OVERView
Instant Ink is a print supply replenishment service with over 5 million subscribers worldwide. The goal of this study was to assess users' experience with the in-app printer setup flow and to gauge their feelings about the "hard choice moment" at the end of the free trial. The Instant Ink team is always focused on finding ways to expand the service and get more happy subscribers on board. At the same time, we also want to ensure that users who choose not to subscribe have a positive experience using HP products.
My Role: UX Research Lead
● Test planning
● Discussion guide creation
● Lab setup
● Research moderation
● Insight analysis
● Reporting
Big Picture Goals
● Assess impacts on service adoption and brand perception
● Understand implications of "hard choice moment" in the user journey
● Synthesize evidence-based solutions
MethodologY: Moderated User Interviews
Round 1:
Portland, OR
10 ink users + 10 toner users
Total participants: 20
Round 2:
Franfurt, Germany
11 ink users + 11 toner users
Total participants: 20
Why Moderated User Interviews?
My team chose this methodology because we wanted to get up close and personal with participants to observe their behavior, ask questions, and talk through key moments in the user journey. Sitting one-on-one with participants gave me more control and allowed me to dig deeper to understand pain points and moments of confusion.
Research
Challenges
One challenge that I faced in this study was conveying the passage of time. In each 90 session we simulated a 2 month free trial experience. As a result of this accelerated pace some participants expressed irritation and frustration over the amount and frequency of notifications they were receiving from HP. In order to reduce the impact of this constraint, I printed out a calendar and flipped through it between each task to give users a visual reference. I also said things like "now it's summertime, the weather is warm and the 4th of July is right around the corner". These solutions helped to clarify the length of time that would normally pass between notifications and reduced participants' frustration.
Another challenge was figuring out how to frame the "hard choice" conversation in a neutral way. Going in to the study my team assumed that people would be upset and frustrated during this moment in the user journey. In order to avoid influencing participants' responses I knew I had to avoid negatively charged words and leading questions. I found the best approach was to say less. Instead of giving in to the urge to fill awkward silences, I sat back and observed the users body language and facial expressions. I also asked neutral, open-ended questions like "how do you feel in this moment?" and "what do you think about what just happened?".
Insights
Users want transparency
Most participants expressed surprise, confusion, and frustration when their printer stopped printing at the end of the free trial. They resented feeling pressured to make a decision and some felt angry that their printer was "being held hostage to make me to pay more". Those who expressed negative feelings in this moment of the journey said they would feel a lot better if the messaging from HP clearly warned them about what would happen at the end of the trial from the moment they signed up.
Users want flexibility
Many participants expressed resentment or unease when they felt they were being pressured to subscribe to Instant Ink. In order to avoid these negative feelings, users need to know that they have options. Although the options to subscribe or buy standard cartridges were presented on the notification screens, many participants who dismissed or quickly scanned through the notifications missed that information. It is important to make the ink purchasing options more prominent and clear so that users aren't worried they'll be stuck with a printer that won't print.
Need for responsible disposal
Many participants were worried about what would happen with their half-used Instant Ink cartridges if they decided not to subscribe at the end of the free trial. Their main concerns were wasted ink and the negative environmental impacts of throwing the cartridges away in the trash. Solutions that appealed to the participants were:
● include a prepaid return envelope in the box so they could send cartridges back to HP for recycling
● allow users to pay a small fee to unlock the rest of the ink in the cartridges
Outcome
My team was able to gather very valuable insights from this study. We found that if the needs for flexibility, transparency, and cartridge recycling were addressed, participants' experiences and their perceptions of HP as a brand were consistently positive. As we continue to develop and improve the Instant Ink service I feel confident knowing that we are moving forward on an evidence-based path driven by our users.