Refinements to Whova’s 3rd most-selling feature
Company
Whova
Role
Lead designer
Duration
1 month
Background
The Call for Speakers feature, which helps event organizers collect and review speaker applications, is Whova’s 3rd top selling feature. Because it’s widely used and is a key source of revenue, refining it was a high priority.
The Problem
Buyers couldn’t try the feature without purchasing first, which turned off budget-conscious organizers.
Without a simple way to show its value, sales often lost potential customers.
The Approach
Give organizers a trial so they can experience the feature before buying.
Show off premium tools to spark interest in upgrades.
Make it easy for organizers to find the right plan that fits their needs.
The Solution
I designed a trial experience that let organizers explore the feature before purchasing, highlighted premium tools, and guided them toward the right plan with a tailored package recommendation quiz.
01. Creating a trial experience
We wanted organizers to explore the feature hands-on, but without giving it away as a free alternative to the paid plan. This was tricky because:
External actions (like sending applications or inviting reviewers) risked giving away the full product.
The trial needed to clearly highlight the differences between the feature's four tiers and showcase their unique capabilities.
We had to balance learning vs. friction: giving enough access to understand the workflow while keeping the trial secure and encouraging upgrades.
In most places, I disabled external actions and added a tag showing the feature was locked until purchase. This let organizers see what existed without giving full access.
However, one tricky feature to disable was the submission portal. This is the hub where organizers collect, review, and evaluate speaker applications. Since application forms couldn’t be shared during the trial, the portal would appear empty and add little value. To solve this, I explored two options:
Option 1: Placeholder Applications
Fill the portal with sample applications so organizers can explore it interactively.
Option 2: Informational Modal
Show a modal with images and descriptions of the portal.
I went with the informational modal since it was far less resource-intensive than building realistic placeholders, while still conveying the portal’s value. To offset its lower engagement, I added a direct link to sales, giving organizers an easy path to request a live demo.
02. Promotional nudges at the right time
Stakeholders initially wanted to promote all features above a user’s tier—up to 11 promotions at once. I was concerned this would overwhelm users, distract them, and make their current plan seem less valuable.
To better understand the impact, I dug into the data. Data showed most upgrades are to the next tier only. I used this to come up with two alternatives to the 11 promotions at once:
Proposal 1: More conservative
Promote only Enterprise features to Premium users
Reduces promotions by ~35%
Proposal 2: Less conservative
Promote features only from the next tier up
Reduces promotions by ~64%, cleaner and more relevant
After seeing my proposals and hearing my suggestions, stakeholders agreed on the less conservative, next-tier approach, which was more user-friendly.
03. The package recommendation quiz
During a demo with stakeholders, we discussed a concern: many customers might struggle to choose the right package. We decided to address this concern along with this project, which led me to add a package recommendation quiz.
My first flow was simple—determine limits, then ask which tier’s features were needed—ending with a single recommendation to streamline decision-making.
But stakeholders pointed out that budgets aren’t always clear, and organizers balance both must-have and nice-to-have needs. I revised the flow so instead of one outcome, the quiz now gives two: a “good fit” and a “best fit,” helping organizers compare options with confidence before starting a free trial.
The Impact
+95% Purchases
The percentage of events buying Call for Speakers nearly doubled after release.
+25% Self-Serve Sales
A quarter of customers who tried the quiz purchased directly, no salesperson needed.
By making the feature easier to try and clearly showing its value, we boosted purchases and brought in customers beyond the sales team’s reach.