CASE STUDY → SCALABLE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
Designing scalable subscription systems at the intersection of UX architecture, behavioral design, data and engineering.
Transforming fragmented subscription experiences into a unified behavioral conversion system across multiple media brands.
THE CHALLENGE
Vocento operates multiple news brands grouped into three editorial ecosystems. Each ecosystem evolved independently, with teams often reusing and adapting subscription components from other brands within the same group.
This resulted in:
Because each brand adapted these components differently, the subscription experience became fragmented across the ecosystem. Separate product, design and development teams worked on each brand, making it difficult to maintain consistency and scale improvements across the conversion funnel.
los medios se compartían las piezas de captación generando mucha inestabilidad y código repetido
Brands within the same ecosystem often reused subscription components from each other, adapting them differently and creating inconsistent user experiences across the conversion funnel.
THE PROBLEM
The subscription ecosystem had evolved organically across brands, resulting in fragmented experiences, duplicated implementations and a system that could not scale.
VIABILITY
Subscription growth stagnated despite strong traffic across brands. Mobile conversion rates were critically low. Launching campaigns or new subscription offers required significant development effort, slowing experimentation and limiting growth.
DESIRABILITY
Users experienced decision paralysis due to poorly structured subscription options. Login, registration and checkout flows were long and confusing. Multiple landing pages created friction and eroded trust during payment. The value of the subscription was framed as a transaction rather than a premium content experience.
FEASIBILITY
No shared conversion framework across brands. Each team implemented subscription flows differently, creating fragmented experiences. Experimentation and iteration were difficult to scale across the ecosystem. Subscription components were reused informally without a unified system.
I led the initiative as Product Designer and UX Systems Architect, defining the UX architecture of the subscription ecosystem. The role combined product design, system architecture and cross-team coordination to transform a fragmented subscription ecosystem into a scalable subscription product system.
Defined the cross-brand subscription architecture and the behavioral conversion framework used across the ecosystem.
Coordinated product, design and engineering teams across multiple media brands to adopt a shared subscription experience.
Designed the subscription funnel and key conversion components, applying behavioral design principles to reduce friction and improve clarity.
ANALYSIS
The subscription funnel was redesigned as a measurable behavioral system rather than a set of pages.
Increase digital subscriptions. Improve mobile conversion and registration. Increase CTR on subscription entry points. Reduce the time required to launch campaigns and landings.
Clarify product architecture (paper vs digital, product vs periodicity). Increase trust and transparency across the funnel. Reduce cognitive load in login, registration and checkout. Align business, design and engineering around a shared system.
The subscription funnel was redesigned as a measurable behavioral system rather than a set of pages.
10,000+ users tested. Continuous A/B experimentation. Funnel instrumentation across brands.
Older audiences showed strong resistance to registration and payment when the subscription price was perceived as a large monthly expense.
ANALYSIS
The subscription journey across brands was fragmented and inconsistent. Each stage of the funnel introduced additional friction, increasing cognitive load and reducing conversion clarity. The interface lacked clear hierarchy and scannability, making it difficult for users to quickly understand the subscription value. A unified system was required to standardize the experience across brands while preserving editorial flexibility.
Subscription decision journey Low scannability, weak hierarchy and complex decision paths introduced friction across the subscription journey.
Key insight
Users had to make multiple decisions before understanding the value of the subscription.
ANALYSIS
We believe that the frictions in the mobile subscription funnel were preventing registration and purchase
We believe that structural, copy and pricing changes could reduce friction and increase trust
We believed that a shared system could enable fast experimentation without breaking brand consistency
Winner Experiment
Anchoring the subscription price to a familiar daily habit (“a coffee a day”) significantly reduced perceived cost and purchase friction.
THE SOLUTION
To reduce decision friction across the funnel, the conversion system was designed around four core principles
Goal → Objective
Too many subscription combinations created decision paralysis
Implementation
Reduced product options from multiple bundles to 3 core tiers
Clear primary subscription path
Single dominant CTA
Impact
Users can understand the offer and decide faster.
