Highlighting the Policy Admin Fee Waiver Increased Enrollment

Overview

I led a 37-day cross-functional usability test to address a counterintuitive UX problem: a $0 policy-fee waiver display led to user drop-off. User research revealed that most participants interpreted it as a hidden charge rather than a waived fee. By reframing this neutral price as a benefit, I increased enrollment completion rates by 3.68%, demonstrating how psychology-driven UX can improve business KPIs with minimal engineering effort.

Impact

• 📈 +3.68% increase in enrollment completions
• 💳 +2.09% increase in billing page success
• 🎯 ~1,000 additional enrollments annually

Project Details

• Role: Lead UX Researcher & Designer
• Platform: Acquisition Funnel
• Duration: 37 Days (April 2023 - May 2023)
• Tools: Axure RP, UserTesting.com, and Optimizely
• Audience: 100% Traffic (50:50)

My Role & Ownership

I led the project end-to-end, from problem validation through experimentation and measurement.

Responsibilities

• Analyzed behavioral drop-offs using Google Analytics and Salesforce
• Identified friction points within the payment process
• Designed interactive prototypes in Axure
• Planned and moderated qualitative usability tests via UserTesting.com
• Designed and evaluated quantitative experiments using Optimizely
• Synthesized insights into actionable UX principles used across the dashboard

The Challenge: The “Zero-Dollar” Paradox

Business Problem: We provided a policy admin fee waiver to encourage sign-ups, but data showed user friction and hesitation at the pricing stage, which reduced conversions.

User Insight

• 60% of participants mistakenly believed that the displayed "$0.00" meant an additional cost could be incurred later, rather than signifying a waived fee.
• Users expressed concerns about loss aversion, worried that the policy fee might be unexpectedly charged in the future, which caused hesitation in completing enrollment.
• This friction was psychological: users wanted to enroll but hesitated because of uncertainty about the fee's future status, leading to a lack of confidence.

Leadership-Level FramingI led research to uncover the perceptual problem, not just the interface issue, ensuring solutions aligned with user psychology and business outcomes.

Strategic Hypothesis

“If we transition the UI from Neutral Disclosure ($0.00) to Explicit Benefit (Waived), we will trigger the ‘Zero-Price Effect,’ converting cost-anxiety into a perceived gain and accelerating funnel velocity.”

Decision Rationale (Senior Signal)

• Prioritized semantic redesign over full UI overhaul for fast, high-impact results.
• Aligned solution with psychological principles: loss aversion and the reward effect.
• Minimized engineering complexity while maximizing measurable impact.

3. Solution: Reframing Perception

Approach: Move from passive pricing notation → active, benefit-driven messaging.

Leadership Highlight: By labeling the waived fee as a benefit, I turned cognitive friction into a perceived gain, addressing both user trust and operational risk.

Methodology & Execution

Dual-Track Validation:

1. Qualitative Sprint:
• Built a high-fidelity Axure prototype to test semantic variations.
• 100% of participants correctly identified the waiver as a one-time benefit, not a pending charge
2. Quantitative A/B Test:
• Launched full-traffic experiment in Optimizely across 100% of the Healthy Paws funnel.
• Measured real-world behavioral lift.

Senior-Level Decision Signal: Focused only on critical touchpoints with high psychological friction to achieve maximum ROI within 37 days.

Key Results & Business Impact

Takeaway: Small semantic UX changes can drive measurable business outcomes and align design with operational and financial goals.

Senior Leadership Insights

• “User’s Truth > System Truth”: The $0.00 fee was accurate but perceived negatively. Aligning UX with user perception unlocked engagement.
• Psychology-Driven UX Wins: Leveraging loss aversion and reward framing moved key business metrics.
• Minimal Engineering, Maximum Impact: High ROI from a lightweight, research-informed intervention.
• Scalable Framework: The principle of framing neutral or waived costs as explicit benefits can be applied across other pricing elements or policy add-ons.

Next Steps & Scalability

1. Cross-Element Framing: Apply the “Waived/Benefit” principle to other optional add-ons in the other business units.
2. Device-Specific Optimization: Mobile users may require more aggressive visual cues due to limited screen real estate.
3. Segmented Messaging Experiments: Test if “Waived” resonates differently across pet demographics or policy tiers, unlocking incremental revenue opportunities.

Senior-Level Signal: This demonstrates forward-looking, repeatable senior UX leadership.

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