All work

01 / Spruce / 2023 / Product

Driving clarity and conversion

Spruce promises a financial makeover. The homepage was not keeping that promise. People landed, could not tell what the product did, and left before creating an account.

25%
Conversion on the winning All-in-One variant
4
Homepage directions tested with users
6 mo
Iterate, test, and ship cycle

Context

A banking app that needed a clearer front door

In early 2023 the team was asked to remake the homepage of Spruce, a mobile bank built by H&R Block. The page had to show the product’s core features and point people toward opening an account.

We studied behavior on the live homepage, designed multiple directions, ran moderated tests, then A/B tested on the site. The work ran for six months of continuous refinement.

A direction that leads with one job: budget tracking, stated in a sentence, then a path to get started.

Problem

People could not see the offer

Prospective customers needed a plain account of Spruce’s features and why those features mattered to their money. Research — user tests plus behavior on the current page — showed they were stuck before that understanding ever formed.

We ranked what to fix using feedback, engagement, and conversion, not a feature wishlist.

Approach

Four stories, one structure, then a live test

The hypothesis was simple: a homepage organized around the user, with features and benefits in view, would raise both engagement and sign-ups.

We rebuilt the information architecture so essential information came first, mapped the path from landing to account creation, and wireframed until the story held together. Three distinct versions went into moderated testing. A fourth, the existing default, stayed in the experiment as the control.

  • Budgeting and managing money
  • Spruce’s relationship with H&R Block
  • All-in-one: checking, saving, budgeting, credit
  • Default: “good with money”
The test plan separated messaging from layout so we could learn which story earned interest before polishing screens.
Full-page explorations kept the same jobs — direct deposit, watchlist, security, get the app — and changed the story on top.

Outcome

All-in-One won because it named the product

From May 30 to July 20 the live test read: Default 22%, Budget Tracking 21%, Relationship 22%, All-in-One 25%. All-in-One performed best. People responded to features they could name, especially automation.

Qualitative notes matched the numbers. Clear messaging and a visible hierarchy did more than a louder brand moment. With more time we would have pushed personalization further, using what the test already proved.

Role & tools

Product design, information architecture, prototyping, and live experimentation with the H&R Block creative team.

  • Figma
  • Miro
  • UserTesting
  • A/B testing
  • Creative: Kenzie Tubbs, Jose Arellano, Trevor Stark, Roberto Perez Jr., Shayla Gordon, Becky Blackman
  • Insights: Kate Michel, Brooke Minor
  • Adobe Target: Mike Tolin
  • Web authoring: Rachel Nyp, Natalie Morgan, Matt Roiz, Mike Clifton
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