Product Design
Upgrade Value Prop
Philo’s upgrade flow was designed to convert — but not to connect. The experience interrupted users instead of meeting them where they were. When someone tried to play locked content, they were met with a static paywall that killed momentum. I set out to redesign that moment — reframing upgrades as a seamless continuation of what users already wanted to watch. By grounding the experience in emotion, timing, and visual context, the new Upgrade Value Prop transformed a transactional step into a compelling, value-driven experience that lifted payments and improved retention across key devices.
Philo’s upgrade flow was designed to convert — but not to connect. The experience interrupted users instead of meeting them where they were. When someone tried to play locked content, they were met with a static paywall that killed momentum. I set out to redesign that moment — reframing upgrades as a seamless continuation of what users already wanted to watch. By grounding the experience in emotion, timing, and visual context, the new Upgrade Value Prop transformed a transactional step into a compelling, value-driven experience that lifted payments and improved retention across key devices.
Challenge
Philo’s upgrade flow did the bare minimum — it told users what they were missing, but not why they should care. Most upgrade prompts felt transactional, not intentional. We were seeing strong curiosity but weak follow-through, especially on TV devices where attention spans are shorter and context switching is harder. The challenge was clear: how do we make upgrading feel natural, not forced? I wanted to turn a static upsell moment into a contextual, value-driven experience that aligned with what users were already watching — not just what we wanted them to pay for.
Results
The new design didn’t just look better — it worked.
+23.3% increase in completed payments on Fire TV
+16% increase in first payments across test cohorts
Noticeable lift in overall upgrade conversions across targeted users
By reframing the upgrade as a moment of value rather than interruption, we turned friction into momentum — and curiosity into conversion.
23.3%
increase in completed payments
16%
increase in payments across test cohorts
Process
This started as a simple idea: meet users where they are. But to make that real, I needed to rethink how the upgrade moment showed up.
1. Finding the Opportunity
I dug into playback data across FAST (free) users who frequently engaged with locked content. They were clearly interested — but the upgrade moment wasn’t landing. The existing design popped up an interruptive paywall that stalled curiosity instead of converting it.
2. Designing for Context
I introduced a dynamic interstitial — a redesigned upgrade screen that appeared at key intent moments (like trying to play a locked show). Instead of just saying “Upgrade to watch,” the design highlighted why the upgrade was worth it: more content, better access, and no interruptions.
Visually, it leaned cinematic — hero imagery pulled from the show the user was trying to watch, with a clear, branded CTA that tied emotion to action.
3. Collaborating Across Teams
I worked with Growth, Data, and Engineering to fine-tune when and where these prompts appeared. Timing and placement became everything. We A/B tested layout hierarchy, copy tone, and CTA language to find the sweet spot between persuasion and pressure.
4. Testing and Iterating
We launched controlled tests across Android and Fire TV devices to compare engagement and payment completion rates. Feedback loops were fast — we iterated weekly, balancing visual appeal with performance data.
Conclusion
The Upgrade Value Prop project taught me that good growth design isn’t about adding friction; it’s about aligning intent. By designing for context and emotion, not just conversion, we created an upgrade moment that felt personal and purposeful.
The best part? It proved that even small design shifts — when grounded in user insight — can drive outsized impact. Sometimes all it takes is meeting users halfway, then giving them a reason to take the next step.
Philo is a live TV streaming platform where users can watch their favorite shows, discover new ones, and pick up right where they left off. But over time, our show pages had become noisy and outdated, packed with content but lacking focus. Users were struggling to find what they wanted quickly, and engagement was slipping. My goal was to redesign the show page experience from the ground up, creating a cleaner, faster, and more intentional way for users to connect with the content they love while driving stronger engagement and conversion for the business.
Challenge
Philo’s upgrade flow did the bare minimum — it told users what they were missing, but not why they should care. Most upgrade prompts felt transactional, not intentional. We were seeing strong curiosity but weak follow-through, especially on TV devices where attention spans are shorter and context switching is harder. The challenge was clear: how do we make upgrading feel natural, not forced? I wanted to turn a static upsell moment into a contextual, value-driven experience that aligned with what users were already watching — not just what we wanted them to pay for.
Results
The new design didn’t just look better — it worked.
+23.3% increase in completed payments on Fire TV
+16% increase in first payments across test cohorts
Noticeable lift in overall upgrade conversions across targeted users
By reframing the upgrade as a moment of value rather than interruption, we turned friction into momentum — and curiosity into conversion.
23.3%
increase in completed payments
16%
increase in payments across test cohorts
Process
This started as a simple idea: meet users where they are. But to make that real, I needed to rethink how the upgrade moment showed up.
1. Finding the Opportunity
I dug into playback data across FAST (free) users who frequently engaged with locked content. They were clearly interested — but the upgrade moment wasn’t landing. The existing design popped up an interruptive paywall that stalled curiosity instead of converting it.
2. Designing for Context
I introduced a dynamic interstitial — a redesigned upgrade screen that appeared at key intent moments (like trying to play a locked show). Instead of just saying “Upgrade to watch,” the design highlighted why the upgrade was worth it: more content, better access, and no interruptions.
Visually, it leaned cinematic — hero imagery pulled from the show the user was trying to watch, with a clear, branded CTA that tied emotion to action.
3. Collaborating Across Teams
I worked with Growth, Data, and Engineering to fine-tune when and where these prompts appeared. Timing and placement became everything. We A/B tested layout hierarchy, copy tone, and CTA language to find the sweet spot between persuasion and pressure.
4. Testing and Iterating
We launched controlled tests across Android and Fire TV devices to compare engagement and payment completion rates. Feedback loops were fast — we iterated weekly, balancing visual appeal with performance data.
Conclusion
The Upgrade Value Prop project taught me that good growth design isn’t about adding friction; it’s about aligning intent. By designing for context and emotion, not just conversion, we created an upgrade moment that felt personal and purposeful.
The best part? It proved that even small design shifts — when grounded in user insight — can drive outsized impact. Sometimes all it takes is meeting users halfway, then giving them a reason to take the next step.
Upgrade Value Prop
Product Design