Inventing Super's travel subscription service

Background

Super's mission: Empowering users to spend less and save more

Super.com is a Series C startup merging fintech and travel, empowers users to spend less, save more, and build credit through its superapp.

With over 7 million customers, Super.com has played a transformative role, helping users save over $150 million to date. The company's global success is evident with over $1 billion in sales, signaling a significant impact on reshaping the financial habits of its users.

As a Product Design Intern at Super, I joined the newly formed subscriptions team. I took on the role of the main designer, bringing the product to life, and collaborated closely with product managers, UX researchers, developers, and other key stakeholders.

Problem

Users' Dilemma: Unlocking the Full Potential

While our users were enjoying substantial savings, were missing out on additional benefits and struggling to navigate the complexities of the platform. We see that they continually want to save on their hotel bookings, but lack the incentive to explore deeper to enhance their overall travel experience.

Business goals:

• Encourage users to explore additional features beyond Super’s travel benefits
• Find the right product-market model channel fit for the travel product
• Innovate a new product securing monthly reoccurring revenue

Solution

Introducing Super+, a subscription service

In response to these challenges, we conceptualized and launched Super+, a subscription service offering users a practical way to save on hotel bookings, uncover other traveling benefits, and even build credit – all within one platform.

Impact

Letting the results speak for itself

During implementation our performance metrics surged, bringing the product into the spotlight within the company. Super+ has over 16k active users, affirming its value as a valuable savings method for travelers less than 3 months after launch.

Ideate

I started by drafting concepts to get into the design groove

After defining the scope of work and business requirements, I tried to get into the creative flow by exploring possible designs. The goal here was to explore as many possibilities as possible to get feedback early.

Please note these were early design concepts

Research

Identifying our segment groups to narrow down our focus

Before jumping into the project, the company led multiple market research proposals to determine its target audience. We focused our attention on two groups, people who seek rewards and travelers who are conscious of hunting for the best deals.

User feedback showed challenges with understanding the value of Super+

Travelers found it difficult to understand what Super+ is, how it works, and its perceived value. Based on our findings from surveys and interviews, we discovered that potential subscribers struggle to comprehend the value proposition of Super+. They expressed a desire for clearer information and hesitated to sign up without a full understanding of the product.

Disclaimer: Quotes in this case study have been modified to maintain confidentiality and privacy, while still capturing the essence of participants' feedback.

50%

of participants expressed hesitation in signing up for Super+ due to concerns about the perceived value.

Survey insights

“If I only get a lot of value once but don’t travel again, I would cancel.”

Interviews

“For the subscription cost, I can’t commit to this. The discount and cashback are attractive, but it's a financial commitment I can't justify right now.”

Interviews

37%

found it challenging to differentiate Super+ and its fintech offerings and wanted clearer information.

Survey insights

“No, I wouldn’t have enough info to completely understand what I am signing up for.”

Interviews

Analysis from feedback

I mapped out complex user scenarios and optimized the activation flow for subscribers

After realizing the confusion with the values of Super+, it became clear that the user flow itself was complex, even among the internal team. To identify the main points of confusion, I mapped out the different stages that a user would go through to become a subscriber, as well as the journey after.

After mapping out the user flow, we identified three predominant stages in the process: before subscribing, after subscribing, and unlocking the subscription's full benefits. We clarified the business and user values for each stage to identify our main selling points. Additionally, we addressed other questions that helped us further clarify our product.

We decided to name the stages mentioned above as non-subscribers, subscribers, and cardholders.

After careful consideration, we found that converting subscribers into cardholders was of lower priority due to the complex process involved. This process required activating a second funnel and linking a bank account to become a full-fledged cardholder. Therefore, my main focus was on optimizing the activation flow.

Planning

Crafting a design strategy

Leveraging the UX honeycomb method, our design strategy focused on three key principles:

Credible

Establishing trust as a startup offering budget-friendly deals.

Valuable

“People don’t buy products, they buy better versions of themselves.” Instead of emphasizing features, we highlighted the benefits to deliver greater value to travelers.

Findable

We prioritized making our feature easy to find and strategically placed it at the top of the information hierarchy.

Prototype

Final solution

Super+ is a subscription service that transforms the way users save and earn rewards for their travel bookings. With Super+, travelers gain access to a world of additional features, including exclusive gas savings, credit-building opportunities, and so much more.
‍
Our latest prototype addresses the challenge of user confusion regarding Super+'s value and streamlines the activation process. Through an enhanced strategy spotlighting Super+'s offerings, our goal is to captivate subscribers and deliver a clear understanding of the value they stand to unlock.

Subscribing to Super+ from a hotel booking

We addressed user feedback and refined benefit explanations post-subscription, boosting credibility with a clearer product explanation.

The primary goal here is to convert non-subscribers to subscribers.

Confirmation of subscription

Reward seekers quickly see potential savings, receive post-booking subscription details, and can finalize their account setup for full benefits.

This was strategically placed on top to improve findability.

Managing subscription benefits and account

Users can review their subscription details and manage their account within the app.