Notification Settings Redesign
Reduced abandonment by 40% and cut support tickets by 65% — reversing engagement from 60% abandonment to 50% engagement.
Overview
Sometimes the best UX recovery is admitting your “helpful” feature became the problem. WP Engine’s notification settings interface was driving customers away — 60% of users abandoned without making changes, 20% of customers received thousands of emails daily, and one major account was threatening cancellation.
The Challenge
The engineering-first design lacked UX consideration, with confusing technical jargon and unclear option labels. Support was handling 30–50 tickets per week about notification frustrations, spiking to 75–100 during peak periods. It was a top 3 support issue month over month.
Research & Discovery
Analytics revealed only 15% of users actually interacted with controls, and there was a 200% spike in settings page visits after email blasts — users desperately seeking relief.
Design Strategy
Two core pillars guided the solution:
- Reduce Cognitive Load — Simplify through better information architecture and visual hierarchy
- Provide Granular Control — Enable customization without overwhelming users
Results
- 70% reduction in daily emails
- 65% reduction in support tickets
- 40% reduction in drop-off rate
- 50% engagement increase (from initial 15%)
