Times IAP Registration Flow

The Times & The Sunday Times | IAP Registration Optimisation

Led UX design and A/B testing strategy to double post-purchase registration rates, enabling cross-device access and first-party data capture.

Project Overview

An A/B testing initiative to improve post-purchase registration rates for in-app subscribers, enabling cross-device access and first-party data capture.

Role

UX Designer

Timeline

June 2019

Focus

Conversion Optimisation, Mobile UX, Experimentation Strategy

Tools

A/B Testing, Analytics, User Research

Challenge

In-app subscribers were completing purchases but failing to register accounts, meaning:

  • Users couldn't access subscriptions across devices
  • The business couldn't capture first-party user data
  • Missed opportunities for upselling and engagement

Conversion Goal: Increase registration rate post-IAP.

Existing Experience

The post-IAP flow asked users to register, with optional opt-ins for marketing. Despite this:

  • Registration completion rates were low
  • Users often dropped off before submitting details
Existing IAP Registration Flow

The original registration flow showing the banner prompt variant.

UX Hypothesis

We hypothesised that layout and interrupt level, not content, were affecting completion. So we ran an A/B test comparing two design patterns:

  • Banner Prompt (Variant 1)
  • Full-Screen Takeover (Variant 2)

Both variants used identical messaging:
"Get access on your other devices."

Test Design

✅ Variant 1: Banner Prompt

  • Subtle call-to-action shown after IAP completion
  • Shown again on 5th and 10th app open if no registration completed
  • Led to the same registration flow
Banner Prompt Variant

The banner prompt variant showing the subtle call-to-action after IAP completion.

🔒 Variant 2: Full-Screen Takeover

  • Immediate, immersive prompt after IAP
  • Applied the same re-engagement logic as the banner
  • Led to identical form and permission flow
Full-Screen Takeover Variant

The full-screen takeover variant showing the immediate, immersive prompt after IAP completion.

Results

Metric Banner Variant Full-Screen Takeover
Registration Start Rate 18.4% 27.9%
Registration Completion Rate 11.1% 19.6%

Winner: Full-screen takeover (76% higher completion rate)

Impact

  • Doubled user registration rate post-IAP
  • Enabled richer CRM and device sync for users
  • Supported first-party data growth for marketing and product

Next Steps

  • Proceed with full-screen takeover as default experience
  • Explore copy and CTA variations in future tests
  • Build internal A/B testing infrastructure for native experimentation
  • Test multivariate flows with incentives and social logins

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