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03 Conjoint Analysis · Pricing Research 4 min read

Unlocking Conversion through Conjoint

How a layered pricing study turned subscription decisions into a value conversation, and delivered conversion lifts of +33%, +9%, and +100% across three decision points.

Layout lift
+33%
Pricing clarity lift
+9%
Willingness-to-pay lift
+100%
Timeline
Nov '23 – Feb '24
Role
Sole Senior
UX Researcher
Method
Conjoint &
Pricing Research
Stakeholders
Growth, Product,
Insights, ELT
Timeline
Nov 2023 –
Feb 2024
Impact
+33% / +9% / +100%
conversion lifts
How I Framed It

Pricing as a value conversation, not a barrier.

When our team introduced new subscription plans, we needed to ensure the experience felt clear, trustworthy, and worth committing to. I knew this wasn't just about whether users understood the plans, but how they evaluated trade-offs, interpreted pricing signals, and decided what was "worth it."

To me, the real challenge was this:

The research question

How do we make pricing feel like a value conversation, not a barrier?

My Mindset

Start broad,
then go deep.

I set four research goals up front:

  • Understand how users interpret the subscription plans and terminology.
  • Evaluate pricing comprehension, perceived fairness, and perceived value.
  • Identify preferred features and usability gaps across user types.
  • Segment users by preference for subscription vs. one-time booking.

Then I narrowed the lens with three diagnostic questions:

  • What's confusing or unclear to users?
  • What pricing structure supports trust and low-risk entry?
  • Where might we be inadvertently nudging users away from conversion?
Three Layers · One Story
Layer 01

Qualitative interviews

Surface the language, mental models, and value perceptions users bring to the plans.

Answers the why
Layer 02

Conjoint analysis

Force trade-offs between features, terms, and price points to quantify what users actually value.

Answers the what
Layer 03

Layout & merchandising

Validate visual hierarchy, comparisons, and trust signals on the live decision surface.

Answers the how
What I Found

Three pillars of trust.

Instead of just listing insights, I looked for the patterns underneath. The findings clustered into three interconnected pillars, each one a different lever on the same underlying question of trust.

01
Layout & Merchandising

Confidence is a visual property.

The way plans were presented visually drove user confidence, not just clarity. Users wanted structured comparisons and visual hierarchy, not because they couldn't read, but because they wanted to make informed, confident decisions.
I feel like I'm missing something. It's too much work to compare.
02
Pricing Clarity

Fees weren't the problem, opacity was.

Even previously frustrating fees felt justified when explained clearly. I saw the opportunity to reposition pricing as an investment in safety and trust, not a cost to avoid.
Is this a one-time thing? What am I really paying for?
03
Price Elasticity

Everyone valued flexibility.

User intent varied dramatically. First-time and occasional users were risk-averse; long-term users wanted value. But across the spectrum, everyone appreciated a lower-friction starting point. We weren't just selling access, we were asking for trust.
Let me try it first. Then I'll commit.
Conversion lifts

Three findings,
three revenue moves.

Clearer layout & merchandising Decision surface
+33%
More transparent pricing Comprehension
+9%
Pricing aligned with willingness to pay Willingness-to-pay
+100%
Stakeholder Endorsement

“I love the value you bring through your research.”

VP of Product
Impact

UI work that
moved the revenue needle.

Three concrete conversion lifts came directly out of this research: +33% from clearer layout and merchandising, +9% from more transparent pricing, and +100% when pricing aligned with willingness to pay.

More than the numbers, what mattered was that leadership recognized the work as strategic, not tactical. The research didn't just influence UI, it reframed how the team thought about pricing as a trust artifact.

Why this transfers

Conjoint is domain-agnostic.

The methodology I used to study willingness-to-pay and decision architecture in a consumer marketplace maps directly to SaaS tiering, enterprise contract structures, and freemium-to-paid conversion.

The +33%, +9%, and +100% lifts represent research that moved a revenue needle, which is the language enterprise product and growth teams speak.

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