Goal → Objective
Guide attention to the most relevant information.
Implementation
Recommended plan highlighted
Pricing hierarchy clearly structured
Primary actions visually dominant
Impact
Users quickly identify the best option without scanning the entire page.
Goal → Objective
Structure options to support decision making.
Implementation
Recommended plan pre-emphasized
Monthly entry point + annual commitment option
Clear comparison between tiers
Impact
Reduces choice overload and clarifies the decision path.
Goal → Objective
Allow users to understand the value proposition in seconds.
Implementation
Reduced text density
Clear offer grouping
Bullet-based benefit lists
Impact
Users can evaluate the subscription quickly without reading long blocks.
Conversion components (systemized)
The subscription system was fragmented across brands. We redesigned it into a unified 3-tier architecture, reducing cognitive load and enabling scalable experimentation.
The previous subscription store presented numerous product variations without a clear structure.
The lack of visual hierarchy, scannability and offer prioritization increased cognitive load and made the purchase decision unnecessarily complex.
Multiple subscription bundles competed for attention, making it difficult for users to quickly identify the most relevant option.
The redesigned architecture transformed the store from a product catalog into a guided decision experience. A simplified three-tier model, clear offer hierarchy and improved content scannability helped users quickly understand the subscription value and select the most relevant option.
This structure reduced cognitive load while strengthening value perception during the purchase decision.
The new subscription model introduced three core product tiers:
Access to essential digital journalism content.
Extended digital access including investigative reporting, archives and subscriber-only benefits.
Premium access combined with a regional newspaper subscription.
This model unified national and regional journalism into a single subscription structure, reducing product fragmentation and enabling a consistent subscription system across the group.
Learnings
This architecture transformed a fragmented set of subscription implementations into a unified multi-brand subscription platform, simplifying decision paths for users while enabling scalable subscription management across the ecosystem.
Conversion components (systemized)
The regional bundle integrated Vocento's local newspapers into the same subscription architecture.
Subscribers could combine ABC with regional titles such as El Correo, Diario Vasco, Diario Montañés, El Comercio, La Rioja, Las Provincias, El Norte de Castilla, Hoy, Sur, Ideal and La Verdad.
The subscription architecture was designed to scale across Vocento's media ecosystem. The platform architecture was deployed across multiple publications, the ABC + Regional bundle was integrated with selected regional newspapers. This model enabled cross-brand subscription consistency while preserving the editorial identity of each regional publication.
The regional bundle allowed subscribers to combine ABC with selected local newspapers, creating a unified national-regional subscription.
This model connected flagship national content with trusted regional journalism, increasing perceived value while maintaining the editorial identity of each publication.
The subscription architecture was designed to scale across Vocento's multi-brand media ecosystem, integrating national and regional publications into the same platform.
This unified model enabled cross-brand subscription consistency while allowing each publication to preserve its editorial identity and audience focus.
Learnings
Simplifying the subscription architecture enabled both:
The Hidden Problem
The subscription experience was redesigned as a behavioral conversion system composed of multiple coordinated entry points across the reading journey. Each component addresses a different conversion moment: persistent triggers, decision moments and high-attention interruptions.
The banner bottom acts as a persistent conversion trigger during article consumption.
Rather than interrupting the reading flow, it maintains continuous subscription visibility and provides a low-friction entry point to the subscription store.
The paywall was redesigned to simplify decision making and create a clear offer hierarchy.
Instead of presenting multiple fragmented subscription combinations, the experience was structured around a simplified set of plans designed for fast comparison.
The pop-up was designed as a high-attention conversion moment within the reading journey.
Unlike the persistent banner, this component focuses the user on a single offer and reduces decision complexity to maximize conversion intent.
Conversion components (systemized)
The subscription journey across brands followed a fragmented structure, where each stage of the funnel introduced friction and inconsistency.
