Turning grocery shoppers into mobile subscribers for Silpo

Project at a glance

Context & market

Ukraine is a mature, highly competitive mobile market where most people already have long‑term contracts with major operators like Kyivstar, Vodafone or lifecell and are very price‑sensitive. Any promise of “free connection” immediately raises questions about the catch, stability and how hard it is to switch back.

Yezzz! relies on Silpo’s loyalty base: a section inside the Silpo app targeting guests who already shop there, which gives strong distribution but very little time and space to explain a new kind of offer. The experience has to feel as trustworthy as a banking app and work both for tech‑savvy users and for people who simply tap where the cashier told them.

Problem

Yezzz! already had a built‑in flow inside the Silpo app and a steady stream of users, but only a small fraction became active mobile subscribers.

My estimated funnel shows a steep drop‑off at every step of the activation and number transfer journey. Interviews and usability tests showed that most people didn’t clearly understand what Yezzz! was, how the “free connection” worked, or how to safely move their existing number.

Estimated baseline funnel, before redesign

These values are my estimates built from assumptions about the funnel, not measured data. The end‑to‑end figure is a calculation: the step ranges multiplied together, shown as a range.

Business goals

1. Boost subscriber conversion

   Grow the number of existing Silpo shoppers who convert from app visitors into active Yezzz! users.

   
   

2. Improve activation funnel

   Turn more Yezzz! screen views into started activations and successfully finished number transfers.

   
   

3. Clarify offer terms

   Explain conditions, pricing and edge cases in a way that prevents misunderstandings and support tickets.

   
   

4. Strengthen retention basics

   Help users track their free period and next steps so they stay on the tariff instead of silently churning.

   
   

Research setup

1. Funnel analysis

   I started from the activation funnel inside the Silpo app: how many users reach each step (home screen, phone number, MNP) and where the biggest drop‑offs happen. The numbers in this case are my estimates, not company data.

   
   

2. User interviews

   In‑depth interviews with Silpo shoppers who already used mobile operators, to understand how they perceived Yezzz!, the “free connection” promise, and what stopped them from switching their number.

   
   

3. Usability testing

   8 moderated usability tests on the current Yezzz! home screen, tariff pages and MNP flow. Participants thought aloud while completing key tasks, which showed where they got confused or dropped off.

   
   

Insights from interviews

1. Unclear core value

   Many users did not realize Yezzz! is a full mobile operator with number portability and saw it as a temporary promo on top of their current operator.

   
   

2. Fragmented, hard‑to‑scan tariff

   Tariff and special offer information were split across several screens, written in complex language, so people struggled to understand what they get, what they must do, and what happens afterwards.

   
   

3. Opaque and risky MNP flow

   The number transfer journey felt long and unpredictable: users didn’t know how many steps were ahead, why lifecell appeared, or whether it was safe to continue.

   
   

4. No help in keeping the free package

   Participants said they would like simple reminders about the end of their free period, but they didn’t see Yezzz! as a place to track status and instead checked limits in other apps.

   
   

How I used AI, stage by stage

I used AI at every stage, from research synthesis to copy. Each output was reviewed by hand and checked against the research and source documents.

Research synthesis

Dovetail AI helped me cluster interview transcripts, usability test notes and feedback from six designers into coherent themes in minutes instead of hours. It surfaced repeating patterns: Yezzz! perceived as a promo, fear of losing the number, and confusion around the end of the free period.

Ideation

Together with Claude and Miro AI I used these insights to generate and structure possible directions for onboarding, tariff explanation and number transfer, turning raw ideas into clear maps and problem/solution diagrams.

Flows and information architecture

I mapped user flows and information architecture in XMind without AI, to keep a clean, explicit tree of decisions and states.

Design system foundations

I used Claude to speed up the “boring but important” parts of the design system: semantic colour, spacing and typography tokens and first drafts of the component hierarchy.

Screen design

In Figma Make, directly inside Figma, I described the required structure and content priorities, for example a calm banking‑like home screen with a clear 1–2–3 explanation of free connection and a single primary CTA. I generated layout variants for the home screen, tariff details, MNP flow and status views, then refined them to match the Yezzz!/Silpo brand and research constraints.

UX copy

I used Claude as a writing partner to turn complex telecom and legal descriptions into clearer, shorter and more reassuring messages, in a calm, trustworthy tone closer to a banking app than to a promo campaign. All suggestions went through manual review: I checked them against source documents, aligned the wording with the brand and adapted each text to real components.

Client presentation

I prepared the presentation in Gamma, focusing on the story and logic while AI handled layout variations.

First design interaction

On the very first interaction, users landed on the Yezzz! home screen inside the Silpo app and were supposed to understand what Yezzz! is, why it matters, and what to do next. In reality, most people quickly scanned the screen, didn’t grasp the core value, and left without starting activation or exploring the tariff.

Insights from usability testing

8 participants, moderated sessions on the current home screen, tariff pages and MNP flow.

1. Perception of Yezzz! as a promo, not an operator

   Many users didn’t recognise Yezzz! as a full mobile operator with number portability and treated it as a temporary promo on top of their existing operator.

   
   

2. Unclear value behind “free connection”

   The “free connection” message sounded attractive, but people couldn’t quickly see the conditions or what exactly they would get, so they assumed there was a hidden catch.

