Respecting the User

Hulu's original cancellation flow had not been updated in a number of years. It was full of deceptive dark patterns, intentional friction, and intentionally & unintentionally vague copy.

Step 1 of the cancellation flow was to try to trick users into pausing instead.

Step 2 was to diagnose why they were cancelling, an offering them solutions or retention offers.

Step 3 was to ask them if they're really really sure, even after watching a super cool sizzle reel of all the good content on Hulu.

Step 4 was to ask them to complete another (longer) survey after they successfully canceled

If it were a spoken conversation, I imagine it'd go like this:

User: I want to cancel my subscription

Hulu: You want to pause it? Okay for how long?

User: No, I want to cancel. Continue to Cancel.

Hulu: Ohhh okay gotcha gotcha. But you gotta tell me why.

User: I gotta?

Hulu: You gotta. Or....you could just continue watching?

User: Okay fine, it's because it's too expensive. Continue to cancel.

Hulu: Oh! Well then how about you just pick a cheaper version? Want to see more plans?

User: No, thanks. Plus, I don't like the ads. Continue to cancel.

Hulu: OHHH well of course you don't! No one likes ads! How about you pay more so you don't have to watch them? Update your plan now!

User: I just told you it was too expensive. Why would I pay more? Anyway, I can't even find enough to watch lately to justify keeping it. Continue to cancel.

Hulu: But we're adding more stuff all the time! And we have all these add-ons like STARZ. You could add it for an extra $14.99/month! Want to see more?

User: Can you stop trying to upsell me? I'm not going to buy more, especially when I keep having this incredibly frustrating technical issue. Continue to cancel.

Hulu: A TECHNICAL ISSUE!? Well why didn't ya say so!? Here go get help at our help center - they won't solve it for you but.....you might be able to find the answer yourself in a few hours of searching! Go to the Help Center?

User: You know what, Hulu? It's just temporary - I'll be back eventually, I just need a break. You don't have to try so hard, just give me some time. I'll come back someday. Continue to cancel.

Hulu: I see....well then if a break is all you need, why don't you just pause it!? Bet ya didn't know you could do that, huh? Put your subscription on hold?

User: I already told you I don't want to pause. I. Want. To. Cancel. Continue to cancel.

Hulu: Oh. Okay. Why?

User: I have my reasons.

Hulu: Nuh-uh not so fast...Tell me. Just let out all your thoughts and feelings into this nice empty form-field.

User: sljkhfalhfalshefkuahlkauhkfhwef'wakdh;fkhSDFLjws;dfha;sdkjfsEF; Continue to cancel.

Hulu: Ok! Got it! Thanks for that super helpful feedback! But, I just gotta know....ARE YOU SURE? Look at all these great shows we have! LOOK AT THEM!!!!! We'll give you a month of the cheapest plan with ads and almost none of the shows i just mentioned FOR FREE! So how 'bout it? Take offer?

User: No, Cancel subscription.

Hulu: Kay, your subscription is canceled. BUT BEFORE YOU GO....Why did you cancel again? I wasn't listening.

Redoing the cancellation flow involved mapping the eligibility for each entitlement type and its subsequent retention offer. It wasn't feasible for tech to customize and build out each path and retention offer for V1, but future versions of the cancellation flow will offer custom help, options, and offers for each entitlement type.

V1 of the new cancellation flow features an updated look & feel, simplified and more transparent steps, and an all-around friendlier voice & tone. The post-cancel survey was also removed, and the page was distilled into a more helpful confirmation screen.