CoTripper

Improving subscriber conversion rates and engagement

Original Website

CoTripper is a community for single moms which consists of a newsletter, international group trips, and curated lifestyle and travel recommendations.

The original website was solely focused on garnering newsletter subscriptions. Only by subscribing and receiving the newsletter could users access a minimal internal website, which contained a few blog posts, and one page detailing an upcoming trip to Morocco.

My Prototype Solution

CoTripper’s original site and brand identity was heavily focused on travel, but over the course of this project I learned that building an engaged single mom community was their primary goal. As a result, I designed a solution that put community at the forefront, while still enhancing the travel related aspects of their brand.

Where

Phoenix, Arizona

Role

UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher

What

Website

Category

Community, E-commerce, Travel

Why

To increase subscriber base

When

Sept 2023 - Dec 2023

Project Overview

The CoTripper brand and mission is to disrupt how society views single moms by cultivating community and creating pathways to success for families that speak directly to the lifestyle of parenting solo.  CoTripper delivers destinations and products to subscribers, while providing opportunities for community engagement and curated international trips for single moms and their kids.

The goal of this project was to identify where product development opportunities exist to further grow the CoTripper subscriber base.  The design solution was required to deliver increased value to users while expanding audience reach.

Market Research

More women in America are making the decision to have children and remain single, contributing to the U.S. having the highest rate of children living in single-parent households in the world. Almost half of all babies born in the U.S. in 2019 were born to unmarried mothers.

In America, with mothers in control of 85% of all household purchases made, they have a reported spending power of $2.4 trillion.

“Moms are the primary spender in any household, and when they’re the only spender and we’re speaking to them directly, we can serve them in so many different ways.”

- Krystin Hargrove, CoTripper Founder

Problem Statement

Investigate how CoTripper can improve their product to grow their subscriber base to 10,000 users, while maintaining a 64% open rate, 11% click through rate, and positive user feedback.

Hypothesis

By making it clear on CoTripper’s website what value the brand delivers to potential subscribers, improving transparency, and building trust, we can increase newsletter subscription rates and interaction while maintaining a high level of engagement and user satisfaction.

Competitive Analysis

The original CoTripper website was solely focused on garnering newsletter subscriptions, without context on what the newsletter contained, frequency, etc. I also discovered that only by subscribing to and receiving the newsletter via email could users access the internal website, which functioned as a blog, and had one page detailing the upcoming trip to Morocco.

Due to CoTripper’s focus on both community building and curated travel, I decided to conduct competitive analysis in two phases.

Phase 2

Phase 2 was an analysis of high SEO ranking and popular travel companies that offer international travel, which included Origin, Intrepid, Black Tomato, and Salt & Wind Travel. All of these companies organized customized or templated group travel packages at varying price points.

Although the primary mission of CoTripper is to build a tight-knit community of single mothers, the branding and ethos of CoTripper was born out of a group of like-minded single moms who enjoy traveling with their kids. Group travel opportunities are the main pull and selling point for the brand, so it was important to incorporate that into the design solution.

Phase 1

Phase 1 was an analysis of competitor brands, which included Frolo, The Newsette, and Motherly. As online communities/newsletters for single moms are a niche market, the competitors range from a single parent online community, to an online newsletter marketed to women, to a platform focused on motherhood.

User Interviews

After gathering insight on CoTripper’s positioning in their niche from the market and competitors, I interviewed 5 target users about social media engagement, community, travel interests, and travel preferences.

Some of the questions covered were:

- What are your most used social media platforms?

- Is there anything you look forward to receiving in your email inbox?

- What are you looking for in a community as a single mom? What kind of content would you find valuable?

- Have there been any barriers that have made it difficult to engage in single mom communities/with other single moms?

- Are you interested in traveling as a single mother? Why or why not?

- What would you want most out of a trip?

- What are your challenges traveling with your kid(s) as a single mom?

- Are you interested in group trips with other single mothers and their kids? Why or why not?

“People don’t understand my experience. It’s hard to relate to people who have a different starting point.”

- Riley

“I would possibly be interested in traveling with other single moms.  I would be worried about whether or not we would be compatible because people have different perspectives on traveling.  I would need to meet the other moms first, I can’t sign up out of the blue.”

- Natalia

“It’s hard to find a positive experience in single mom communities.”

- Ashley

Insights

After conducting interviews, cognitive walkthroughs, competitor analysis, and market analysis, I analyzed the data and narrowed the patterns that emerged into three categories.

Personas

Based off of my research insights, I used affinity mapping to develop two personas.

Concept

With these two user perspectives and all of my research data in mind, I began to sketch a design solution that would meet both of their needs.

Any design solution would also need to better incorporate CoTripper’s brand values, particularly the three that were the least represented in their previous website iteration: humorous, modern, and trusted.

Landing Page Highlights

Emphasized a brighter, more energetic end of the brand’s color palette

I created a tier system for users to easily understand what they can interact with, and what additional benefits they have access to by subscribing, promoting transparency

Outcome

Clear CTA’s with their value proposition & explanation of what users are subscribing to

Testimonials, relatable pictures, & social proof from other single moms in the form of comments, favorites, and event RSVP’s

Benefits Page Highlights

Trip Page Highlights

The trip page is very photo heavy, showcasing an idyllic, calm, fun, interactive trip, incorporating user feedback and preferences from the interviews conducted

The tier system cultivates a sense of community by enabling users who are unsubscribed to access content, while still maintaining a sense of exclusivity for those who subscribe

Included ways for moms who are not interested in group trips to still engage and build trust with the brand

Heavy social proof and detailed trip info promote safety and ensure trip value

Conclusion

The CoTripper website is still in the process of being updated while the brand is also experimenting with other new avenues. Although the trip that was originally planned for this year has been postponed, there are several elements from my solution that have already been implemented.

  • Transparency 🔮

    Clearly communicating the brand’s value proposition and illustrating the trust that other single moms have put into the brand encourages user trust and increases the likelihood of engagement

  • Visual Communication 🎨

    Utilizing a more photo heavy, bright design, helps the brand stand out and position itself as a sanctuary from the stresses of everyday life as a single mom, and negativity found in some mom communities

  • Structure & Organization 🗂️

    The information architecture and categorization of posts was restructured to provide a more enjoyable user experience, according to user needs and interests

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