   
   

3. Overloaded and unfocused first screen

   The screen mixed several ideas at once (promo, tariff, operator, MNP) without a clear hierarchy, so users had to work too hard to understand where to start.

   
   

4. Low confidence to proceed

   Some users were interested in the offer but didn’t feel confident enough to tap further because they didn’t know how hard it would be to switch or if they could go back.

   
   

Final design

Home screen

Hypothesis

Users of the Silpo app see Yezzz! promo banners but don’t clearly understand what this mobile operator is and what exact value they get, so they rarely form a clear intent to connect and move on to tariff details.

Solution

I reframed the home screen into a clear starting point: a straightforward headline “New mobile operator from Silpo”, a simple 1–2–3 explanation of how free connection works, and a single primary CTA “Connect to Yezzz!”. This reduces cognitive load and should increase the share of users who move from the first screen to tariff details.

How I would measure it

Home screen → tariff details rate. Estimated baseline: ~35–40%.

Tariff details 

Tariff entry screen

Hypothesis

Information about how the Yezzz! tariff and the Silpo special offer work is present in the app, but it’s fragmented and hard to read, so users struggle to understand the conditions and are less likely to start registration.

Solution

I introduced a dedicated “Yezzz! tariff details” screen that gathers everything in one place: how much you need to spend at Silpo to get 30 days of free mobile service, what happens if you don’t reach that amount, and what’s included in the package. Content is grouped into clear blocks and written in plain language to improve the conversion rate from viewing tariff details to starting registration.

How I would measure it

Tariff details → started registration rate. Estimated baseline: ~25–30%.

Tariff details: special offer

Hypothesis

Based on the fact that the conditions of the special offer and its consequences are currently described in a fragmented and unclear way, users don’t fully understand what happens to their tariff if they don’t meet the spending threshold at Silpo or don’t pay on time. As a result, any changes in price feel “sudden” and decrease trust in the service.

Solution

I brought all special‑offer rules into a dedicated block on the tariff details screen and clearly explained what happens when the conditions are not met: when the free period ends, when standard tariffing starts, and what price applies next. The content is grouped into short scenarios and written in plain language, so users can quickly see the outcomes and feel safe to start registration.

How I would measure it

Guardrails: support contacts about tariff conditions and billing, and users leaving the tariff before the free period ends.

Tariff details: what's included

Hypothesis

Users don’t always understand what exactly they get with the Yezzz! package (minutes, data, unlimited services) because this information is buried inside long text lists.

Solution

I pulled the package content into a separate visual block: minutes, data, and unlimited services are presented as clear cards with icons and short labels. This helps users quickly scan what they actually get and reduces hesitation before connecting.

How I would measure it

Tariff details → started registration rate, read together with the tariff entry screen above.

Tariff details: standard tariffing and roaming

Hypothesis

When the package is inactive or used up, it’s hard for users to find and decode standard tariffing and roaming rules, which leads to “unexpected” charges and increases the risk of churn.

Solution

I added a separate “Standard tariffing” tab inside the tariff details screen. It groups all key conditions: when standard tariffing applies, how much calls, data, SMS and extra packages cost, including in roaming. The copy is rewritten for quick scanning while still matching telecom and legal requirements. This makes future charges predictable and reduces frustration.

How I would measure it

Guardrail: support contacts about unexpected charges.

MNP flow 

Hypothesis

Part of the users drop out during the number transfer (MNP) flow because all steps are squeezed into a single overloaded screen, creating cognitive overload.

Solution

I split the MNP flow into short, predictable steps: a start screen with three simple stages, a separate screen explaining how to get a SIM card, a checkout screen for the starter pack, a push reminder when the physical SIM has arrived, and a final screen that hands over to the lifecell website. Each step focuses on one action, which should increase the completion rate of number transfers.

How I would measure it

MNP completion rate (entered MNP → active subscriber). Estimated baseline: ~60–70%. Guardrail: drop-off at the new MNP start screen.

Push notifications

Hypothesis

Users want to receive reminders when their free package or special conditions are about to expire; without this they easily miss the deadline, don’t meet the conditions and lose free connection, which hurts retention.

Solution

I designed a reminder flow with configurable push notifications: users can choose when to be reminded before their package ends (7 days, 3 days, on the last day). Each notification leads to a focused Yezzz! status screen showing how many days are left and what the current state is. This helps more users fulfill the tariff conditions on time and supports retention in the long run.

How I would measure it

Share of users who set a reminder, and users leaving the tariff before the free period ends.

How I would validate this

This is a concept project. The solution was not launched or A/B tested. This is the validation plan I would run.

Test

An A/B test of the redesigned home screen and tariff details against the current version, inside the Silpo app.

Primary metric

Share of users who opened the Yezzz! home screen and became active subscribers, end to end.

Supporting metrics

• Home screen → tariff details

• Tariff details → started registration

• Started registration → MNP step

• MNP completion rate

• Share of users who set a push reminder

Guardrails

• Support contacts about tariff conditions and billing

• Drop‑off at the new MNP start screen

• Users leaving the tariff before the free period ends

Qualitative follow‑up

Repeat the usability test with the same tasks on the new screens and compare where people hesitate.

Outcome and next steps

Not launched, no measured results. The main lesson: a clear redesign still needs a clear measurement plan. With no real data, my solution stays a hypothesis, so I defined exactly what I would measure first.

Next, I would run the validation plan above and review the MNP flow together with the lifecell hand‑over constraints.