Membership home
Membership home
Description
Description
The Royal Institute of Philosophy (TRIP), with over a century of history, launched a membership programme to foster community and generate sustainable revenue. As the lead designer, I tackled the challenge of creating a flexible, user-friendly membership hub that could adapt to the specific benefits of four membership types: student, normal, fellow, and AI special interest.
The Royal Institute of Philosophy (TRIP), with over a century of history, launched a membership programme to foster community and generate sustainable revenue. As the lead designer, I tackled the challenge of creating a flexible, user-friendly membership hub that could adapt to the specific benefits of four membership types: student, normal, fellow, and AI special interest.
Problem
Problem
Without a central membership home, users would face confusion navigating their benefits, limiting their ability to fully engage.
Without a central membership home, users would face confusion navigating their benefits, limiting their ability to fully engage.
Impact
Impact
Users gave it an average satisfaction score of 4.6/5.
Users gave it an average satisfaction score of 4.6/5.
92% of users expressed a strong likelihood of returning regularly.
92% of users expressed a strong likelihood of returning regularly.
72.7% of users found enough relevant content to keep them engaged.
72.7% of users found enough relevant content to keep them engaged.
My role
My role
Lead product designer
Lead product designer
Timeline
Timeline
Sept-Oct 2024 (part-time)
Sept-Oct 2024 (part-time)
Full team
Full team
Lead product designer, 2 developers, 1 copywriter (specialising in philosophy-specific content), Assistant and Managing Director.
Lead product designer, 2 developers, 1 copywriter (specialising in philosophy-specific content), Assistant and Managing Director.
Lack of a membership home
Lack of a membership home
The user problems:
The user problems:
Without a well-structured membership home, new members could face confusion and disengagement when trying to navigate their benefits. This lack of clarity would prevent them from fully utilising their membership and accessing available resources.
Without a well-structured membership home, new members could face confusion and disengagement when trying to navigate their benefits. This lack of clarity would prevent them from fully utilising their membership and accessing available resources.
The business problems:
The business problems:
The lack of a central membership home would impact TRIP’s ability to drive membership retention and long-term engagement. Users may struggle to understand the value of their membership and specific benefits, leading to frustration and reduced retention. This risks limiting TRIP’s potential to generate sustainable revenue and build a stronger community—both essential for the organisation’s continued success.
The lack of a central membership home would impact TRIP’s ability to drive membership retention and long-term engagement. Users may struggle to understand the value of their membership and specific benefits, leading to frustration and reduced retention. This risks limiting TRIP’s potential to generate sustainable revenue and build a stronger community—both essential for the organisation’s continued success.
Tackling membership benefit ambiguity
Tackling membership benefit ambiguity
The TRIP membership home presented a challenge due to varying benefits and pricing across four membership types: student, normal, fellow, and AI special interest. While some core benefits overlapped, others varied significantly, with some memberships offering more benefits than others. Despite a solid kick-off with the Managing Director, delays in finalising the membership benefits led to ambiguity in the project. This made it essential to create a flexible design that could adapt and provide value to all members, despite the amount of benefits they had.
The TRIP membership home presented a challenge due to varying benefits and pricing across four membership types: student, normal, fellow, and AI special interest. While some core benefits overlapped, others varied significantly, with some memberships offering more benefits than others. Despite a solid kick-off with the Managing Director, delays in finalising the membership benefits led to ambiguity in the project. This made it essential to create a flexible design that could adapt and provide value to all members, despite the amount of benefits they had.
Leveraging industry insights to shape best practices
Leveraging industry insights to shape best practices
To establish best practices for the membership area, I began by researching how membership homes are structured across both similar and diverse industries. This provided valuable insights into different approaches for designing a membership home. By analysing a range of layouts and user experiences, I gained a clearer understanding of how to balance accessibility, functionality, and engagement.
To establish best practices for the membership area, I began by researching how membership homes are structured across both similar and diverse industries. This provided valuable insights into different approaches for designing a membership home. By analysing a range of layouts and user experiences, I gained a clearer understanding of how to balance accessibility, functionality, and engagement.
Building the foundations for a seamless experience
Building the foundations for a seamless experience
The research insights formed the foundation for designing a user-friendly, content-rich membership home that serves all membership types. I explored various structural approaches and identified the key pages needed to ensure members could easily access their benefits. I then developed design concepts focused on addressing the challenge of creating a flexible membership home, adaptable to the different types of membership benefits that were still evolving.
