Reversing Declining Purchase Rates: A $3 Million Dollar UX Win

I led the redesign of iStock’s Plans & Pricing pages, a critical touchpoint in the purchase funnel. My work generated over $3 million in additional yearly revenue.

Getty Images is widely known as the industry leader in stock photography, with iStock serving as its mid-tier, budget-friendly option. Despite strong brand recognition, iStock was facing a major challenge; declining purchase rates year over year, impacting revenue growth.

The Plans & Pricing page was a critical conversion point, yet its complexity and fragmented experience were leading to user confusion and drop-offs. Addressing these issues presented a significant opportunity to improve the customer experience and unlock revenue growth.

Timeline
Q4 2019 - Q1 2019

Role
Lead product designer | Purchase Advancement Team

Services
Product Design + Strategy
User Research + Testing
Conversion Optimization + Funnel Improvements
Interactive Prototyping + A/B Testing
Stakeholder Management + Alignment

Challenge

Despite iStock’s strong brand recognition, purchase rates were steadily declining. In 2018, global conversion rates averaged 1.8%, with many markets falling below that, threatening both short-term revenue and long-term customer retention.

Understanding the problem

To diagnose the root causes of the declining purchase rates, I conducted an in-depth research effort combining usability testing, competitor benchmarking, and behavioral data analysis.

Discovery methods

Usability testing
Conducted interviews with 15 participants to understand pain points and expectations.

Competitive analysis
Audited several competitor purchase funnels, revealing that iStock had the most complex pricing model in the market.

Purchase funnel audit
Discovered multiple versions of the Plans & Pricing pages due to team handoffs and misaligned team ownership.

Behavioral data analysis
Found that returning customers converted 22x more often than first-time visitors, highlighting a critical gap in new user adoption.

Discovery insights

Prices feel high

All users hunt for a free option before making any purchases. Cost would ideally be around $3-$10.

Information gaps

Most users struggled to find the information they needed, leading to hesitancy or page abandonment.

Plans aren’t comparable

Despite the incompatibility of subs and credits, significant time was spent attempting to make a comparison.

Fragmented experience

Multiple variations of the purchase experience caused major disruption to users.

Credits are frustrating

Credits were the most frustrating and overwhelming part of the purchase experience for all users.

Value is unclear

Missing value and features, left users uncertain about what each plan truly offered them.

Licensing is scary

Users recognized the importance of licensing but lack of clarity caused fear and hesitation.

Tiers are misleading

Terminology used to describe the content tiers impacted users purchases but was frequently misinterpreted.

Original plans and pricing pages

  • Global PNP

  • 📷 Essentials Image PNP

  • 📷 Signature Image PNP

  • 🎥 Essentials Video PNP

  • 🎥 Signature Video PNP

iStock’s complex pricing model was the biggest barrier to conversion, but overhauling it wasn’t an option as it was too deeply embedded in the business. Rather than forcing a fundamental change, I focused on maximizing clarity, usability, and user confidence within the existing system. These core objectives helped guide the exploration.

Shaping the redesign

Reduce noise

Eliminate unnecessary complexity and distractions in the pricing experience. Simplifying the layout, refining language, and structuring information more effectively would help users focus on what matters most.

Create consistency

Establish a unified structure across all touchpoints. Aligning terminology, layout, and design patterns would improve usability and ensure a seamless experience, regardless of how users arrive at the page.

Provide clarity

Ensure users could confidently select the best plan for their needs. Making plans comparable would reduce confusion, highlight key differences, and guide users toward the most suitable choice.

Validating + refining + scaling

Working closely with research, we conducted multiple rounds of unmoderated and moderated studies to validate the redesign. The results exceeded leadership’s expectations, fast-tracking the project from a lower priority initiative to the team’s top focus; gaining high visibility company-wide.

Despite significant resistance at the start, I was able to align stakeholders and build confidence in the approach. To mitigate risk, we used a phased rollout, gradually scaling the redesign through A/B testing. As the results continued to outperform the existing experience, the new design fully replaced every old version across all major markets.

User studies

Unmoderated

  • Participants: 40 U.S. stock content users

  • Metrics: Task accuracy + time-to-completion

  • Results: Redesign: 80% accuracy (3 minutes) | Control: 48% accuracy (7 minutes)

Moderated

  • Participants: 20 U.S. & Canadian stock content users

  • Metrics: Qualitative feedback (45 min sessions)

  • Results: 98% of participants preferred the redesign and found it easier to understand

Original
Update

Impact + recognition

This project not only improved usability but directly impacted business performance. By aligning user needs with clear, intuitive pricing structures, we reduced friction in the purchase process and unlocked new revenue opportunities.

"The plans and pricing redesign has been particularly impressive to watch; from early user interviews to multiple iterations and now a full-scale launch across six major markets. I was initially skeptical, but the team had the confidence to test and iterate. After seeing the new experience consistently outperform the control, it’s inspiring to see such a large, seemingly risky change deliver such strong results.” Executive leadership

"Danielle is skilled at turning a vision into an actual plan. She was met with resistance when presenting the idea of a refreshed Plans & Pricing page. But through her creative problem-solving know-how and commitment to putting the customer at the heart of everything we do, she was able to foster excitement and execute new ideas that led to positive gains in both usability and revenue." Track Team Content Designer

"I’m really impressed with the work Danielle is doing. She and the team are pushing the envelope, exploring new patterns to solve problems, and working fast and iteratively. I wish we were doing more of that." Subscriptions and Renewals Project Manager

+ 40%

Increase in checkout-to-conversion rates (1.7% growth).

+ 131%

Increase in annual subs for both new and returning users.

+ 30%

Increase in AOV in Japan (similar spikes in other).

+ 17%

Increase in overall revenue
and AOV.

Next project

Submittable
Winning Enterprise Clients: Overhauling the CSR Platform