Zipcar’s first membership tiers gave occasional drivers a lower-cost option and frequent drivers more value. I led the design from competitive research through beta and rollout.

Make the value easy to compare

I studied subscription flows to turn a broad tiering idea into concrete principles: clear trial terms, short benefit lists, and value that remains visible after signup. For the open beta, I compared fully expanded benefits with shorter cards and expandable mobile details. Less scrolling had to be weighed against the effort of comparing plans.

Keep plan value visible after signup

My design work connected the plan comparison to the membership people actually used. Lite, Standard, and Plus needed recognizable benefits and clear account states, so choosing a plan was the beginning of the experience rather than the end.

Design the way out as carefully as the way in

For the open beta, I specified self-service upgrades, downgrades, and undoing a plan change. I worked through differences across the US, Canada, and UK with Product and engineering. Cancellation could offer a lower tier, while driver limits needed a clear path to a plan that fit.

Different driving habits need different plans

Lite focused on a lower monthly fee. Plus paired a higher fee with benefits for frequent trips. I worked across the plan comparison, signup, and account experience to make those tradeoffs clear.

Judge the plans by behavior, not only signups

Our team monitored revenue, usage, and retention during the beta. Member feedback added context: a lower fee helped occasional drivers stay, while mileage and trip discounts mattered to frequent drivers.