The research insights formed the foundation for designing a user-friendly, content-rich membership home that serves all membership types. I explored various structural approaches and identified the key pages needed to ensure members could easily access their benefits. I then developed design concepts focused on addressing the challenge of creating a flexible membership home, adaptable to the different types of membership benefits that were still evolving.
Concept 1
Concept 1
Clear overview of your full membership
Clear overview of your full membership
Solution
Solution
Organises membership benefits into a clean, straightforward dashboard, reducing cognitive load and making decisions easier.
Organises membership benefits into a clean, straightforward dashboard, reducing cognitive load and making decisions easier.
Simplifies navigation and provides a clear layout, addressing the challenge of disconnection and helping users feel in control.
Simplifies navigation and provides a clear layout, addressing the challenge of disconnection and helping users feel in control.
Enables members to quickly find and engage with their benefits.
Enables members to quickly find and engage with their benefits.
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
The simplicity may feel impersonal and lack personality, which could limit emotional connection and deeper engagement.
The simplicity may feel impersonal and lack personality, which could limit emotional connection and deeper engagement.
Could fail to encourage exploration, potentially missing opportunities for users to discover added value.
Could fail to encourage exploration, potentially missing opportunities for users to discover added value.
Student membership home
Student membership home
Student membership home
Concept 2
Concept 2
Easy access to your benefits
Easy access to your benefits
Solution
Solution
Links to key membership benefits directly from the home dashboard, creating a single, organised space that simplifies navigation and reduces user effort.
Links to key membership benefits directly from the home dashboard, creating a single, organised space that simplifies navigation and reduces user effort.
Provides easy access to support with a clearly placed FAQ section, helping users quickly resolve uncertainties and build confidence in their membership experience.
Provides easy access to support with a clearly placed FAQ section, helping users quickly resolve uncertainties and build confidence in their membership experience.
Consolidates resources into one place, making it easier for members to explore their perks and encouraging interaction by reducing barriers to engagement.
Consolidates resources into one place, making it easier for members to explore their perks and encouraging interaction by reducing barriers to engagement.
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
The varying amount of benefits across membership types could lead to an imbalanced experience.
The varying amount of benefits across membership types could lead to an imbalanced experience.
Users with fewer benefits may find it harder to perceive their membership as equally valuable compared to others.
Users with fewer benefits may find it harder to perceive their membership as equally valuable compared to others.
Concept 3
Concept 3
Engaging with your benefits
Engaging with your benefits
Solution
Solution
Displays all key membership benefits in a central hub, providing users with direct access when they login.
Displays all key membership benefits in a central hub, providing users with direct access when they login.
Uses notifications to highlight timely events or news, keeping members informed and encouraging participation.
Uses notifications to highlight timely events or news, keeping members informed and encouraging participation.
Encourages interaction by making it easy for members to explore and utilise their benefits in one place.
Encourages interaction by making it easy for members to explore and utilise their benefits in one place.
Drawbacks
Drawbacks
The wide variety of benefits may make it difficult to ensure each one is equally accessible and engaging.
The wide variety of benefits may make it difficult to ensure each one is equally accessible and engaging.
Links to resources outside the membership area could interrupt the experience, reducing continuity and user satisfaction.
Links to resources outside the membership area could interrupt the experience, reducing continuity and user satisfaction.
Student membership home
An engaging hub to deliver value - the chosen concept
An engaging hub to deliver value - the chosen concept
We assessed the three design concepts as a team, analysing how each addressed both user and business challenges while carefully considering technical constraints and potential drawbacks. Through collaborative discussions, Concept 3 emerged as the best choice, offering a balanced solution to meet the project’s goals.
We assessed the three design concepts as a team, analysing how each addressed both user and business challenges while carefully considering technical constraints and potential drawbacks. Through collaborative discussions, Concept 3 emerged as the best choice, offering a balanced solution to meet the project’s goals.
Why Concept 3 stood out
Why Concept 3 stood out
Promotes ongoing engagement by showcasing key benefits directly in the membership home.
Promotes ongoing engagement by showcasing key benefits directly in the membership home.
Acts as a centralised hub, enabling members to quickly locate and access their benefits without friction.
Acts as a centralised hub, enabling members to quickly locate and access their benefits without friction.
