Y1S1 Design Computing - Design Process and Methods (User-Centered Research)

DECO1006 ASSESSMENT 2: USER-CENTERED RESEARCH LEONG JIN LING 500246061 - jleo2231

A. Introduction to Design Problem Design Brief 1. Problem Definition

The aim of this design brief is to encourage mindful consumption. Mindful consumption can be defined as the awareness of consumers in their decision making, of both the process leading to the decision and the decision they have to make themselves. In this project, I will be investigating the consciousness of consumers’ purchase and payment to subscription-based products and services.

This is in line with the notion of “dollar voting”, which can be explained as the impact of consumer choice on producers’ actions through the flow of consumer payments to producers for their goods and services.

Hence, ultimately, I seek to understand the consumers’ knowledge and attitude towards the intent or, in this case, perhaps non-intent, of providing money to the current rising trend of subscription-based business models. This will be an assessment of the ethics of business and economics.

2. About the subject

Subscription-based products and services

In this project, this awareness of consumers to subscription-based services will be examined. Subscription-based services will be defined as products and services to which consumers subscribe to monthly, annually or seasonally, resulting in recurring billing to their credit line and bank accounts. This allows companies to maintain consumers’ accounts and subscriptions. This does not include products and services that were paid and purchased once.

Digital

-Online subscription plans for commerce and entertainment such as software service, video streaming, online retail markets, gaming platforms -Examples include: Netflix, Spotify Premium, Amazon Prime, HBO+ and other phone applications

Periodicals

-Subscription plans for publications such as newspapers and magazines -Examples include: local newspapers and magazines

Subscription boxes

-These boxes hold consumables that have a definite expiry date -Examples include: Meal kit delivery services, Meal delivery services

Other physical products and services

-This a miscellaneous category that includes services such as gyms and laundry services, and any other service that does not fall in the above categories. This can also include products and services that you have to pay on instalments.

-Examples include: ClassPass, F45

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3. Essential Questions (EQs)

1. What are the most commonly subscribed subscription-based products and services?

2. How much are individuals spending on: a. Each product and service per month? b. Total sum of products and services per month? c. Each product and service per annum? d. Total sum of products and services per annum?

3.What is the demographic of people subscribed to the most commonly subscribed products and services?

4. How often do they engage in these services and products?

5. Do consumers want to payments to be done automatically for them, or would they prefer such actions to be done by themselves consciously?

B. Planning the Research Research Methods

1. Questionnaires

In order to collect data required to answer the essential questions and further develop the study, three main research methods were adopted: 1. Questionnaires 2. Interviews 3. Observations

I distributed online questionnaires through social media and words of mouth. The aim of questionnaires was to gather data in large quantities.

2. Interviews Interviews were conducted face-to-face and over online platforms such as Skype and Zoom. They were required to gather qualitative answers on consumers’ attitudes and opinions on subscription-based products and services.

3. Observations Empirical evidence gathered from observations allowed the deduction of consumers in their natural and most comfortable environment. The observational approach gave context to the topic to which this research focuses on.

1. Questionnaires Aim

I distributed online questionnaires through social media and words of mouth. The aim of questionnaires was to gather data in large quantities. This allowed me to understand the demographics of my participants, as well as identify the most commonly subscribed products and services. The questionnaire was crucial for statistics, and it emphasised the statistical significance needed for my research.

There was a mixed use of open and closed-ended questions. Close-ended questions allowed me to direct my participants to answer more specifically to the questions I wanted to find out. Close-ended questions have the “same frame of reference”, thus are “pre-determined and more specific”1. Questions included those that require them to check their age groups, their frequency in engagement in the different products and services, and even what category of products and services they subscribe to.

While close-ended questions were good for numbers, open-ended questions provided me an opportunity to gain better qualitative answers. Indeed, allowing participants to answer in their own words can aid me in eradicating assumptions, as well as receive new information that I have not known before. For example, I could allow participants to list the less common types of products and services that I may not have been aware of.

Gathering these data allowed me to have a clearer understanding of the users that would be engaging in my research project. Hence, it would be useful for me to implement solutions that best cater to their behaviour and mentalities.

Quantitative

61 respondents

?

Up to 40 questions

(based on respondents’ subscriptions)

Demographics • More than half of the respondents lie within 0 to 21 years old • Out of the 61 respondents, 51 of them subscribe to at least one subscription-based product and service • Individuals from Generation Z and Millenials are more likely to subcribe to digital and online-based products and services.

