Save to Tree Feature
Ancestry's storytelling tool that explains family records for new users through engaging narratives.
BACKGROUNDI led the design of StoryScout, a groundbreaking free feature on Ancestry that leverages AI to generate personalized narratives from users' family records. This initiative aimed to simplify access to historical records for new subscribers. The ability to seamlessly integrate these records into Family History trees resulted in 6% increase in new user sign ups among younger demographics, enhanced upsell conversions, and improved overall site traffic.
RESPONSIBILIITESUser flow development,
cross-functional collaboration, visual design, user research, stakeholder presentations
ROLELead Product Designer
DURATION2021, 2 months
TEAM1 product manager, 3 designers, 10 engineers
Problem we’re solving
StoryScout drove new user interest in tree-building, but complexity hindered adoption. A one-click record-saving feature was implemented to simplify onboarding and preserve valuable family records.
ONBOARDING USERS ONTO FAMILY HISTORYUsers, after providing grandparent data, were presented with compelling lineage stories via StoryScout, resulting in a near 100% open rate, according to Mixpanel. Recognizing this intense user interest, I strategically added a 'Save to Tree' call-to-action, facilitating a smooth transition to the Family History app.
MOBILE AND WEB DESIGNS
Full Experience
A primary challenge of this project was integrating with the Family History tool, a legacy system with inherent technical limitations. To ensure a seamless user experience across both platforms, meticulous mapping of the entire user journey was essential.
Outcomes
This feature significantly bridged the onboarding gap for users interested in genealogical research but requiring initial guidance. StoryScout's accessible entry point effectively connected thousands of new users to the Family History platform.
