Safeguard Pay Case Study - Pablo Rodriguez

Safeguard Pay: From Buried Feature to Standalone Platform That Increased Conversions by 35%

#Product Strategy

#UX Research

#Information Architecture

#Conversion Optimization

#Stakeholder Management

Led the end-to-end design of a dedicated payment platform, transforming a hidden service into a high-converting standalone product that became the company's fastest-growing revenue stream.

Project Overview

Safeguard Pay was a valuable payment protection service buried within a cluttered corporate website. Despite strong product-market fit, the service was underperforming due to poor discoverability and a confusing user journey. I was brought in to lead the design of a dedicated platform that would properly showcase the service's value and drive conversions.

My Role

Lead Product Designer

UX Strategist

Team Collaboration

2 Developers

1 Product Manager

1 Copywriter

3 Stakeholders

Timeline

16 weeks from discovery to launch

+35%

Increase in qualified leads

+40%

Improvement in task completion rate

-52%

Reduction in bounce rate

-20%

Decrease in support tickets

Before

The Challenge

The existing implementation had critical issues impacting business performance:

73% of users couldn't find the service — it was buried 4 clicks deep in the global navigation
Bounce rate of 68% — users landing on the page left without taking action
Conversion rate of only 2.1% — well below industry average of 5-7%
45% of support tickets were users asking "how do I sign up?"
The page competed with 12 other services for attention on the corporate site

The service had strong retention once users signed up (89% renewal rate), proving the problem was discoverability and onboarding, not the product itself.

After

The Solution

I designed a dedicated, conversion-optimized platform with clear user journeys:

Single-purpose web page with clear value proposition above the fold
Simplified navigation reduced from 12 options to 4 key actions
Trust-building elements: security badges, testimonials, and transparent pricing
Progressive disclosure — showing information as users need it, not all at once
Mobile-first responsive design (58% of traffic was mobile)
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance ensuring accessibility for all users

The dedicated site gave Safeguard Pay its own identity and clear path to conversion, resulting in it becoming the company's fastest-growing product line.

🔍

Discovery & Research

I led a 2-week discovery phase to understand the root causes of underperformance and identify opportunities.

Research Methods

Stakeholder interviews: 5 sessions with sales, support, and leadership
Analytics deep-dive: 2 months of Google Analytics and Hotjar data
User interviews: 8 sessions with existing customers and prospects
Competitive analysis: Evaluated 5 competitor payment protection services

Key Insights

"I didn't know this existed" — most common feedback from prospects
Users needed 3-4 minutes to understand the value proposition (too long)
Trust was the #1 barrier — users hesitant to share payment info
Mobile users had 2x higher bounce rate than desktop
Competitors with dedicated sites had 3x better conversion rates

🧭

Strategic Approach

Based on research findings, I developed a design strategy focused on three pillars:

1. Clarity Over Complexity

Reduced page content by 60%
Created clear visual hierarchy
Single CTA per section
Benefit-focused headlines

2. Trust at Every Step

Added security certifications
Included customer testimonials
Transparent pricing section
Money-back guarantee prominent

3. Frictionless Conversion

Reduced form fields from 12 to 5
Added progress indicators
Inline validation for errors
Guest checkout option

Design Process 🪜

✏️

Information Architecture

Conducted card sorting with 12 users to optimize navigation
Created user flow diagrams for 3 key journeys
Reduced navigation depth from 4 levels to 2
Mapped content to user intent at each stage

🎨

Visual Design

Developed a focused visual language within brand guidelines
Created component library for consistency
Designed mobile-first, scaling up to desktop
Ensured WCAG 2.1 AA color contrast compliance

🧪

Testing & Iteration

5 rounds of usability testing with 15 participants
A/B tested 3 hero variations (winner: +23% CTR)
Iterated on form design based on completion rates
Accessibility audit with screen reader users

📊

Results & Business Impact

The dedicated platform launched on schedule and exceeded all success metrics within the first 90 days:

Quantitative Results

+35% qualified leads — from improved discoverability and clear CTAs
+40% task completion — users successfully signing up
-52% bounce rate — from 68% to 33%
-20% support tickets — clearer information reduced confusion
Conversion rate increased to 5.8% — up from 2.1%
Average time on page: +45% — engaged, not confused

Qualitative Feedback

"Finally, I can actually understand what this service does" — User testing participant
"The sign-up process was surprisingly easy" — New customer
"This is exactly what we needed to scale the product" — VP of Product
Sales team reported shorter sales cycles as prospects arrived more informed

💡

Key Learnings

What Worked Well

Data-driven decisions: Analytics and user research aligned stakeholders quickly
Mobile-first approach: Designing for constraints improved desktop experience too
Iterative testing: Small, frequent tests caught issues before launch
Cross-functional collaboration: Early dev involvement prevented implementation surprises

What I'd Do Differently

Build a more robust design system from the start
Set up analytics tracking before launch to capture day-one data
Plan for internationalization from the beginning

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