Demographics 4.9% 8.2%

54.1% 32.8%

0 - 21 year olds - Generation Z 22 - 37 year olds - Millenials 38 - 53 year olds - Generation X 54 - 72 year olds - Boomers

Referring to the pie chart above, 1. More than half of the respondents are 0 to 21 years old 2. Almost a third of the respondents are 22 to 37 years old 3. The remaining respondents are within 38 to 72 years old The questionnaire was distributed over online platforms, as well as social media.

The medium to which this questionnaire was distributed was perhaps the key reason why the majority of the people who participated in them were individuals who were more tech-saavy and comfortable in the digital environment.

What are the most commonly subcsribed subscription-based products and services?

Overview Digital

Online subscription plans for commerce and entertainment such as software service, video streaming, online retail markets, gaming platforms

Periodicals

Plans for publications such as newspapers and magazines.

Subscription boxes

These boxes hold consumables that have a definite expiry date.

Other physical products and services

This a miscellaneous category that includes services such as gyms and laundry services, and any other service that does not fall in the above categories. This can also include products and services that you have to pay on instalments.

None

Digital Only TV and Movie Netflix Hooq Viu Premium HBO GO, HBO Now Disney Plus Others None

Viki - 1

20

None - 16

Netflix - 42 Local Telev ision Line - 11 Viu Premium - 3 HBO Go/HBO Now - 2 Disney Plus - 1 CBS - 1

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

15 10 5

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

How much do you pay for the subscription for the product or service listed above per month per head?

Netflix Local Telev ision Line (Singtel or Starhub) Viki Viu Premium

<S$4.61>

S$2.95 S$7.00

S$16.98 <S$15.57>

S$60.00

S$7.05 S$7.05 Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, 68.9% of them subscribe to Netflix. This is the most common subscription among them.

2. Due to the subscription plans offered by Netflix and the number of family members who watch television at home, this reflects a range of fee that each individual will have to pay.

Note: HBO Go/HBO Now and Disney Plus are not reflected here. They are included in the subscription plan with the Local Television Line

Digital Only Music

Spotify Premium Apple Music Singtel Music Others None

YouTube Premium - 1

None - 16

Spotify Premium - 42 Apple Music - 4 Tidal - 1

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

40 30 20 10

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

How much do you pay for the subscription for the product or service listed above per month per head?

YouTube Premium Spotify

Apple Music

Tidal

S$11.98 < S$3.36 >

S$1.60 S$5.00

S$5.00

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, 68.9% of them subscribe to Spotify Premium. This is the most common subscription among them.

2. Due to the subscription plans offered by Spotify, this reflects a range of fee that each individual will have to pay.

S$13.00

Digital Only Education and Books Marvel Unlimited Amazon’s Audible Treehouse Udemy Coursera edX Others None

Adobe CC Student Learning - 1

None - 56

edX - 4 Udemy - 4 Treehouse - 1 Coursera - 1

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

4 3 2 1

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

How much do you pay for the subscription for the product or service listed above per month per head?

Adobe CC Learning

S$10.98

edX Udemy

Treehouse Coursera

S$50.00 S$1.33

S$19.99 S$35.87 S$39.00

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, only 5 of them subscribe to educational-related programmes. This is roughly 8.20%.

2. Due to the business plans of edX and Udemy, there is a range of fee needed to be paid by each individual. They run by a pay-by-course model, to which the fee charged every month to the user is dependent on the type and level of the course.

S$350.00

Periodicals Only Newspapers (Printed And Digital) Digital Newspapers The Straits Times Lianhe Zaobao Berita Harian The Business Times The Financial Times The New Yorker The New York Times The Guardian Others None

Printed Newspapers The Straits Times Lianhe Zaobao Berita Harian The Business Times The Financial Times Others None

Digital New spapers The Straits Times - 9 Lianhe Zaobao - 1 The New York Times - 2 The Guardian - 2

Printed New spapers The Straits Times - 11 Lianhe Zaobao - 4 Berita Harian - 1

None - 47

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

Printed New spapers

Digital New spapers 8

7

2

2 1

1-5

6 - 10

11 - 15

16 - 20

2

1

20 - 25

> 25

1-5

6 - 10

11 - 15

16 - 20

20 - 25

> 25

How much do you pay for the subscription for the product or service listed above per month per head?

