Install growth via USP Highlights

The Challenge

Issues noticed:

• accompanying headlines aren't readable at thumbnail size
• USPs aren't frontloaded in the first 5 slots
• motivation (challenge & mastery) isn't properly nudged in the screenshots

📸 Original Screens (Control)

Hypothesis

If users could grasp what the game offers within the first 2 seconds & easily differentiate against competitors, they’d be more inclined to install.

So I hypothesized that:

Redesign the visual to touch on core motivation & rewriting headlines for scannability would improve install conversion

Design Approach

The redesign focused on visual rework, frontloading USP, & headline writing.

Key changes:

1. Readable Headlines: Trimmed & rephrased old headlines for quick scan while putting emphasis on motvations.
2. Framing: Redesigned the visuals for a new look that immediately standout from the common design language of other competitors.

🎨 Redesigned Screens (Variant)

Results

After a 20-day A/B test on Google Play:

The new set shows a line trending positive halfway into the test. It achieved +7.4% more installs. This confirms that frontloading USPs with scannable headlines + differentiating visual language nudges viewers to download & try the game.

Key Learnings

• Scannable headlines. Readability matters for viewers to make decision faster. 
• Frontloading USPs. Showing the unique features of the game early helps setting the game apart from direct competitors.
• Unique visual tone. Presenting the game in a way that's different from competitors makes the game standout better.

Impact & Next Steps

Following the success of this test:

• The winning set was rolled out for default listing
• Is used as base for localization

Summary

“In a market with many direct competitors, early USP highlights in screenshot set is one of the key drivers of installs.