1: Take ownership of an ambiguous experience

Google One had several versions of the VPN in production across different device types and operating systems. Terms and content frameworks were inconsistent, and no one could speak to the reasons why.

To establish a cohesive experience, I:

• Audited all of Google’s VPNs

• Aligned stakeholders across product, engineering, design, legal, and marketing

• Advocated for new user research to revisit and test major concepts: privacy vs. security and network traffic vs. online activity

After user research, I anchored on the idea of privacy. Privacy is often tied to things people can control, while security is a more nebulous thing that people feel.

Research also showed that users better understood “online activity” over “network traffic,” and their mental models matched the team’s intentions.

2: Refine user education

Following the VPN controls was educational content that informed users on the benefits of using a VPN. The original list had complicated terms and led with action in a way that created a sense of unneeded urgency.

To fix this, I:

• Reframed the benefits to appear less demanding of user effort, consulting legal partners to determine the appropriate level of technicality

• Changed the order of items to start with the most complex concepts based on new data from marketing

By building and maintaining close cross-functional partnerships, I simplified the benefits list into approachable and valuable content in a way that met every team’s needs.

3: Win over a cynical audience

To encourage adoption and usage for our new Pixel 7 users, I:

• Explored potential value propositions, like price and peace of mind

• Identified that a free offer from Google may not be perceived to be a good thing - especially when it comes to a product like a VPN

• Treated the offering as an onboarding moment instead of a marketing opportunity to build trust