The Straits Times

Lianhe Zaobao Berita Harian

The New York Times The Guardian

Printed Only

x

S$24.90

x

x

x

Digital Only

S$14.90

x

x

S$2.50 (promo)

S$18.53

Printed AND Digital

S$14.90 - S$29.90

S$29.90

S$29.90

x

x

Takeaways -Most periodicals come together as a plan for printed and digital versions.

-Subscriptions for the local newspaper are the most popular.

Are you more aware of your subscription-based products and services after this questionnaire?

Takeaways: 1. Out of the 51 respondents who subscribe to at least one of the general categories of subscription-based products and services, 40 of them have indicated that they are more aware of their subscriptions.

No - 21.6%

Yes - 78.4%

2. This question is essential in reflecting the awareness of the total subscriptions the respondents are subscribed to.

Will you be making changes to your current subscription-based products and services in the future?

Yes, I may be switching to a different plan.

Yes, I may be unsubscribing to at least one.

Yes, I may be subscribing to a new plan.

1.96%

3.92%

1.96%

Takeaways: 1. Out of the 51 respondents who subscribe to at least one of the general categories of subscription-based products and services, 47 of them have indicated that they are not likely to make changes to their current subscriptions.

2. Two of the 51 respondents are likely to switch to a different plan.

No - 92.2%

3. One of the 51 respondents is likely to unsubscribe.

4. One of the 51 respondents is likely to adopt a new plan.

Questionnaires - Conclusion Through the use of questionnaires, data gathered include: 1. Demographics -86.9% of the respondents are aged between 0 to 37 years old.

-More than 50% of the respondents are aged 0 to 21 years old, as of the end of 2019.

-The smallest age group ranged between 38 to 53 years old.

2. The most common subscription-based product and serv ice -Amongst the general categories, the most popular subscription-based products and services are “TV and Movie (Digital)”, “Music (Digital)”, “Education and Books (Digital)” and “Printed and Digital Newspapers (Periodicals)”.

-Incidentally, they are also the subscriptions with the biggest price ranges due to their business plans.

3. Consumer awareness -The large majority of respondents have indicated that they are more aware of their spendings on subscription0-based products and services after this questionnaire.

4. Consumer behav iour -After being more aware of their subscription-based products and services, most consumers are still likely to stick to their current subscription plans.

2. Interviews Aim

Quanlitative

While quantities are important for statistical importance, interviews were required to gather qualitative answers on consumers’ attitudes and opinions on subscription-based products and services.

Interviews allowed better freedom of speech, and paved new pathways to extended issues and discussions that could not have been foreseen before. They are more intimate because they are innately more conversational, allowing participants to reflect and articulate their inner thoughts and emotions.

The qualitative studies conducted through in-depth interviews, are effective in aiding the bottom-up analysis of data. Often, as an interviewer, we may want our conversations with others to be directed towards a certain direction.

However, the unexpected nature of conversations allow new themes to emerge.

Additionally, interviews train us, as designers, to be comfortable with ambiguity and adapt to others instead. They put us in a position as listeners instead of narrators, and that is crucial for designers to empathise and get to the root of problems.

6 respondents

Average 25 minutes per interview

Demographics • More than half of the respondents lie within 0 to 21 years old • Out of the 61 respondents, 51 of them subscribe to at least one subscription-based product and service • Individuals from Generation Z and Millenials are more likely to subcribe to digital and online-based products and services.

Affinity Diagram After the interviews, affinity diagramming was used to process the qualitative data gathered. This helps to derive insights into the design problem, and bring to light users’ needs that may not be immediately recognised on the surface level.

By identifying the design problem and its insights, this can open pathways to ideation, where designers can better find solutions to the root problem. Ultimately, design is problem-solving at its best.

99

32

finding notes thematic notes

10 insight notes

Affinity diagram site: https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_ktlMdgE=/

Demographics •

•

In general, most opinion-related questions can be categorised into two main groups. An example can be between pros and cons, or agree and disagree. There are little responses that are ambiguous.

Out of the 6 interviewees, 5 of them are from Generation Z, while the final interviee is from Generation X.

Findings •

Through interviews and affinity diagramming, there were 10 insight notes which surfaced, however, there were 3 of them which are of higher importance amd greater insight, and can introduce the problem to a developing solution.

