Work

Play

Work

Play

Work

Play

1.2M

1.2M

members receive

members receive

consistent alerts across app, web, and partner channels
consistent alerts across app, web, and partner channels

>30%

>30%

re-enabled notifications

re-enabled notifications

1 month post launch
1 month post launch

↑40%

↑40%

actioned notifications

actioned notifications

with new improved relevance
with new improved relevance

↓10%

↓10%

reduced churn

reduced churn

driven by increased value across 3 key use cases
driven by increased value across 3 key use cases

Best Effect on Business Goals
UXUK Awards

Executive Summary

Members rely on timely notifications in critical moments - from breakdowns to MOT reminders - to keep them on the road. But with only binary on/off settings, most either endured a flood of irrelevant alerts or disabled notifications altogether, limiting the app’s value when it mattered most.

Team

Senior Designer

Steph Brooks

Senior Designer

Steph Brooks

Senior Designer

Steph Brooks

Senior Designer

Chris Mears

Senior Designer

Chris Mears

Senior Designer

Chris Mears

Senior Product Owner

Cameron Kennedy

Lead Engineer

Alessandro Mani

Lead UX Researcher

Anna Sarrou

Key Contributions

UX Strategy & Vision

Stakeholder Alignment

Cross-Functional Workshops

Notification Framework

Granular Settings

In-App Education

Prototyping & Testing

The challenge
The challenge

Notifications that missed the moments that mattered

Notifications that missed the moments that mattered

Notifications play a key part in 2 of the 3 biggest app use cases, represent over 80% of total app traffic. Yet the majority of our notifications focussed on member benefits and offers, leaving users frustrated and resulting in mass notifications opt out.

Notifications play a key part in 2 of the 3 biggest app use cases, represent over 80% of total app traffic. Yet the majority of our notifications focussed on member benefits and offers, leaving users frustrated and resulting in mass notifications opt out.

Key use case - be kept informed
Key use case - be kept informed
Key use case - be kept informed
Key use case - report a breakdown
Key use case - report a breakdown
Key use case - report a breakdown

!!

Testing revealed a strong connection betwee access to urgent alerts and app engagement

Diary studies, card sorting, and post-launch app analytics

!!

Testing revealed a strong connection betwee access to urgent alerts and app engagement

Diary studies, card sorting, and post-launch app analytics

!!!

Over 70% of members who opted out of notifications deleted the app within six weeks.

Analytics, support tickets, feedback surveys

!!!

Over 70% of members who opted out of notifications deleted the app within six weeks.

Analytics, support tickets, feedback surveys

Approach & Ideation
Approach & Ideation

Notifications were a systemic problem

Notifications were a systemic problem

Multiple teams - app, web, partnerships, and marketing - pushed alerts without prioritising user needs, leading to overwhelm, disabled notifications, and reduced app value. I led a cross-functional effort to define principles, align teams, and implement solutions that worked across channels, restoring trust and enabling self-serve functionality.

Multiple teams - app, web, partnerships, and marketing - pushed alerts without prioritising user needs, leading to overwhelm, disabled notifications, and reduced app value. I led a cross-functional effort to define principles, align teams, and implement solutions that worked across channels, restoring trust and enabling self-serve functionality.

The apps most targetted user demographic
The apps most targetted user demographic
The apps most targetted user demographic

Aligning the Organisation Around What Matters

Ran workshops with stakeholders across every team to surface risks, user needs, and missed opportunities. Established shared principles prioritising critical notifications and reducing low-value alerts across all channels.

!

50+ low-value alerts identified and deprioritised across channels

Notification audit, stakeholder workshop

!

50+ low-value alerts identified and deprioritised across channels

Notification audit, stakeholder workshop

100% of teams aligned on notification principles within 6 weeks

Cross-functional workshops, follow-up survey

100% of teams aligned on notification principles within 6 weeks

Cross-functional workshops, follow-up survey

The apps most targetted user demographic
The apps most targetted user demographic

Grounding clarity through the notification matrix

Mapped the full spectrum of notification types and delivery channels to reveal overlaps, surface alternative options beyond push, and guide a multi-channel strategy that reduces noise while preserving critical updates.

70% of notifications reviewed and re-classified by urgency

Notification audit, taxonomy mapping

70% of notifications reviewed and re-classified by urgency

Notification audit, taxonomy mapping

Multi-channel strategy increased in-app notification relevance by 40%

User testing, feedback surveys

Multi-channel strategy increased in-app notification relevance by 40%

User testing, feedback surveys

The apps most targetted user demographic
The apps most targetted user demographic
The apps most targetted user demographic

Putting Control Back in Users’ Hands

Introduced granular, in-app opt-in/out settings, enabling members to manage notification types. Critical alerts were preserved, while low-value notifications could be personalised or paused.

Granular opt-in/out settings enabled 100% of users to personalise alerts

User analytics

Granular opt-in/out settings enabled 100% of users to personalise alerts

User analytics

>85% of members re-enabling notifications chose to amend their settings

Post-launch analytics and user behaviour logs

>85% of members re-enabling notifications chose to amend their settings

Post-launch analytics and user behaviour logs

Reinforcing Value Through Education Moments

Designed contextual in-app education (e.g., splash screens during breakdown flows) to demonstrate why notifications matter, encouraging members to re-enable alerts they had previously disabled.

+30% members re-enabled notifications 1 month post launch

App analytics

+30% members re-enabled notifications 1 month post launch

App analytics

Splash screens during critical flows reduced disabled alerts by 20%

Post-launch behavioural data

Splash screens during critical flows reduced disabled alerts by 20%

Post-launch behavioural data

Impact
Impact

Relevant Alerts, 1.2M Re-Engaged Members

Relevant Alerts, 1.2M Re-Engaged Members

What started as a flood of irrelevant alerts became a system that delivers the right information at the right time. By aligning teams, simplifying the experience, and giving members control, we helped 1.2M users stay informed, re-engage with the app, and trust that critical updates would reach them when it mattered most - reducing churn, boosting engagement, and making the app genuinely valuable.

What started as a flood of irrelevant alerts became a system that delivers the right information at the right time. By aligning teams, simplifying the experience, and giving members control, we helped 1.2M users stay informed, re-engage with the app, and trust that critical updates would reach them when it mattered most - reducing churn, boosting engagement, and making the app genuinely valuable.

1.2M

1.2M

1.2M

members receive

members receive

members receive

consistent alerts across app, web, and partner channels

consistent alerts across app, web, and partner channels

>30%

>30%

>30%

re-enabled notifications

re-enabled notifications

re-enabled notifications

1 month post launch

1 month post launch

↑40%

↑40%

↑40%

actioned notifications

actioned notifications

actioned notifications

with new improved relevance

with new improved relevance

↓10%

↓10%

↓10%

reduced churn

reduced churn

reduced churn

driven by increased value across 3 key use cases

driven by increased value across 3 key use cases

Learnings & Next Steps

  • Systemic notification problems span channels; cross-team alignment is critical to delivering real user value.

  • Early testing highlighted that giving members granular control dramatically increases engagement - a principle we’ll apply to future multi-channel interventions.

  • Next steps include expanding personalised notifications to secondary flows, further reducing noise, and monitoring engagement over time to maintain relevance and trust.

Card sorting helped clarify notification value and prioritisation across user segments.