Green Chef
Improving user retention: data-driven onboarding redesign
Duration: 2 weeks
Role: UX/UI Designer
Tools: Sketch, InVision, pen and paper
Duration: 2 weeks
Location: Boulder, CO
Green Chef
As the #1 lifestyle meal kit service, Green Chef delivers restaurant-quality, easy-to-cook meals right to your doorstep. They stand out with chef-curated recipes using organic, sustainably sourced ingredients. Green Chef caters to specific diets: keto, paleo, vegan, and vegetarian.
The Challenge
New Green Chef customers lack guidance on managing their account and placing their first order. This critical transition from prospect to active customer isn't adequately addressed. Additionally, the main account page interface is cluttered and outdated, making navigation unintuitive and key features hard to find, unlike Green Chef's competitors.
My Role
As a UI/UX Designer on the Green Chef product team, I was responsible for: Competitive analysis of meal kit onboarding experiences and data analysis of user surveys and cancellation feedback.
Card sorting exercises with active users to prioritize account features
User persona development and wireframing from concept to high-fidelity prototypes
Usability testing with new and existing customers to validate design decisions
Custom graphics creation and microcopy writing for tutorial clarity
Cross-functional collaboration with Product and Engineering teams to deliver retention-focused solutions
Research
I thought it was important to explore the experience and expectations of Green Chef subscribers, gathering data from new and recently subscribed users. The focus: understanding sign-up questions, subscription expectations, reasons for cancellation, and how to bridge the gap between prospective and committed customers.
Data Insights
Data were gathered from Green Chef customers from when they were signing up for their account and also cancelling.
#1. Top reasons customers cancel
#2. Most frequently asked questions when sighing up
Card Sorting Results
I then created a card sorting exercise given to active users, I wanted to better understand the importance of the functions related to their account. The results below helped give insight in this area.
Persona
The final step in the research phase was knowing who our common user was. From current data, I created a persona to predict common user navigation patterns:
Research Findings
With a full account page redesign months away, I proposed an onboarding tutorial to enhance user experience and improve retention. Analyzing survey data and card sorting insights, I was able to further identify the most crucial account features. The tutorial aims to guide new users through their first order and subscription management, addressing company needs by targeting factors influencing user satisfaction and retention.
Scope - Defining the project
Within-Scope:
Tutorial for early user experience on the main account page
Focus on features driving customer value and early retention
Out-of-Scope:
Tutorials for all features
Entire customer journey experience
On-boarding review feature
Benefits of a tutorial:
Improved customer satisfaction and account management
Higher retention through better subscription utilization
Risks:
Potential user annoyance leading to account cancellation
The Design
Wireframes #1
The first design I created was a hopper style tutorial. The hopper wireframes captured the main steps defined in the research phase.
Tutorial Steps:
Select Menu Week
Pick Your Recipes
Weekly Order Summary
Subscription Details
Edit an Individual Week
Once the wireframes were user tested, it became clear that the hopper, on an already crowded interface, has the high potential to cause user confusion. A redesign and a new approach to the design of tutorial. So I scrapped the hopper and moved forward.
Wireframes #2
In the final design decision, I landed on a carousel approach. I was aiming for a comfortable, non-overwhelming introduction. From these wireframes, we moved to a high-fidelity prototype, with the following changes to be made.
Changes included:
Streamlined copy
Reduced steps
Removed cut-off date from first step
Updated overall design
Adapted for desktop
Final Design
The refined tutorial has five steps:
Welcome page
Select a Week
Set Order Quantity and Choose Recipes
Modify a Week
Edit Subscription
This approach addresses the key user concerns while guiding them through their first order, tackling previous pain points that led to cancellations.
Mobile
Desktop
Image Graphics
I then created lightweight graphics to illustrate each step, making the tutorial more intuitive.
Mobile
Desktop
Results and Impact
Tutorial launched to production and adopted by Green Chef product team
Design addressed key cancellation drivers identified in user research
Framework influenced future onboarding development across platform User Experience Wins
Streamlined first order completion process
Increased visibility of subscription management features
Reduced confusion around account navigation
Addressed pain points from cancellation survey data