1. Unawareness towards the recurring billing of subscription-based services AND personal recurring bills: This highlighted the premise of this research. There were various reasons why people are unaware of their subscriptions. This also highlighted the bigger problem that people may not be checking their bills enough to notice the recurring billings.

2. Opinion towards subscriptions: This refers whether or not they believed that subscriptions were of benefit to them, and the problems that subscriptions may bring.

3. General awareness towards bills: Through the interviews, there was a bigger issue identified - that is, that individuals are less likely to be aware of their subscriptions and recurring billings if they lacked the general awareness towards their monthly personal expenses.

Note: - While the demographic of this interview may not be varied, questions were structured such that interviewees could expand the conversation beyond themselves. For example, experiences from friends and family were also included, so that a bigger age group can be introduced indirectly.

- The above three insight points are the main takeaways that can aid in building user profiles. Through the interviews, these are perhaps the greatest considerations across all individuals.

Key Findings

insight notes 1. Reasons behind unawareness towards subscriptions and recurring bills

thematic notes 1. Minfulness/Forgetfulness: Often, it is the lack of one’s record in the beginning that led individuals to forget their subscriptions thereafter. There is little visual form.

“I did get the free stuff but forgot to unsubscribe.”

2. Lack of notification: Based on the subscription-based business model, many companies do not notify their clients before the billing occurs.

“I don’t remember getting emails”

3. Financial status: Based on one’s stability and income, subscriptions may not take up a huge part of their spendings, and thus they are often overlooked. This can be related to age groups as well.

1. Opinion towards subscriptions

Two schools of thought: 1. Subscriptions are valuable: - Price point: Because of the nature of subscriptions, it is cheaper for consumers in the long run. At the same time, some companies allow for sharing accounts, which decreases the amount one has to pay overall.

- Regularity: Subscriptions allow for monthly access and renewal to the software - which keeps things up-to-date.

- Better service: Subscriptions allow data to be collected, and better curate and recommend products and services to consumers.

2. Subscriptions may not be all that good: - Personal: It appeals to sunk-cost fallacy. People wish to use it whenever they want.

- Danger of the Internet, AI and data breaching: converting purchases online mean that many consumers will have to give in to releasing information online, often without choice ranging from credit card information to addresses.

1. General awareness towards billing of subscriptions and personal expenses

quotes

1. Overlooking billings to SUBSCRIPTIONS - Quantity of subscriptions: When there are little subscriptions, people tend to look less into the total amount they are spending on them.

- Necessity of subscriptions: Some of the subscriptions are shared among family, and they are important products and services that are part of their daily living, mandating people to pay.

- Little incentive to check monthly bills: Consumers’ belief that they are not spending beyond their means.

2. Overlooking PERSONAL EXPENSES AT LARGE - Regularity in checking: Consumers do not check for a couple of months.

- Responsibility: Expenses are tracked not by themselves but other family members.

- Lack of time: Due to their hectic schedules, many do not see the need to check billings regularly, or diligently record them.

“The bill we pay [for subscriptions] does not account to a big part of our earnings.”

“I might prefer subscribing because it’s cheaper right? I get to share with friends.”

“I can subscribe monthly instead of paying at one-go.”

“I rely on recommendations to broaden my music tastes.”

“I want to use the product only if it brings me benefits.”

“Company has the power - both security and maintenance of my account.”

“I don’t keep track of 2 subscriptions much - they don’t amount to much.”

“I share some products among family and we all use it.”

“I don’t overspend.”

“I only check them every few months.”

“I don’t check my bills - my wife does.”

“I have a lot more time to be meticulous about these things.”

3. Contextual Observation Aim

Contextual observation can be used to study people’s behaviour in different environments. By allowing people to interact in their environments, this allows us to point out the external factors that can influence their behaviour, whether consciously or subconsciously. Factors can be environmental, temporal and social.

During contextual observation, it is important to look out for users’ actions, posture, changes in facial expressions and gaze, gestures and sounds that can communicate emotions.

Empirical

Observations at various locations

By making use of observations, data can be collected and analysed for the users’ needs, as well as better establish the design problem.

Planning and consideration of audience location, time of the day and day of the week were also noted. This was done to ensure that people’s behaviours were recorded sufficiently and accurately.

Observed at 30 mins intervals

Dates observed • Observations made within Household A between 7th and 9th April • Observations made within Household B from 10th to 12th of April • It should be noted that during this pandemic period, it is not possible to observe outside the context of homes for an extended period of time.

