CASE STUDY • FATIHA
How an Islamic Lecture App Rose from the Ashes to Meet the Demands of Today's Users
Helping Fatiha achieve a complete transformation to adapt to the needs of modern-day listeners through a new interface, enhanced functionality, and a monetization strategy.
INTRODUCTION
I had the opportunity to work with the founder of Fatiha, an app that organizes lectures of Islamic teachers from various platforms into libraries in audio podcast formats, making it easier for users to access and listen to their favorite lectures. The founder needed my help to grow the platform, monetize it, and update the interface, which had not been updated since its release in 2016.
PROBLEM
The app had difficulty converting users into subscribers despite the low subscription cost, and the app was buggy, slow, and had an outdated interface that made it difficult for users to purchase services. Additionally, the company lacked a marketing strategy, relying solely on word-of-mouth, which was problematic because the app lacked sharing functionality.
RESULTS
Ideated and designed 5 New Features.
Produced 60 components and 10 page templates in a full-scale redesign.
Streamlined Marketing and Sales Strategy to better fit subscription strategy.
Reduced cost of software development by 30% by standardizing requirements and project management process.
Integrated data analysis software to app to gain better UX and user insights.
DELIVERABLES
Product Roadmap
Subscription Strategy
UX/UI Redesign
Logo Redesign
User Stories & Tickets
Data Analysis
MY ROLE
Product Manager
Designer
Strategist/Analyst
STAKEHOLDERS
Fatiha CEO
Fatiha Developers
Discovery
To start the process of rebuilding the app's UX/UI, I first integrated analytics to better understand how users were utilizing the app. I also spoke with users, as the app had a high rating in the app store.
My goal was to understand how users were using the app, their experience with ads, and technical issues that needed to be considered for a redesign.
No Data, No Solutions
Rather than making assumptions based on my own use of the app and the interface, I knew that data was necessary to make informed decisions. Despite the app's 5-star rating, I understood there was more to the story.
I integrated Google Analytics to gain more concrete insights into user behavior, including the bounce rate on subscriptions, the impact of technical issues on usage, engagement metrics, and defining a weekly active user.
What we found out
Based on the data and user feedback, we learned that users were leaving the subscription page due to slow loading speeds and a lack of perceived value in additional services. We also discovered that users found the ads disruptive and the app spammy.
Strategic Approach
Using the research findings, I worked with the CEO to develop a roadmap that included a visual brand redesign, UX/UI redesign, streamlined ads, and additional features to justify a subscription. I collaborated with the developer to translate the designs into stories and tickets.
Delivering a Solution
Logo Redesign
The first step was updating the logo. As users had a positive view of the brand, we opted for a soft redesign that incorporated elements of the original logo while integrating signature circles inspired by the Arabic language. We kept the color purple as a nod to the brand's origins, as requested by the CEO.
Subscription Growth Strategy
As a product manager, I thoroughly reviewed the subscription offerings of the Fatiha app during our research in discovery, and I was disappointed with what I found. The app lacked compelling features, which was a major factor in its underwhelming subscription performance. To address this, we developed a subscription growth strategy that centered around creating more incentives for users to subscribe.
To create these incentives, I identified key features that users wanted more of and prioritized their design in the app's redesign. These features included the ability to download videos and create playlists, organizing related videos into "Series" that can be saved and listened to as episodic podcasts, and a more comprehensive "My Library" section. We also implemented streamlined advertisements that blended seamlessly with the app's look and feel, incentivizing users to subscribe without annoying them.
Designing the app
Prioritizing Industry Best Practices
In addition to defining new features, I worked on the UX/UI design of the app. I kept in mind the popularity of many of the teachers on the app in the Muslim target audience, as well as the high ratings given by current users. I created a friendlier yet sleeker interface that constantly encouraged user interaction, especially sharing. However, since we had only one developer working on the app, I made sure to optimize the design approach for the least technically intensive implementation.
We drew inspiration from other successful apps, such as Pandora and Spotify, and conducted A/B testing with current Fatiha users to finalize a unique design for the app.
Reducing the Clunkiness
The existing version of the app felt clunky, so I felt it was important to prototype most of the interactions of the new features to reduce the risk of error during development. We provided a fully interactive prototype with defined animations and transitions, eliminating any ambiguity that might have led to a clunky experience.
Finally, I focused on renewing the navigation experience of the app to make it easy for users to find what they were looking for. We found that the location of buttons on the interface, especially on the audio player and in the lower navigation area, contributed to the clunky experience. I redesigned the navigation to make almost anything on the app one click away and easily identifiable based on industry standard.
Final Delivery
Below is an almagamation of all of the strategic, collaborative and creative work that went into this project. I hope you’re as impressed as the Fatiha CEO was.
Interactive Prototype
Get in touch!
I’m always open to new opportunities. If you have an awesome full-time, contract, or freelance opportunity that you’d like to speak to me about, feel free to send me a message :).