12% increase in conversion rates within 3 weeks of launch
18% improvement in customer satisfaction (CSAT scores)
Significant reduction in support calls about pricing confusion
The Breaking Point: "It will charge me $58, with conversion it will be more"
That quote from a user interview wasn't just feedback. It was a symptom of a bigger problem.
FreshBooks is built for solopreneurs and small businesses where every dollar counts. An unexpected $100 charge due to currency conversion isn't an inconvenience. it's a betrayal of trust that loses a customer for life.
My discovery process revealed the pricing page wasn't just outdated. It lacked transparency and clarity.
5/5 users experienced "pricing shock" from hidden team member costs ($13/user)
Canadian users faced unexpected 30% price increases due to USD conversion
Internal jargon like "1% ACH" meant nothing to a social media consultant just trying to invoice their client.
Critical features like credit card processing were buried until higher tier plans
Support was flooded with repetitive calls about basic pricing questions
Autopsy of a Broken Experience
I moved beyond standard usability testing to conduct a full autopsy, correlating data from three sources
User Interviews (The "Why"): I heard the frustration in their voices when they hit the "$13 per team member" add-on page. "I didn't expect that," they said. Unexpected is the antithesis of good UX.
Stakeholder Sessions (The "Cost"): I sat with Support and learned the immense operational cost of a confusing page. I learned from Sales that we were failing to sell the value of our highest tier plan.
Interface Audit (The "How"): I cataloged every point of failure: the disappearing "Pay Now" button, the data loss when adding a 51st client, the plan comparison that broke your flow. Benchmarking against industry leaders showed how transparent pricing builds trust rather than eroding it.
From "Gotcha" to "Welcome"
The goal wasn't a new layout. The goal was to rebuild trust. Every design decision was tested against one question: "Does this make the user feel informed and in control?"
The old design operated on a "reveal-as-you-go" model that prioritized short-term conversions over long-term trust. Our research showed this backfired, users who felt tricked either abandoned or churned quickly.
My first goal was to focus on price transparency. The new design featured a running tally that calculated the total cost in their local currency, as they made selections. No more surprises on the payment page.
I advocated for plain language. I replaced "ACH" with "bank payment (1% fee)". Clarity over marketing fluff.
I treated bugs as trust breaking emergencies. Fixing the broken payment button wasn't a "dev task", it was the highest priority trust building exercise we could do.
I facilitated a design workshop with stakeholders, not to present solutions, but to align everyone on this new principle: The pricing page must be the most transparent, helpful, and trustworthy page in our product.
We shifted from asking "How can we maximize immediate conversions?" to "How can we build lasting customer relationships through transparency?"
The Transformation - Evidence Based Redesign
Before & After: A Visual Comparison
Key Design Solutions
Transparent Pricing Architecture
Before: Temporary discounts hiding true costs
After: Clear monthly pricing with any promotions explained simply
Impact: Users could make decisions based on actual long term costs
Add-On Visibility
Before: Team member costs hidden until final checkout
After: "$13/team member" displayed directly on main pricing page
Impact: Eliminated the major source of "pricing shock"
Plain Language Conversion
Before: "1% ACH" without explanation
After: "Bank payments (1% fee)" with contextual help
Impact: Reduced cognitive load and support queries
Trust Building Elements
Prominent reassurance: "Risk Free. 30-Day Money Back Guarantee"
Clear re-direction of users to the Consultant team for the highest tier plan.
The Detailed User Flow
Step 1: Plan Selection
Clean, scannable layout with clear value propositions
All add-on costs visible upfront
Annual/monthly toggle with savings clearly calculated
Step 2: Customization
Live updating total cost calculator as users add team members
Clear explanations of each feature's business value
Visual confirmation of selections
Step 3: Checkout
Final review with complete cost breakdown
Reassurance about trial period and billing details
Streamlined payment process with error prevention
Measuring Impact
Quantitative Results
12% increase in conversion rates within 3 weeks of launch
18% improvement in CSAT scores for paying customers
23% reduction in support tickets related to pricing confusion
15% increase in annual plan selection due to clearer savings communication
Qualitative Feedback
"Finally I understand what I'm paying for!" - User feedback
"My calls are now about real problems, not explaining basic pricing" - Support team member
"We're attracting better fit customers who understand our value" - Sales lead
Business Impact
Improved customer lifetime value through better plan matching
Reduced churn from billing confusion
Higher quality leads who understood the product's value
Operational efficiency gains in support and sales
My Responsibilities
This project required me to operate at multiple levels.
As a Researcher
Conducting rigorous qualitative and quantitative analysis
Synthesizing complex feedback into actionable insights
Creating compelling data visualizations to drive stakeholder buy in
As a Strategist
Facilitating cross-functional alignment on design principles
Balancing user needs with business constraints
Developing a phased rollout plan to mitigate risk
As a Lead Designer
Presenting to executive leadership with confidence
Building consensus across sometimes competing priorities
Key Decisions I Championed
Pushing for upfront pricing transparency against concerns about conversion impact
Investing in plain language documentation instead of technical jargon
Prioritizing trust building elements over "dark pattern" optimization tactics
Advocating for comprehensive user testing rather than rapid assumption based iteration
Reflection & Learnings
Trust is Your Most Valuable Metric
The biggest insight was that trust isn't a "soft" metric it directly impacts hard business numbers. When users trust you, they convert better, stay longer, and require less support.
Stakeholder Management is Design Work
The most challenging part wasn't the UX design it was aligning multiple departments with different goals and metrics. Learning to speak each stakeholder's language was crucial.
Data Tells the Story
Having concrete user quotes alongside analytics data made arguments undeniable. "5/5 users were confused by..." is more powerful than "I think this is confusing."
What I Would Do Differently
More robust A/B testing framework to measure individual changes' impact
Earlier collaboration with content writers to ensure language consistency
The Ripple Effects
This project changed how FreshBooks approaches pricing beyond just this page
Established new standards for transparency across the product
Created a reusable framework for pricing page evaluations
Demonstrated the ROI of user research to skeptical stakeholders
Conclusion
The FreshBooks pricing redesign proved that the most transactional moments in a product journey are also the biggest opportunities to build lasting trust. By combining deep user empathy with business acumen and design excellence, I transformed a point of friction into a competitive advantage.
This approach doesn't just create better conversions it builds better customer relationships. And in the competitive SaaS landscape, that's the ultimate differentiator.