Sign-Up Flow Redesign.
Streamlining TradeUp’s sign-up experience to reduce friction & boost conversion rates.
TradeUp is a marketplace platform that allows users to trade items with one another online.
As the sole Product Designer, I led the redesign of our sign up flow, leading to an 87% increase in sign-ups and 28% reduction in drop off. I took ownership of identifying friction points, redesigning the flow, and working with developers to ship a better experience.
Skills
Data Analysis
UX/UI Design
Stakeholder Collaboration
Dev Handoff
Timeline
1 week
Tools
Fewer fields, faster entry, clean visuals.
Identifying the Issue
Sign-ups were stalling. Potential users were abandoning the flow, and we didn’t know why. To find out, I analyzed session recordings and behavioral data—logging drop-off points and rage clicks in Excel to uncover patterns, see where users got stuck, and figure out why they quit.
Issue tracking log: I tracked rage clicks, exits, working moments, & potential fixes across dozens of recordings.
✅ Simplified the First Screen
We saw huge drop-off right at the first screen—people were browsing but didn’t convert once reaching this step. The original design had too many fields upfront and was visually overwhelming. To fix this, we simplified everything and focused on reducing cognitive load.
Before
After
Visually overwhelming & asking too much, too soon.
Minimal effort required, less visual clutter, cleaner UI.
✅ Added Clear Error Feedback
Users frequently ran into input errors with no error messaging. Without guidance, they couldn’t tell what went wrong or how to fix it—often getting stuck and abandoning the process. I worked with dev to implement instant error messages.
Error messaging prompts
✅ Reduced Unnecessary Steps
Most users skipped optional, personalized steps in the sign-up flow—so we removed them. By eliminating unnecessary fluff, we prevented friction and made it an easier, quicker experience to sign up.
(Maybe later was almost always clicked)
Old Signup Flow (that’s a lotta steps!)
✅ Identified & Fixed Bugs
Dead clicks and broken elements often made the experience very frustrating for users. Many of them clicked on elements that appeared interactive but didn’t yield any response. To address this huge paint point, I flagged issues and bugs from recordings and worked with devs to fix each one.
Snapshot of error insights
Impact
87%
Increase in Sign-Ups
The following projects contributed to an 87% YOY increase in user sign-ups, nearly doubling from 1,604 to 3,006.
28%
Reduction in Drop-off Rates
The streamlined sign-up flow led to a 28% reduction in drop-off rates, indicating improved user engagement during the sign-up process.
What I Learned
Detach from your work. My original, more complex design wasn’t working. Instead of clinging to it, I quickly pivoted to a simpler version that ended up driving better results. This project helps reinforce the idea that I can’t care about how much time something took, what matters is whether or not it performs.
Session recordings are a powerful tool. With my tight deadline, I had to rely on session recordings. When you’re stuck on a problem and don’t know what to do, it is incredibly useful watching session recordings. This helped me spot drop-off points and unexpected friction that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Challenges
Time constraints. I was given 1 week to complete this project, so we needed fast results. There wasn’t room for deep research or long iteration cycles, so I had to make quick, confident decisions using the data I had.
Technical constraints. Some of the biggest blockers were technical. I didn’t know how to fix them, but I focused on giving the dev team everything they needed: documented bugs, linked recordings, and clear context. That collaboration helped us move faster towards a solution.
Thanks for reading!
