Phia

The Challenge

Phia's onboarding flow wasn't converting users effectively. Without a clear design system or cohesive visual language, the experience felt disjointed and failed to set proper expectations for the extension's value.

Research & Discovery

I began by auditing competitor iOS browser extensions, analyzing what made their onboarding experiences successful or unsuccessful. Key patterns emerged:

Progress indicators (breadcrumbs) reduced abandonment by showing users where they were in the flow

Early personalization increased engagement and relevance

Copy optimization significantly improved click-through rates

Design Process

I approached the redesign in two phases:

Quick wins — Reskinned the existing flow with improved copy, progress indicators, and minor UX refinements

Full redesign — Built a completely reimagined experience with personalization, updated styling, and a cohesive visual language

Iteration & Tension

High-impact screens went through dozens of iterations as I navigated a tension between the founders' desire for flashy marketing moments and creating the best possible user experience. Without an existing design system, each iteration began to diverge visually, creating inconsistency with the rest of the app.

This challenge became an opportunity: I developed a new design language during the onboarding work that eventually became the foundation for the entire product. New patterns for typography, color usage, component styling, and interaction design emerged organically and were systematically applied across Phia.

The Problem

After completing onboarding, users were directed to Safari to activate the extension—but activation rates were concerningly low. Many users exited prematurely or failed to activate correctly, creating a critical drop-off point in the user journey.

Investigation

Through A/B testing and PostHog session recordings, I identified the core issue: users were confused during Apple's system modals and frequently selected the wrong option, preventing successful activation.

Since we couldn't modify Apple's native modals, the solution had to come from improved preparation—clearer copy and better visual guidance on the activation screen itself.

Design & Testing

Activation became a P0 priority across the company. I ran weekly experiments, testing:

Different copy approaches to set clear expectations

Visual guides showing exactly what to tap

Step-by-step instructions vs. single-screen explanations

Edge case handling for incorrect inputs and session timeouts

Each iteration was informed by data, and we systematically improved activation rates by making the required user actions crystal clear before they entered Safari.

Style Passport

I designed "Style Passport," a comprehensive feature aimed at increasing engagement and shareability while driving monetization. The feature combined three elements:

Style Profile — An AI-powered analysis of the user's fashion preferences and aesthetic, surfacing personalized insights

Outfit Gallery — A space for users to upload and curate their outfits, with social sharing built in to increase virality

Shopping Profile — A year-round "Spotify Wrapped" experience showing users their shopping patterns, favorite brands, spending insights, and style evolution

The goal was to create a shareable, engaging feature that would increase user retention while creating natural upsell opportunities for premium features.