Simplifies navigation to reduce cognitive load, empowering users to explore the area with ease.
Simplifies navigation to reduce cognitive load, empowering users to explore the area with ease.
Provides a cohesive and intuitive experience, encouraging members to fully engage with and appreciate the value of their membership.
Provides a cohesive and intuitive experience, encouraging members to fully engage with and appreciate the value of their membership.
Usability test 1
Usability test 1
Key user insights to take forward
Key user insights to take forward
Incorporating insights into the concept
Incorporating insights into the concept
I took the insights from the usability test to further refine the membership home. After exploring multiple options I landed on a direction that delivered the changes needed. I discussed it with the team, considering the feasibility of all of the inside pages and checking if there were any technical constraints due to the need for the team to keep certain areas updated.
I took the insights from the usability test to further refine the membership home. After exploring multiple options I landed on a direction that delivered the changes needed. I discussed it with the team, considering the feasibility of all of the inside pages and checking if there were any technical constraints due to the need for the team to keep certain areas updated.
Usability test 2
Usability test 2
Key user insights to take forward
Key user insights to take forward
A scalable design adaptable to all memberships
A scalable design adaptable to all memberships
Designed to keep users engaged and informed with tailored content
Designed to keep users engaged and informed with tailored content
What’s new highlights updates like journals, newsletters, and upcoming speakers, personalised to each membership type.
What’s new highlights updates like journals, newsletters, and upcoming speakers, personalised to each membership type.
Events combines upcoming and recorded sessions in one place, ensuring all memberships, including AI special interest, feel valuable and well-supported.
Events combines upcoming and recorded sessions in one place, ensuring all memberships, including AI special interest, feel valuable and well-supported.
Featured benefits dynamically showcase high-priority perks, easily updated by the team to keep content timely and engaging.
Featured benefits dynamically showcase high-priority perks, easily updated by the team to keep content timely and engaging.
Curated content adds value with tailored recommendations, such as articles or podcasts, aligned to members’ interests.
Curated content adds value with tailored recommendations, such as articles or podcasts, aligned to members’ interests.
STUDENT
STUDENT
NORMAL
NORMAL
FELLOW
FELLOW
AI
AI
Final designs
Final designs
The project delivered a scalable and engaging membership hub for the Royal Institute of Philosophy, serving as a central access point for all membership types. The design ensures it meets diverse member needs while being easy to update, offering a tailored and relevant experience over time.
The project delivered a scalable and engaging membership hub for the Royal Institute of Philosophy, serving as a central access point for all membership types. The design ensures it meets diverse member needs while being easy to update, offering a tailored and relevant experience over time.
"The membership home sparked my curiosity about the other available content and motivated me to explore further."
"The membership home sparked my curiosity about the other available content and motivated me to explore further."
"The membership home sparked my curiosity about the other available content and motivated me to explore further."
Reflections
Reflections
Scalable design is key for flexible experiences
Scalable design is key for flexible experiences
Designing a membership area for various membership types and benefits highlighted the importance of scalable design. I focused on creating modular, adaptable components that could seamlessly fit different contexts—whether showcasing a benefit or an event—while ensuring consistency in clarity and usability across all scenarios. This approach enabled the membership area to flexibly evolve as needs grew, maintaining a cohesive user experience.
Designing a membership area for various membership types and benefits highlighted the importance of scalable design. I focused on creating modular, adaptable components that could seamlessly fit different contexts—whether showcasing a benefit or an event—while ensuring consistency in clarity and usability across all scenarios. This approach enabled the membership area to flexibly evolve as needs grew, maintaining a cohesive user experience.
Evaluate early to prioritise effectively
Evaluate early to prioritise effectively
Mapping out the pros and cons of design concepts early helped me make informed decisions and ask the right questions during team discussions. This approach allowed me to spot potential issues upfront and prioritise solutions that delivered maximum value while balancing user needs and business goals.
Mapping out the pros and cons of design concepts early helped me make informed decisions and ask the right questions during team discussions. This approach allowed me to spot potential issues upfront and prioritise solutions that delivered maximum value while balancing user needs and business goals.
Increasing engagement and decreasing churn with onboarding
Increasing engagement and decreasing churn with onboarding
Whatch app • 3 weeks Oct 2024
Whatch app • 3 weeks Oct 2024
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