Observation
Users left at multiple steps, not only at the paywall.
Moneko · Overview · 01
Redesigning onboarding to balance activation and monetization.
ScopeResearch, UX Strategy, UI Design, Iteration
Moneko is an AI-powered budgeting app. As the Product Designer, I led the onboarding redesign to address early drop-off and help users discover the product's value before deciding whether to subscribe.
Users were asked to subscribe before experiencing Moneko.
The original flow introduced personalization, account creation, and a paywall before users could meaningfully try the product. I asked: How might we help users experience enough value before deciding whether to subscribe?
Research · 02
The largest drop-off came at payment.
Hypothesized Experience
Illustrative interpretation, not validated emotional research.
Curious and motivated
Still interested, but more effort
Increasing friction
Hesitant to pay before trying
Friction
Questions and account creation added effort before users could try the product.
Question
Did users understand enough value to justify committing?
Hypothesis
Experiencing the core product before payment might improve activation.
Opportunity
Let users experience value earlier and introduce the subscription after activation.
“I want to see how it works first.”
My Design Thinking
The funnel showed me where users were dropping off, but it didn't explain why. When I came across this feedback, I started questioning whether we were asking people to make a subscription decision before they had a chance to understand what Moneko could actually do for them.
I saw two possible problems: the onboarding journey might have been too long, or users might not have experienced enough value to feel ready to commit. Rather than assuming the paywall was the only issue, I wanted to explore both possibilities.
Iteration 01 · V1 → V2 · 04
More explanation helped those who reached pricing—but fewer got there.
I first thought clearer explanations would help users decide. V1 moved from account creation to the paywall; V2 added personal questions and a value explanation before login.
V1 · Commit early
✅ Pros
Shorter path to the subscription offer.
❌ Cons
Users were asked to commit before experiencing the product.
V2 · Explain first
Swipe to see all four screens →
✅ Pros
Introduced the product's value before asking users to subscribe.
❌ Cons
Added steps without letting users experience the core product.
“I want to see how it works first.”User feedback · Moneko onboarding
Design Insight
More explanation could help users understand Moneko, but it couldn't replace experiencing the product.
Next Decision
Explore ways to let users try core features before committing.
Iteration 02 · V3 → V4 · 05
From access to activation.
V3 removed mandatory account creation and payment so users could enter Moneko and explore. V4 built on that access by guiding users toward a personalized budget and their first expense.
V3 · Remove the barriers to entry
Removing mandatory registration and payment allowed users to enter Moneko and explore the product before committing.
✅ Pros
Removed required registration and upfront payment.
Trade-off
Access alone did not guide users toward a meaningful first action.
In the observed V3 cohort, purchases were followed by cancellations; the comparison doesn’t explain why.
V4 · Guide users toward activation
✅ Pros
Guided users to create a personalized budget and log their first expense.
Trade-off
Delayed the subscription decision; longer-term monetization and retention still needed validation.
Let users experience value first.
Design Observation
Users could build a budget and log an expense before deciding whether to subscribe.
Tradeoff
Keep an immediate subscription offer available while allowing users to dismiss it and reach Moneko's core features.
Design Decision
Preserve the paywall, but let users dismiss it and continue using Moneko's core features.
Final Design · 06 · Shipped May 16
A 7-day full Pro trial let users experience Moneko.
Personalize the experience
Ask relevant questions to tailor the experience to users' needs.
Make value tangible
Turn onboarding answers into a personalized starting budget.
Let users try the product
Introduce expense logging so users can experience the core workflow.
Separate activation from payment
Keep the subscription option available while allowing users to continue exploring.