STEARS INSIGHTS | 2021
Stears mobile app
Onboarding & KYC REDESIGN
Led the mobile-first redesign of Stears after a major post-launch decline, reversing subscriber losses and driving rapid growth through personalization, activation, and monetization improvements.
Company & product Context
Stears is a subscription-based data and intelligence platform focused on African markets, serving global businesses, professionals, and policymakers with data-driven insights. Following the launch of Stears 2.0 in 2021, the company experienced a significant decline in subscribers, new signups, and daily engagement.
At the same time, more than 70% of users accessed the platform through mobile devices, even though the product experience remained primarily optimized for desktop. This disconnect created material risks to revenue, retention, and brand credibility.
My Role & Scope
As the founding product designer and design lead, I built and managed a three-person design team and owned mobile strategy, research, design systems, and product delivery.
I worked closely with engineering, growth, data, and executive leadership to align experience improvements with business objectives and operational constraints.
A responsibility and collaboration map my ownership and collaboration across product, engineering, growth, data, support and the executive office
OUTCOMES
Within two months of launch, the redesigned mobile experience generated over 2,000 downloads in the first 48 hours, acquired more than 2,400 new premium subscribers, and achieved a 4.9 average app store rating. Mobile became a primary driver of subscription growth and organic advocacy, contributing directly to improved revenue stability and market positioning.
Situation & Problem Definition
Product analytics, customer feedback, and qualitative research revealed that users struggled to discover relevant insights, encountered frequent authentication and account recovery issues, and found it difficult to understand the value of premium features. These challenges reduced activation, weakened retention, and directly contributed to rising churn. Surveys, interviews, usability testing, and social community analysis consistently highlighted friction around personalization, access, and perceived value.
23%
Subscribers
Decline
35%
decline in
New Signups
10
drop in daily
website visits
70%
mobile traffic with
poor mobile ux
Research & Discovery
Working with the data team, we analyzed device usage and geographic trends using Google Analytics. This confirmed mobile as the dominant access channel and highlighted regional usage patterns. We also discovered that a significant portion of engagement happened on X and Telegram, where users shared Stears insights organically. This channel became a primary source of behavioral insight.
key insights from interviews
Bad mobile experience
Users don't maximize subscription benefits
Difficulty identifying areas of interest
Email reminders to read insight is not sufficient
Forgotten login details
Screenshots of discovery research on twitter
Key Decision 1
Mobile first product model
I collaborated with product, engineering and leadership to drive a design thinking session. This caused a strategic shift toward a mobile-first, retention-driven product model that prioritized long-term engagement over short-term feature delivery
Key Decision 2
personalized onboarding & content experience
We decided to center the experience around personalized onboarding and content curation rather than generic feeds, even though this required deeper data integration and longer development cycles
A video of user onboarding on the Stears mobile app
Key Decision 3
frictionless authentication
We invested in frictionless authentication through social login and biometric access, accepting the additional technical complexity in exchange for reduced drop-off.
A video of social login on the Stears mobile app
Key Decision 4
prioritized retention features
We prioritized retention features such as search, bookmarking, saved content, and push notifications over purely acquisition-focused initiatives, trading rapid growth experiments for sustainable engagement
A video of the retention features of the Stears mobile app
Execution Highlights
Execution focused on rapid iteration, rigorous validation, and close engineering collaboration. We developed high-fidelity prototypes early, tested them extensively with real users, and refined interaction patterns before development. We shipped personalized feeds, improved onboarding flows, authentication upgrades, notification systems, enhanced search and discovery, and accessibility improvements.
The mobile app launch accelerated a $3.3M seed investment from Serena Williams and MAC VENTURES
Reflection
This experience reinforced that mobile neglect has direct revenue consequences, that perceived value matters more than feature volume in subscription businesses, and that monetization must be designed alongside experience. If revisiting the work, I would invest earlier in lifecycle analytics and cohort tracking to accelerate optimization cycles and deepen retention insights.
Hi
Let's build something meaningful
I’m most excited by teams that value thoughtful execution, strong collaboration, and long-term thinking. If you’re building products that need to scale - in complexity, quality, or ambition - I’m always open to a conversation.
