Play Pass
Google
2018-2020
Users always want more for less, so we created a Play Pass subscription to give them unlimited access to a curated library of hundreds of games and apps, including no ads and free in-app items. I was the lead content designer working with a small and scrappy team to make big things happen.
The problem
Conveying the full scope of Play Pass was difficult because Google Play had never had such an expansive offer before. Users were familiar with subscriptions for individual apps but not a subscription from Google for multiple apps, let alone hundreds. The struggle was convincing users that the subscription really was as good as it sounded.
The solution
We focused on discovery for two different audiences: current subscribers and future subscribers.
The solution for current subscribers was more complex than it might seem at first. We created a landing page that highlighted apps and games from the Play Pass catalog based on what we know the user likes. I wrote some simple headlines to help subscribers mentally categorize the offerings.
But that doesn't account for the many ways that a subscriber's experience of the store changes when they can freely access most of the popular games and apps. I worked with a designer to create notices for a variety of situations and subscription statuses, as well as push notifications to remind subscribers of their benefits and new additions to the catalog.
The launch of Play Pass benefited from an overhaul we’d already performed of the entire subscription service in Google Play. I was the lead content designer for that project, too, but that's a story for a different time. The relevant bit here is that it allowed us to seamlessly integrate Play Pass subscription management into our existing infrastructure.
I helped potential subscribers discover the value of Play Pass through a series of interstitials and dialog promotions. We tested quite a few variations of strings, and here's an example of one of the scrolling landing page designs we chose.
I customized strings to highlight the benefits that performed best in user testing, including no more ads, free in-app items, and an ever-growing catalog of apps and games. When trying to convey the scope of the catalog, the designer and I quickly realized that more words didn't help. Instead, we relied on grids of icons from popular games to quickly communicate just how broad and attractive the Play Pass catalog was. In some cases, these icons could even be dynamically updated with specific games, if we already knew what a user liked to play.
It should come as no surprise that there were plenty of ancillary strings to worry about, including emails and notifications for various subscription statuses, welcome materials for new subscribers, and simple explainers for all sorts of things. But that particular rabbit hole goes too deep for a portfolio piece, so let's take a quick gander at one example and be done.
Highlights
75,000+ subscribers and 2,500+ social media mentions in the first 4 days
Partnership with Verizon (includes purchase and marketing commitments) to offer Play Pass to all their Unlimited Plan members
Examples of positive press coverage:
BBC
The Verge
TechCrunch
Forbes
CNET
GamesIndustry.biz
Android Developers