logo-tlhoTina L. Ho

Sign-up redesign

The unassisted sign-up flow for new WP Engine customers felt disconnected from both the marketing site and the user portal. The outdated UI eroded trust before a purchase was even made.

Company: WP Engine

Role: Senior product designer

Partners: Engineering, Sales, Marketing, UX research, Product management
1. Account
2. Bililng
3. Add-ons
4. Review
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Next steps
Responsive
Server error
Credit card error
Old sign up

Problem

Beyond the visual inconsistency, the single-page checkout was cluttered: too many options, unnecessary fields, and add-ons surfaced at a moment when new customers weren't ready or authorized to evaluate them. Coupon discounts only applied to the first payment, but nothing in the UI communicated that. After completing the purchase, customers landed on a confirmation page so dense with information that the next steps weren't clear.

User flow

The proposed flow was designed around a future-state vision: implementing SSO and reducing technical ambiguity around how WordPress sites are built on WP Engine's infrastructure.
Flow
Design icons

Design solutions

The redesign was built on:

  • Updated design system, bringing the experience into AA accessibility compliance
  • A four-tab structure and only kept the fields that matter
    • Address 2 is collapsed by default
    • Add-ons are isolated to their own tab rather than surfaced mid-checkout
  • The confirmation page was restructured around what comes next, not an info dump of what just happened

Test & iterate

Objectives

  • Can participants successfully complete sign-up?
  • What are their initial reactions to the new flow?


Methodology

Modified unmoderated RITE testing via UserTesting.com across four iterations.


Participants 

  • Recruited through UserTesting.com
  • Current WordPress users with purchasing authority who were not existing WP Engine customers.
Coworking animated icons created by Freepik - Flaticon

Insights

  • Redesigned workflow and design patterns: Participants responded to the clean, modern UI and simplified checkout. Task performance showed measurable improvement.
  • Identified gaps: more context needed on connecting existing WordPress sites, data center pricing differences, and add-on descriptions.

  • The review step was added mid-testing after participants were split on expecting one. Once introduced, it increased purchase confidence.

  • The confirmation page: Participants appreciated the timeline and knowing to expect an email.
← WP Engine user portal
→ CoSell design system