A shared core system was needed to standardize the experience while still allowing editorial and regional customization.
The goal was to identify friction points across the full journey — from article access to checkout — and redesign the system around clarity, trust and reduced cognitive load.
Choice overload
(Decision theory – Schwartz)
12 subscription options
Extreme decision complexity
Visual hierarchy breakdown
(NN/g – information hierarchy)
2 competing offers above the fold
4 main offers competing visually
No clear primary offer
Weak value framing
(Cialdini – persuasion / perceived value)
Key value information placed too late
Subscription benefits hidden below the fold
The previous subscription landing presented too many options without a clear hierarchy. The lack of visual hierarchy, emphasis and scannable structure increased cognitive load and made the purchase decision unnecessarily complex.
Multiple offers competed for attention, increasing cognitive load and making the purchase decision unnecessarily complex.
Offer hierarchy:
3 products displayed
Icon-based bullet clarity
1 primary offer highlighted
Single dominant CTA
Trust reinforcement elements
Brand and value:
Trust reinforcement elements
Detailed subscription benefits
Emotional content brand value
Trust, value and brand reinforcement
Dynamic editorial reinforcement
Top-performing investigative story automatically surfaced
Strengthens brand value during purchase decision
Decision support:
FAQ to resolve purchase doubts
The redesign transformed the store from a product catalog into a guided subscription decision. Clear hierarchy, scannable content structure and strong visual emphasis help users quickly understand the value of the subscription and choose the most relevant option.
Offer hierarchy, trust signals and value explanation
reduced cognitive load and improved conversion clarity.
Learnings
The redesign also improved content scannability and visual hierarchy, enabling users to quickly understand the subscription value and make faster decisions, transforming the page from a product catalog into a guided subscription decision. High-performing editorial content was integrated into the purchase journey to reinforce perceived value at the moment of decision.
The Hidden Problem
Esto no fue un rediseño puntual: fue un Behavioral Conversion System multi-marca.
Checkout desktop + baby steps
Checkout mobile + baby steps
The Hidden Problem
Esto no fue un rediseño puntual: fue un Behavioral Conversion System multi-marca.
Checkout desktop + baby steps
Checkout mobile + baby steps
Conversion components (systemized)
Core system compartido para todas las marcas.
Personalización local por región/audiencia sin romper estructura.
7 buyer personas por marca para modular el mensaje emocional manteniendo consistencia del framework.
Article (paywalled)
Subscription store
login OR Registration
checkout
Activation
ANALYSIS
If a piece exists, it measures. If it measures, it does so consistently.
ANALYSIS
Every component in the system was instrumented and measurable, enabling continuous optimization across brands.
Explicacion de todas las piezas, sistema de diseño bal bal abl abla
Mobile conversion:
12% → 48%
Mobile registration
15% → 80%
Subscription growth
+15% YoY
CTA CTR
+35%
Campaign production efficiency
Pasó de emplear 90% del tiempo en construir / 10% estrategia a:
20% build / 80% estrategia.
Experimentation velocity
Pasó de 1 test al mes con foco en desktop a:
15 A/B tests/mes y foco en mobile
Engineering standardization
Before
Ad-hoc landing implementations with no shared code
Reusable code modules + standardized tracking
Testing infrastructure
Cada equipo con un sistema de código distinto a:
Sistema transversal de código + tracking fijo
ANALYSIS
If a piece exists, it measures. If it measures, it does so consistently.
Before
6 Weeks
After
5 Days
The solution
Diseñar para ecosistemas multi-site exige pensar en gobernanza + escalabilidad, no solo UI. La atomización extrema de componentes es lo que hace posible iterar sin romper marcas. Un “lenguaje compartido” negocio-diseño-engineering desbloquea delivery.
What I’d do differently
Invertir antes en formar equipos locales de redacción/negocio como red de ejecución y evangelización para acelerar adopción y sostenibilidad del sistema.
