Zwift Growth Discovery and Definition
I led the team as we collectively discovered and understood the users' challenges, defined the key focus areas, and developed solutions.
Role: Sr, Product Design Manager, Growth Team
Team: 2 UX Designers, a UI Designer, and a User Researcher. The group was tight-knit and very talented.
Strategic Alignment: I worked closely with stakeholders, including product managers, engineers, and C-suite leaders, to align project goals and define success metrics.
Vision Stewardship: I championed a user-centered approach, emphasizing a cohesive, cross-platform experience of the Zwift ecosystem.
Duration: January 2021 – April 2022
Outcome: Met and exceeded established success metrics
What’s Zwift
Zwift reimagines indoor workouts by turning cycling and running training into immersive, gamified experiences with friends worldwide.
Once users started the trial we had significant drop-off points, user struggled with hardware setup and did not know what to do when they got on the platform. We needed to understand why and what to fix first
990k+
27k
47k
peak concurrent users
subscribers
new site visitors/day
Context
“Getting Started on Zwift is like crawling through broken glass.”
Business Objectives
Increase onboarding completion rates by 25%.
Improve activation rates (first ride within 24 hours) by 15%.
Reduce early churn by addressing major user pain points identified during research.
Discover and Define
Go find out about this problem, just how big it is, and what the opportunities might be.
To scope and brief the right Initiatives we needed to understand the most severe problem areas and how the friction manifested for users.
Research
We started with Customer Service they could Identify recurring issues reported by new users. Reviewed over 1,000 support tickets and FAQs related to onboarding and setup.
We asked, “What challenges are New Zwifters facing during from Signup to Setup?” CS could Identify inflection points throughout the journey.
Before creating a Zwift account
After account creation, but before the first ride
During eComm Pre-Purchase process
Pre-Delivery contacts
Account creation problems preventing a personalized experience
Hardware questions about the device or equipment
Software contacts on how the game works
11 User Interviews
Objective: Understand first-time users’ expectations and experiences with Zwift, from account creation to completing their first ride.
“After I signed up, I didn’t know how to start riding—it felt like I was dropped into a confusing app.”
Signup to Setup Usability
Objective: Observed users completing the onboarding flow via screen share. Measured time to completion, error rates, and user sentiment.
“It was too hard to figure out what equipment I needed and how to set it up.””
Surveyed 500 Users
Objective: Quantify user pain points and validate qualitative findings. Survey included both active and churned customers.
40% of participants abandoned the process during hardware pairing, citing unclear instructions or lack of feedback when devices failed to connect.
Synthesis
A high-level user journey visualizes friction across core personas. It reveals critical disconnects: confusion between the game and mobile app, uncertainty with equipment compatibility, and account management issues.
3 Initiatives Briefed
Working with Product Management and the leadership team we identified 3 priority Initiatives. The Growth Design Team drove Q1 2021 highest roadmap priorities across the organization.
Web Initiative: Focuses on increasing onboarding completion rates by providing clear, upfront guidance on equipment requirements and step-by-step instructions to simplify account creation.
Equipment Setup Initiative: Directly improves activation rates by streamlining the process of connecting devices, ensuring users are ready to start their first ride quickly and without frustration.
Home Screen Initiative: Addresses early churn by surfacing relevant content, simplifying navigation, and promoting engaging activities like group rides and events to keep users engaged beyond their first experience.
Outcomes
In-Game Home Screen
Overwhelming Interface: The home screen presented usability challenges for high-converting activities. New users felt overwhelmed, and even experienced riders struggled with the home screen’s inefficiencies.
Key Deliverables: A structured first-ride experience integrating personalized user goals.
Impact:
Onboarding Completion: Increased by 22%, approaching the target.
Activation Rates: Met the target with a 15% improvement.
Churn Reduction: Outperformed with an 18% reduction, resolving navigation and engagement pain points.
Website Navigation and Signup
Unclear Next Steps: Users were unsure how to move from signing up to starting their first ride. The website had to better support onboarding by providing clear pre-signup information, equipment recommendations, and guidance for new users
Key Deliverables: Streamlined sign-up process with goal-oriented prompts.
Impact
Onboarding Completion: Increased by 30%, exceeding the 25% goal.
Activation Rates: Improved slightly but remained below the target at 12%.
Churn Reduction: Reduced churn by 10%, addressing some user pain points.
Physical Setup and Pairing
Hardware Confusion: Users had difficulty figuring out what equipment they needed and how to connect it. We needed to simplify the hardware pairing process to ensure users could set up their smart trainers, sensors, and devices effortlessly
Key Deliverables: Dynamic setup guides tailored to specific hardware.
Impact:
Onboarding Completion: Achieved a solid 18% increase, supporting user readiness.
Activation Rates: Significant improvement of 20%, exceeding the 15% goal.
Churn Reduction: Reduced churn by 15%, tackling device-related frustrations effectively.