2023

Role: Lead UX Writer

 In 2023, DAZN underwent one of its most significant strategic shifts: moving from a pure subscription model to a freemium one, using a landmark partnership with the NFL as its vehicle.

DAZN's entire product had been built around a single paid subscription. Introducing a free tier, and simultaneously onboarding an entirely new subscriber base from NFL Game Pass. This created two distinct but interconnected content problems.

The problem

Freemium

• New users didn't understand why they needed to provide an email address to watch free content

• The existing sign-up language created hesitation – users assumed "sign up" meant paying for something

• With limited free content available, the proposition needed to work harder to demonstrate value and encourage registration

NFL Game Pass

• NFL Game Pass subscribers were being migrated to DAZN, a platform they hadn't chosen – we needed to mitigate complaints about this, and provide reassurance the experience they knew was still there

• Two brands with distinct voices needed to coexist across the same sign-up journey without either feeling diluted

• Users needed clarity on which plan included which games, without the journey feeling like a sales funnel

The hypothesis

If we reduced friction in the freemium registration journey and created a clear, trust-led experience for migrating NFL fans, we could drive registrations, grow subscriptions and establish freemium as a sustainable model for DAZN's growth.

My role

Lead UX writer across both workstreams, the freemium product launch and the NFL Game Pass integration, as well as the My Account redesign.

The content challenge

Freemium

Research showed that "sign up" made users assume they were about to pay. I proposed switching to "register" – a lighter-touch word that tested significantly better, because users understood that registering their details was a distinct action from taking out a subscription. A single word change that meaningfully reduced friction at the first step of the funnel.

Throughout the registration journey I took a benefit-first approach, leading with the NFL content rather than the mechanics of account creation, while staying transparent about why an email address was needed. Where the free content offering was limited, I leaned into DAZN's broader platform features to reinforce the value of registering.

NFL Game Pass

The content challenge was making the migration feel like something being done for them, not to them. I used emotive, fan-first language throughout the sign-up journey, leading with the excitement of NFL on DAZN rather than the logistics of the platform change. Clear labelling and signposting removed any ambiguity about plans and content.

To maintain trust across a dual-brand experience, I ensured NFL Game Pass branding was carried consistently through every screen, so fans never felt they'd lost the product they knew.

DAZN's existing account structure had been built for a single subscription type. As part of this project I led content for a full My Account redesign, creating new information architecture with clearly defined areas for free accounts, core subscriptions and add-ons, structured to scale as DAZN's model continued to evolve.

The results

14%+

Total subscriptions year on year.

+11%+

 average weekly views.

+49%

 freemium growth following launch.

+23%

23% subscription growth.