Household A

Riley Leong

Shirleen Ling

WH Leong

John Tan

Glenn Tan

Matthew Tan

Felicia Tan

Bernard Tan

7am - 8am

6.30am - 7.30am

9.30am 10am

9.30am - 10.15am

7am - 8am

7am - 8.30am

9am - 1pm

8am - 12noon

11am - 11.30am

8.30am - 9am

12pm 12.45pm

Household B

1pm - 1.30pm

4pm 4.30pm

5.30pm - 6.15pm

4pm - 9pm

5pm - 9pm

3pm - 6pm

10th April, Friday

12.30pm - 1.15pm

1pm - 2pm

3.30pm - 4.30pm

7th April, Tuesday

9pm - 12am

9pm - 12am

9pm - 12am

10pm - 11pm

9.45pm - 10.15pm

9pm - 10.30pm

9.30pm - 11pm

10am-11.30am

9.30am - 12pm

7am - 8am

7am - 8am

Takeaways: 1. The most commonly used subscription services at home are Spotify, Netflix, Newspaper subscriptions and the Local Television Line.

2. Based on a family’s dynamic, the subscriptions have the tendency to be used by individuals independently, or together as family. For example, for Household B, Netflix is shared most frequently in the late evenings, while in Household A, there seem to be little occasions where they use the same line.

3. The activities for each family are also day-dependent. For example, the weekends, for Singaporeans, are likely to be spent with family.

Hence, there are similar usage habits across members of the family.

Netflix News (Printed or Digital) Spotify Local Television Line

8am-9am

8am-9.30am

8am - 9.30am

9am - 12pm

am-10a 9am-10am

10am 12pm

1.30pm 5.30pm

2pm - 4pm

2pm - 4pm

11th April, Saturday

9.30am-12pm 9.30am-12

12pm - 2pm

1pm - 2pm

3pm - 4pm

8th April, Wednesday

7pm 9pm

5.30pm 6.30pm

10pm - 11pm

10pm - 12am

9pm - 11pm

7pm - 11pm

7pm - 11pm

9pm - 11pm

9.30pm - 11pm

8am 10am

9.30am - 10.15am

7am - 8am

7am - 8am

8am-9am

8am-9am

11am - 11.30am

9am - 5pm

10am - 12pm

9.30am-11.30am

2pm - 4pm

2pm - 4pm

3pm - 7pm

9

m

5.30pm 7pm

pm

12th April, Sunday

12.30pm - 1.15pm

1pm - 2pm

3.30pm - 4pm

9th April, Thursday

7pm 9pm

9pm - 11pm

7pm - 11pm

7pm - 11pm

10pm - 11pm

9.45pm - 10.15pm

8pm - 10.30pm

9.30pm - 11pm

C. Key Insights Through the three different research methods, there were some problems revealed about the use of subscriptions and the subscriptions themselves. They can be summarised based on user behaviour and attitudes, which are subjected to change, as well as their characterisitcs.

1. Types of subscriptions Through the questionnaire and interviews, the most popular types of subscriptions can be both age and interest dependent.

There are five main types of subscriptions:

1. Digital Only (TV and Mov ie) Netflix, Local Television Line, Viu Premium

2. Digital Only (Music) Spotify Premium, Apple Music

3. Digital Only (Education and Books)

2. Degree of necessity The w illingness to pay and the consumers’ awareness of the subscriptions can be based on the degree of necessity of these susbcriptions. The factors that determine the degree of necessity are:

1. Shared w ith Family and Friends Netflix, Spotify, Local Television Line, Newspapers

2. Improvement of knowledge and skills Adobe CC, edX, Udemy

edX, Udemy, Adobe CC

3. Pursuit of interest

4. Periodicals (New spapers)

Spotify, Netflix, Calm

Printed: The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao Digital: The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, The Guardian, New York Times

5. Gym Memberships

3.

General Awareness

The awareness of consumers to their subscriptions can be based on two main parties, with their differing reasons:

1. Consumer A. Financial Status Do subscriptions take a big part of my income?

B. Payer of bills Do I pay for my own bills?

C. Regularity of checking of bills How often do I check my expenses in general?

D. Lack of visual cues as reminder of bills Do I record my subscriptions on a list so that they are visible to me?

2. Business Lack of notification to consumers before billing is due

4. Understanding Whether or not consumers understand the subscription-based models - with their pros and cons - can be boiled down to several factors:

1. Education Am I capable of understanding the fundamentals of business and economics, and the subscription-based model?

2. Age

Am I open to the idea of the digital world, and flexible enough to change my world view and adapt to it?

