lead players through the changes, each set was tweaked to show information specific to a user’s segment and subscription situation and was necessary to explain the actions they’d need to take to avoid an interruption in their streaks and progress.
Easing the friction
In the fall, we decided to offer a discounted annual PLUS subscription only on the SongPop app (formerly SongPop 3). Existing subscribers on SongPop Classic would need to cancel and re-subscribe on the other app, but the benefits would remain the same.
For the inconvenience, we offered some fun goodies. An exclusive playlist, a profile frame, and unlimited tickets and power-ups for the rest of the year. This information was also displayed in the shop tabs of each game and announcement carousels.
Users were stoked about the exclusive profile frame and we added a surprise IYKYK stat on the bottom (the number of playlists mastered). Illustration by Alana Fleming.
Re-branding and re-targeting
Outside of the apps, I worked with one of our data analysts to create Facebook retargeting campaigns, general announcements for our very active Facebook fan groups, and detailed emails outlining the discounted annual offering.
We did some work unifying the look and feel of the new PLUS subscription on both apps, steering it toward the outer space/astronaut theme that we had started to use on SongPop 3 for Premium subscribers. Previously we posted images on social media for each of the apps separately, but now some communications were unified (and visually), not only regarding the subscriptions but for the weekly playlist releases, too.
Testing
SongPop has a huge community of dedicated players, some of whom have been around for close to a decade. Close to 30 couples have gotten married after having met through the game! We were fortunate to curate a closed beta group of experts who knew the games better than anyone else, and they graciously tested new features for us. After showing them the initial announcements, we made adjustments for clarity based on their feedback.
Internally, we painstakingly tested every flow over and over, making sure that the two apps were talking to each other. It was also important to make sure the instructions were crystal clear, and our beta testers played a vital part in that. We spent countless hours figuring out what each and every word would be since the overall changes were huge. Long before anything was implemented, we would flip through the prototype slides to fine-tune the communications.
Results
The outcome of all of this work did pay off. We managed to move most of the existing subscribers over to SongPop PLUS seamlessly. Users who had been paying double on both apps were overjoyed. We saw a significant boost in the number of SongPop Classic players downloading SongPop and linking their accounts, giving them access to more features. More people were giving the new game modes on SongPop a try, and lots were enjoying them more than they thought they would.
We were surprised by the enthusiasm surrounding the exclusive profile frames. Much like Disney pin collectors, there were a lot of users who were proud to show off their new cosmetic items. Introducing the ability to show profile frames on both apps (a SongPop 3 feature only) was exciting for users who synced their accounts.
Takeaways
I said that we managed to move most of the existing subscribers over seamlessly. Truth be told, there was a small handful of users who misunderstood, and accidentally deleted their accounts permanently instead of cancelling their subscriptions. This was in spite of a warning message. It was a catastrophic mistake, as some of them lost years of progress in the game.
Permanent account deletion was not part of any account syncing or PLUS assistant flow, yet some users managed to navigate to the settings page completely on their own and did this by mistake. Account deletion is meant to be final, as a means of scrubbing all personal data from SongPop for privacy reasons, making it unrecoverable.
There is always the possibility that a user will navigate out of a flow or kill the app for whatever reason, and while we put in as many checks as possible to place users back where they left off, we couldn’t account for complete misunderstandings. We were left wondering if changes to the warning message could have prevented this, but if the message was not read or understood in the first place, it’s hard to know whether or not even more warnings or text would’ve been effective. It was really sad, but thankfully very, very few people were affected.
Reflections
This project was a large undertaking and a huge risk in every way. Reflecting back on how it went, we were pleasantly surprised that there was a very high adoption rate for all of the changes and our metrics surrounding existing users largely recovered.
Understandably, there was a significant amount of complaining in the player communities online, especially for the large portion of players who were facing the biggest price increase on their subscriptions. It wasn’t an easy decision, but given that there had been no increase in price in nearly a decade, we were dependent on this transformation to keep SongPop going for the community that loves it so much.
For a lot of players, SongPop is their social circle and their hobby, something they tune into every morning and every night. It was a privilege to work on a game that delights millions of people every day.