Product Design SaaS UX Research
Inbox Redesign — Restoring Trust
Reduced support burden by 30% and increased engagement by 12% by transforming a confusing inbox into a reliable communication hub.
Overview
WP Engine’s notification inbox was meant to be the central hub for critical communications, but users were actively avoiding it. Two-thirds relied exclusively on email notifications because they couldn’t depend on the inbox to function predictably.
The Challenge
The inbox suffered from three critical issues:
- Support Burden — A continuous stream of confused users questioning feature functionality, particularly the “mute” option
- Engineering/Design Debt — Inconsistent UI patterns and accumulated usability issues
- Trust Erosion — Users described the experience as a “black hole” with unpredictable behavior
Research & Discovery
User interviews revealed the interface was seen as “unpredictable” and “messy.” 2 of 3 participants bypassed the inbox entirely, relying on email. Pendo analytics confirmed a 30-second median session duration and 40% click-through rate — users were fleeing quickly.
Results
- 30% reduction in support tickets
- 18% drop in bounce rates
- 12% increase in message engagement
