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Adobe: The growing issue with “Free” trials UX

STORY Duration: 5 min

I recently watched this video about AI, which showed a photo of a guy and his dog at his cottage... But—

—the cottage doesn't exist...

...the original photo was much smaller...

...and he doesn't even own a dog.

Turns out this was all done using Photoshop's new generative AI...

I haven't used Adobe for a while, but their AI feature looks fantastic...

...Let's give it a shot!{click}

{ }

Plus, this upsell is confusing.

Starting with...

Ah-ha!

The middle plan has less cloud storage and 'generative credits', so it's cheaper... But—

—how am I supposed to know how much I need?

And on top of this... the "best" bundle is the most expensive one?

Cognitive Load

The total amount of effort that is required to complete (and understand) a task. The less, the better.

Here, instead of easing your way into their ecosystem, they slap you with a complicated upsell pricing page that takes time to process at such an early stage. ¹

¹Cognitive Load, Growth.Design

Also, why Lightroom?

Do I need it for generative AI?

Rough transition!

Big upsell screen right from the start...

And how is Photoshop+Lightroom cheaper than just Photoshop?

...Where's the promise of the great generative AI features shown on the home page?

Scanning screen...

I've almost lost all my excitement already...

What if... Instead of upselling me RIGHT AWAY, they gave me a taste of their new AI feature—

—like this!

POW, look at that!

Now I'm just super excited to jump into the real thing.

Just think of an exotic animal... Let's say—

—a tiny elephant!

And just let the AI do its magic... {click}

Anyway...

...Let's choose the cheapest plan! {click}

Hmm... Pick a susbscription?

Didn't I just pick one?

I guess I have more options... What's the difference??

Hmm... Monthly vs. Yearly? Ok, but—

—they're both the same price (no annual discount) and—

—they're both annual contracts!?

£9.98 x 12mo = £119.76

So the ONLY difference is in the cancellation fee?!...

"Some fees" vs. "No refund"

Pricing Complexity

Complex pricing plans that create the illusion of choice while hiding the real financial implications should be considered unethical. Especially if their canceling process is strenuous.¹

Many people fall into the "monthly but annual payments" trap, and it doesn't serve anyone²: Confusing offer → frustrated clients → extra support needed → bad business reputation.

¹Adobe: The Psychology of User Offboarding, Growth.Design (2023)
²Saas free trial benchmarks, Lincoln Murphy

All I want is to try it out... {click}

More upselling?!

And how is offering Acrobat Pro "curated just for me" ??!

Step 1 of 3??

Fabricated personalization

While curating an offer helps signal the effort and care a company is willing to provide, fake personalization can have the opposite effect.

Rather than making people feel excited to explore new options, unrelated deals run the risk of leaving people feeling exploited.¹

¹Fake Personalisation, Clear Sales Message

What about all the steps I just did?!

"No thanks"... {click}

Almost there... {click}

Hmm... They're asking for my credit card... So I should probably try to understand this cancellation fee...

...Let's see what the fine print says... {click}

{ ... }

Ouch... So if I cancel late, it'll cost me half a year's subscription!!

To recap...

To get this "free trial," you need to:

1. 🤡 Go through distracting upsells
2. 🔍 Decode hidden cancellation fees
3. 🔏 Sign an annual contract
4. 💳 Give your credit card info

The "Free" Trial Paradox

More and more products are trying to get you to commit long-term and share sensitive information¹ before you even glimpse at their product.

It's "free," but... They can target, upsell, and charge you without friction (and often without reminders)—transferring the load and responsibility of canceling to the customers.

So, people (~25-40%)² cancel their trial on day one to avoid this trap.

¹Cancelling SaaS Subscriptions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Quolum (2021)
²How to improve free trial experience, LogRocket

Technically, it's a "free" trial, but—

Imagine, instead, if they let you use the product first before everything...

...That's exactly what the company Rows (spreadsheet app) is doing—dropping people into a new file. And it—

—increased their sign-up conversion rate by 72%!

Value First business Impact

Since turning their product into a homepage¹, Rows conversion rate to sign-up rose 72%² and the activation rate of people who converted from a "sandbox account" is 30% higher than those who signed up via other channels.

¹Your guide to PLG benchmarks, Growth Unhinged
²Building a Loginless Experience for 1B people, Rows