Balancing visibility and user experience to drive engagement.
One of the biggest challenges in e-commerce is presenting promotional offers in a way that captures attention without disrupting the shopping experience. For a global activewear brand, our team set out to optimize the email sign-up experience. Specifically, how to best promote the “15% off first purchase” incentive.
Our goal was to determine not just which format (modal, banner, or inline) worked best, but also where and when to surface it across the shopping journey.
Project Date: 2025
Role: UX Researcher & Designer
Duration: 6 weeks
Methods: Competitive analysis, user survey, unmoderated user testing (two rounds)
Deliverables: Research findings, prototype variations, final design recommendations
I began by benchmarking how leading sportswear and apparel brands handle their sign-up flows.
1. Most competitors relied on modals, toasters, or banners.
2. Nike was the only brand to drive users to a dedicated membership landing page.
3. Lululemon experimented with product imagery in the pop-up to boost emotional appeal.
4. Adidas and Under Armour emphasized exclusive perks (early access, product updates).
This analysis revealed that while discounts are standard, brands differentiate through presentation, placement, and added value.
Insight: To stand out, our solution needed to combine clear value communication (discount + benefits) with minimal friction and legal compliance.
To understand how users perceived our existing experience, I conducted a mixed survey with 8 participants.
1. Clarity: Most users immediately recognized the pop-up as a newsletter sign-up with a discount incentive.
2. Ease of Use: All described it as “easy” or “very easy” to engage with.
3. Motivators: The discount itself and straightforward opt-out options were the strongest drivers.
4. Concerns: Some found the timing disruptive (appearing too early), and a few noted inconsistent copy between email vs. SMS fields.
Takeaway: The core offer resonated, but execution, particularly timing and clarity of details required refinement.
Next, I ran an unmoderated usability test with 8 participants to compare three formats:
Option 1: Banner
Option 2: Modal popup
Option 3: Inline expandable element
Findings:
1. Option 2 (Modal) was most familiar and trustworthy, preferred by 5 of 8 participants.
2. Option 3 (Inline) struck a balance, seen as less intrusive but still effective.
3. Option 1 (Banner) was too subtle and easy to overlook entirely.
Recommendation: Use a modal for visibility and conversion, but avoid aggressiveness by adding better timing triggers (scroll, exit intent) and a re-access option if dismissed.
We then tested where banners and prompts should appear on the homepage and product detail page (PDP).
Bottom floating banner: Noticeable and persistent but sometimes conflicted with cookie consent overlays.
Top-of-page banner: Consistently the most visible, familiar, and least disruptive placement.
Near add-to-bag: Underperformed; many users overlooked it until too late in the journey.
Recommendation: Standardize on top-of-page banners for a persistent, non-blocking option that complements modal timing.
By combining insights from competitive analysis, survey validation, and two rounds of unmoderated testing, we arrived at a dual-strategy solution:
1. Modals (timed or triggered) for maximum visibility.
2. Top-of-page banners as a persistent, less intrusive alternative.
3. Clearer copy and opt-out messaging for trust and compliance.
This approach balanced brand goals (sign-ups, conversions) with user needs (clarity, control, timing).
This project highlighted how small interface choices with timing, placement, and format, it can dramatically shape user perception. Users want offers to be obvious, but they also want the freedom to engage on their own terms. Testing across multiple phases allowed us to deliver a solution that was both effective for the business and respectful to users.
Confidentiality Disclaimer: Certain details and visuals have been modified for confidentiality. The insights presented reflect my UX research process and design reasoning, not proprietary company data.