Tele: Mobile UX Case Study

Mobile-friendly design of desktop subscription management dashboard

Project Overview

With the increasing prevalnce of streaming entertainment, SaaS, and the Internet of things, the ability for individuals to efficiently manage subscription payments is more important than ever.

Tele is a subscription dashboard manager that enables users to quickly see all of their subscription spending in one place, unsubscribe from services to reduce needless spending, and receive notifications when services are about to renew in order to better track and plan their spending.

tele prototype

My Role

UX Designer, Writer & Researcher: I translated existing wireframes for a desktop-only site into a seamless, mobile-friendly experience.

To accomplish this, I:
• Conducted secondary research to understand user demographics, needs, and pain points
• Analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of similar existing products
• Created and tested multiple iterations, from digital wireframes to a high-fidelity, interactive prototype.

Phase 1: Research

I conducted secondary desk research, examining scholarly articles, news reports, and financial planning websites to gain an understanding of how different user types think about and plan their finances, especially when it comes to subscription services. (Sources studied include Forbes, CNBC, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

I then examined existing similar products, including Billy, Trim, and Truebill.
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Using the data I collected from my research, I created two user personas and an affinity map to synthesize my findings.

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Understanding the Problem Space

Phase 2: Early Iterations & Brainstorming

After mapping out three user flows to fulfill the business goals and primary user needs, I sketched red routes, created digital wireframes and conducted guerilla usability tests.

Users Liked:
• Clean look and simplicity of the app
• Ability to view their spending in multiple formats (list, calendar, graphs)
• Straightforward “unsubscribe” process.

Users Had Trouble With:
• Understanding the UI of the calendar
• Some prototype functionality

Recommendations:
• Refine language to improve clarity
• Revise UI of calendar and graphs
• Fix general functionality (back buttons, clickability)

First Wireframes & Testing

Deliverables:

• User Flows
• Red Routes
• Digital Wireframes

Phase 3: High-Fidelity Mockups

After creating a high-fidelity prototype using feedback from guerilla testing, I tested again and iterated on my designs to create the final version.

As with earlier rounds of testing, users again liked the clean look, overall simplicity, and multiple viewing options (list, calendar, graphs). Users also appreciated seeing clear details after unsubscribing from a service (renewal deadlines, last payment, service end date).

I addressed critical usability issues and added onboarding screens to round out the prototype experience.

Creating & Testing a Prototype

Key Changes After Second Round of Testing

• Refining UI of the calendar and graphs to clearly indicate renewal dates and reflect accurate dollar amounts and percentages
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• Clarifying language (e.g., showing specific renwal dates vs. vague “About to Renew”)
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• Improving visibility of critical CTA features

Most users responded positively to Tele, confirming what my early research suggested: that products like these will become more and more relevant to how individuals manage their spending in modern life.

Dynamic visuals, such as responsive charts and graphs, are highly engaging for users and help users feel confident and in control when viewing their spending.

As always, user testing proved invaluable, as my assumptions about some UI and IA elements in early iterations were not necessarily intuitive to users.

What I Learned

• Continue to fill in subscription data, such as spending history and account changes over time
• Incorporate additional account setup and security measures, such as a master key and two-factor authentication, to further enhance user confidence
• Develop a secondary version that allows users to input subscription data manually to accommodate users who do not want to sync personal data across platforms

Further Recommendations