Hire Me :
STEARS INSIGHTS | 2021
Stears mobile app
Onboarding & KYC REDESIGN
Led the mobile-first redesign of Stears after a major post-launch decline, reversing subscriber losses and driving rapid growth through personalization, activation, and monetization improvements.
Company & product Context
Stears is a subscription-based data and intelligence platform focused on African markets, serving global businesses, professionals, and policymakers with data-driven insights. Following the launch of Stears 2.0 in 2021, the company experienced a significant decline in subscribers, new signups, and daily engagement.
At the same time, more than 70% of users accessed the platform through mobile devices, even though the product experience remained primarily optimized for desktop. This disconnect created material risks to revenue, retention, and brand credibility.
My Role & Scope
As the founding product designer and design lead, I built and managed a three-person design team and owned mobile strategy, research, design systems, and product delivery.
I worked closely with engineering, growth, data, and executive leadership to align experience improvements with business objectives and operational constraints.
A responsibility and collaboration map my ownership and collaboration across product, engineering, growth, data, support and the executive office
OUTCOMES
Within two months of launch, the redesigned mobile experience generated over 2,000 downloads in the first 48 hours, acquired more than 2,400 new premium subscribers, and achieved a 4.9 average app store rating. Mobile became a primary driver of subscription growth and organic advocacy, contributing directly to improved revenue stability and market positioning.
Situation & Problem Definition
Product analytics, customer feedback, and qualitative research revealed that users struggled to discover relevant insights, encountered frequent authentication and account recovery issues, and found it difficult to understand the value of premium features. These challenges reduced activation, weakened retention, and directly contributed to rising churn. Surveys, interviews, usability testing, and social community analysis consistently highlighted friction around personalization, access, and perceived value.
23%
Subscribers
Decline
35%
decline in
New Signups
10
drop in daily
website visits
70%
mobile traffic with
poor mobile ux
Research & Discovery
Working with the data team, we analyzed device usage and geographic trends using Google Analytics. This confirmed mobile as the dominant access channel and highlighted regional usage patterns. We also discovered that a significant portion of engagement happened on X and Telegram, where users shared Stears insights organically. This channel became a primary source of behavioral insight.
key insights from interviews
Bad mobile experience
Users don't maximize subscription benefits
Difficulty identifying areas of interest
Email reminders to read insight is not sufficient
Forgotten login details
Screenshots of discovery research on twitter
Key Decision 1
Mobile first product model
I collaborated with product, engineering and leadership to drive a design thinking session. This caused a strategic shift toward a mobile-first, retention-driven product model that prioritized long-term engagement over short-term feature delivery
Key Decision 2
personalized onboarding & content experience
We decided to center the experience around personalized onboarding and content curation rather than generic feeds, even though this required deeper data integration and longer development cycles
A video of user onboarding on the Stears mobile app
Key Decision 3
frictionless authentication
We invested in frictionless authentication through social login and biometric access, accepting the additional technical complexity in exchange for reduced drop-off.
A video of social login on the Stears mobile app
Key Decision 4
prioritized retention features
We prioritized retention features such as search, bookmarking, saved content, and push notifications over purely acquisition-focused initiatives, trading rapid growth experiments for sustainable engagement
A video of the retention features of the Stears mobile app
Execution Highlights
Execution focused on rapid iteration, rigorous validation, and close engineering collaboration. We developed high-fidelity prototypes early, tested them extensively with real users, and refined interaction patterns before development. We shipped personalized feeds, improved onboarding flows, authentication upgrades, notification systems, enhanced search and discovery, and accessibility improvements.
The mobile app launch accelerated a $3.3M seed investment from Serena Williams and MAC VENTURES
Reflection
This experience reinforced that mobile neglect has direct revenue consequences, that perceived value matters more than feature volume in subscription businesses, and that monetization must be designed alongside experience. If revisiting the work, I would invest earlier in lifecycle analytics and cohort tracking to accelerate optimization cycles and deepen retention insights.
Hi
Let's build something meaningful
I’m most excited by teams that value thoughtful execution, strong collaboration, and long-term thinking. If you’re building products that need to scale - in complexity, quality, or ambition - I’m always open to a conversation.
