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Crafting a Transparent Pricing Experience

Refining how will the user interact with the pricing page. Championing the users but still meeting the business goals and needs.

Note: For confidentiality reasons, I’ve omitted the brand’s name and logo. This case study focuses solely on the design process and outcomes rather than the brand itself.

Note: For confidentiality reasons, I’ve omitted the brand’s name and logo. This case study focuses solely on the design process and outcomes rather than the brand itself.

The image featured at the top of the about us page #1

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My Role

Sorting Hat Says: Designer, Marketer, Strategist, Wizard!

Unlike at Hogwarts, where you'd be placed into a single house—or in MMORPGs like League of Legends, where everyone has a distinct role—working at a startup means embracing every role that needs filling. If the Sorting Hat were around, it probably would've shouted “Gryffinpuff!”

In this project, I led the redesign of our pricing and plans page, working closely with product owners, business analysts, and marketing leads to align user needs with business goals. But my role didn't stop at design. As one of just two designers at a fast-growing startup, I also pitched in on marketing, business operations, and anything else that helped move projects forward.

At the same time, I managed another major initiative, supported a side experiment, and created marketing materials to elevate brand visibility. Wearing multiple hats in a resource-constrained environment taught me to prioritize effectively, adapt on the fly, and deliver high-quality design work—no matter which role I was playing that day.

Unlike at Hogwarts, where you'd be placed into a single house—or in MMORPGs like League of Legends, where everyone has a distinct role—working at a startup means embracing every role that needs filling. If the Sorting Hat were around, it probably would've shouted “Gryffinpuff!”

In this project, I led the redesign of our pricing and plans page, working closely with product owners, business analysts, and marketing leads to align user needs with business goals. But my role didn't stop at design. As one of just two designers at a fast-growing startup, I also pitched in on marketing, business operations, and anything else that helped move projects forward.

At the same time, I managed another major initiative, supported a side experiment, and created marketing materials to elevate brand visibility. Wearing multiple hats in a resource-constrained environment taught me to prioritize effectively, adapt on the fly, and deliver high-quality design work—no matter which role I was playing that day.

The Barriers

Tight Deadlines; Big Opportunities

When I joined the team, only a few initial designs had been completed, primarily covering some early concept screens. The majority of features, user flows, and key pages—such as the pricing experience—were still in early planning stages.

This gave me an opportunity to define much of the user experience, while also maintaining the visual consistency and brand integrity already established. Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with product managers and developers to ensure that every design decision was not only on-brand but also technically feasible within our tight delivery schedule.

When I joined the team, only a few initial designs had been completed, primarily covering some early concept screens. The majority of features, user flows, and key pages—such as the pricing experience—were still in early planning stages.

This gave me an opportunity to define much of the user experience, while also maintaining the visual consistency and brand integrity already established. Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with product managers and developers to ensure that every design decision was not only on-brand but also technically feasible within our tight delivery schedule.

The Problems

Not All Problems Can Be Solved with Design… or Can They?

Pricing Model

The pricing model was structured around three primary tiers—Basic, Standard, and Premium—each offering increasing credit allocations and feature enhancements at progressive levels. All three tiers required customers to commit to annual billing, aligning with the company’s goal of securing longer-term users.

Additionally, a Starter plan was introduced for light users. Originally, this was a small monthly subscription with limited credits. However, during stakeholder meetings, it was changed to a pay-as-you-go model, charging a higher per-verification fee without fixed credits.

Concerns with Stakeholder Request

Stakeholders raised several requests that introduced usability and transparency concerns:

Implement a Free Plan without displaying it, activating it only when users don't continue their paid subscription
Display monthly pricing despite annual billing structure
Conceal credit allocations from users

The image featured in the middle of the about us page

Research & Analysis

No Crystal Ball, Just Research

To inform the pricing strategy, I collaborated closely with stakeholders to understand their rationale for the tiered pricing structure and the Starter option. In addition, I conducted a comparative analysis of other SaaS pricing pages, focusing on best practices in industries with high regulatory and compliance standards.

To inform the pricing strategy, I collaborated closely with stakeholders to understand their rationale for the tiered pricing structure and the Starter option. In addition, I conducted a comparative analysis of other SaaS pricing pages, focusing on best practices in industries with high regulatory and compliance standards.

Key Insights from Our Analytics:

Corporate Interest

Three large corporations expressed readiness to subscribe to our product, signaling strong interest from enterprise clients.

Verification Volume

A significant number of companies were verifying at least three certificates per month, indicating a need for scalable credit allocations.

Early Credit Requests

Several companies requested additional credits before the official product launch, suggesting that there was a demand for higher usage flexibility right from the start.

Solutions & Negotiations

Where Design Meets Diplomacy

After completing my research, I met with stakeholders and product owners to address potential UX issues. We reached the following agreements:

The free plan will be displayed in a smaller format at the bottom of the pricing page

Monthly fees will be shown with clear indication of annual billing

Credit allocations will remain prominently displayed as a key decision factor

The Premium plan will be renamed to Enterprise plan to better reflect our target market

Additional features will be presented in a comparison table below the pricing cards

Design Process

Iterate, Test, Repeat: The Real MVP

After completing my research, I met with stakeholders and product owners to address potential UX issues. We reached the following agreements:

The free plan will be displayed in a smaller format at the bottom of the pricing page
Monthly fees will be shown with clear indication of annual billing
Credit allocations will remain prominently displayed as a key decision factor
The Premium plan will be renamed to Enterprise plan to better reflect our target market
Additional features will be presented in a comparison table below the pricing cards

Final Design Solution

The Final Form

Based on our usability testing with Figma prototypes and Maze, we made several adjustments to the design. We created clear distinctions between monthly and annual plans. We enlarged the recommended plan badge to increase its visibility. Though we retained the free plan option, we positioned it lower on the page, requiring users to scroll down to view it.

Based on our usability testing with Figma prototypes and Maze, we made several adjustments to the design. We created clear distinctions between monthly and annual plans. We enlarged the recommended plan badge to increase its visibility. Though we retained the free plan option, we positioned it lower on the page, requiring users to scroll down to view it.

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