Hire Me :
STEARS INSIGHTS | 2021
Stears mobile app
Onboarding & KYC REDESIGN
Led the mobile-first redesign of Stears after a major post-launch decline, reversing subscriber losses and driving rapid growth through personalization, activation, and monetization improvements.
Company & product Context
Stears is a subscription-based data and intelligence platform focused on African markets, serving global businesses, professionals, and policymakers with data-driven insights. Following the launch of Stears 2.0 in 2021, the company experienced a significant decline in subscribers, new signups, and daily engagement.
At the same time, more than 70% of users accessed the platform through mobile devices, even though the product experience remained primarily optimized for desktop. This disconnect created material risks to revenue, retention, and brand credibility.
My Role & Scope
As the founding product designer and design lead, I built and managed a three-person design team and owned mobile strategy, research, design systems, and product delivery.
I worked closely with engineering, growth, data, and executive leadership to align experience improvements with business objectives and operational constraints.
A responsibility and collaboration map my ownership and collaboration across product, engineering, growth, data, support and the executive office
OUTCOMES
Within two months of launch, the redesigned mobile experience generated over 2,000 downloads in the first 48 hours, acquired more than 2,400 new premium subscribers, and achieved a 4.9 average app store rating. Mobile became a primary driver of subscription growth and organic advocacy, contributing directly to improved revenue stability and market positioning.
Situation & Problem Definition
Product analytics, customer feedback, and qualitative research revealed that users struggled to discover relevant insights, encountered frequent authentication and account recovery issues, and found it difficult to understand the value of premium features. These challenges reduced activation, weakened retention, and directly contributed to rising churn. Surveys, interviews, usability testing, and social community analysis consistently highlighted friction around personalization, access, and perceived value.
23%
Subscribers
Decline
35%
decline in
New Signups
10
drop in daily
website visits
70%
mobile traffic with
poor mobile ux
Research & Discovery
Working with the data team, we analyzed device usage and geographic trends using Google Analytics. This confirmed mobile as the dominant access channel and highlighted regional usage patterns. We also discovered that a significant portion of engagement happened on X and Telegram, where users shared Stears insights organically. This channel became a primary source of behavioral insight.
key insights from interviews
Bad mobile experience
Users don't maximize subscription benefits
Difficulty identifying areas of interest
Email reminders to read insight is not sufficient
Forgotten login details
Screenshots of discovery research on twitter
Key Decision 1
Mobile first product model
I collaborated with product, engineering and leadership to drive a design thinking session. This caused a strategic shift toward a mobile-first, retention-driven product model that prioritized long-term engagement over short-term feature delivery
Key Decision 2
personalized onboarding & content experience
We decided to center the experience around personalized onboarding and content curation rather than generic feeds, even though this required deeper data integration and longer development cycles
A video of user onboarding on the Stears mobile app
Key Decision 3
frictionless authentication
We invested in frictionless authentication through social login and biometric access, accepting the additional technical complexity in exchange for reduced drop-off.
A video of social login on the Stears mobile app
Key Decision 4
prioritized retention features
We prioritized retention features such as search, bookmarking, saved content, and push notifications over purely acquisition-focused initiatives, trading rapid growth experiments for sustainable engagement
A video of the retention features of the Stears mobile app
Execution Highlights
Execution focused on rapid iteration, rigorous validation, and close engineering collaboration. We developed high-fidelity prototypes early, tested them extensively with real users, and refined interaction patterns before development. We shipped personalized feeds, improved onboarding flows, authentication upgrades, notification systems, enhanced search and discovery, and accessibility improvements.
The mobile app launch accelerated a $3.3M seed investment from Serena Williams and MAC VENTURES
Reflection
This experience reinforced that mobile neglect has direct revenue consequences, that perceived value matters more than feature volume in subscription businesses, and that monetization must be designed alongside experience. If revisiting the work, I would invest earlier in lifecycle analytics and cohort tracking to accelerate optimization cycles and deepen retention insights.
Let's build something meaningful
I’m most excited by teams that value thoughtful execution, strong collaboration, and long-term thinking. If you’re building products that need to scale - in complexity, quality, or ambition - I’m always open to a conversation.
Hire Me :