3. Technology Ex pertise

Am I able to navigate around easily in the digital world, and observe where subscriptions can benefit or are at a disadvantage to me?

4. Desire to learn

Do I wish to change my behaviour and attitude towards subscription-based models?

D. User Profiles There are multiple characters that may encounter similar and differing issues when it comes to subscriptions. Their characteristics can vary in age, marital status, occupation, income, technology expertise, skills, attitudes and so on.

Profile 1 Age: 20 Marital Status: Single Occupation: Student Technology Ex pertise: 8/10 Income: NIL Motivations: - Gaining independence - Being responsible to parents - Self-awareness Frustrations: - Lack of financial awareness

Patrick the Par ents’ Pet

Patrick is student who is a single-child in his family. He is extremely keen on films and games. Growing up as a Generation Z indiv idual, he is able to get his way around the Internet easily. He is currently subscribed to Netflix , Spotify and Humble Bundle. He has a comprehensive phone line that provides him with a large amount of data, allowing him to watch and play on-the-go. Soon turning 21, he wants to be more aware of his general expenditure, so that he can prove to be a responsible adult.

Patrick wants to be able to v iew his subscriptions on a monthly basis and keep track of the latest updates of his subscriptions. He wants to be accountable to his parents.

Profile 2 Age: 55 Marital Status: Married with 2 kids Occupation: Mechanical Engineer Technology Ex pertise: 4/10 Income: S$7k per month Motivations: - Work and maintaining income - Family-oriented individual Frustrations: - Keeping track of money paid to subscriptions -Difficulty in bonding the family in real life due to more digital distractions

Fr ederick the Family Feeder

Frederick is the sole breadw inner of the house. He pays for all ex penses within the household. His earnings are more than sufficient to provide for subscriptions, thus he is does not see the necessity to keep track. His w ife keeps track of the family’s spendings. However, as they head towards retirement and many serv ices turn digital, they want to be more aware of their subscriptions and purchases online. At the same time, they want to be able to know what their children are subscribing to, both as individuals from a different generation, but also what their children’s interests are.

Frederick wants a platform that allows him to v iew his subscriptions on a long term basis, while offering him navigations to view the family’s indiv idual subscriptions and their spendings. Money may not be the most important aspect he is interested in, but rather getting to know what everyone in the family is currently interested in and create a new way of bonding.

Profile 3

Age: 25 Marital Status: Single Occupation: Freelance Graphic Designer Technology Ex pertise: 7/10 Income: Ranges depending projects Motivations: - Financial stability -Pursuing interests and other adventures Frustrations: - Problems keeping track of finances -Overly ambitious

Indigo the Illustrator

Indigo is a graduate from design school who ventured out on her own as a freelance designer. She has been taking on projects, but they do not guarantee her a regular monthly income. Thus, she hopes to ex pand her network and online presence to gain greater projects. She is adventurous and ambitious, and has various interests in art, films and travel. She started to subscribe to Adobe CC, Medium, design magazines to improve on her knowledge and skills, as well as Netflix, Spotify and HBO Now to watch films and listen to music. Indigo realises that with a tight budget and many interests, she wants to be able to be more clear minded and aware of what these companies are charging her every month, and encourage herself to be more picky with the subscriptions she is apply for (needs v s wants).

Indigo wants a platform such that she is educated on the subscription-based model itself and companies’ various subscription policies (inclusive of free trials). She wants to have an external platform that allows her to input money each month so that she knows she does not overspend on subscriptions at the beginning of each month, instead of only finding out when the billing is due.

Profile 4 Age: 33 Marital Status: Single Occupation: Personal Trainer Technology Ex pertise: 6/10 Income: S$3.5k per month Motivations: - Trying out new gyms as a hobby - Health and nutrition - Learning about nutrition through online platforms Frustrations: - Lack of record to the gyms he has subscribed to before -Previously unaware of how much gyms were charging him - Gyms do not notify him of payment beforehand -Unsure of how much he is spending on meal preparations, meal boxes and subscriptions to periodicals such as health magazines

Tommy the Teacher-Trainer

Tommy is an entry-level full-time fitness trainer. He is very conscious of his diet and nutrition, and loves to ex plore diff erent gyms in his spare time for their programmes and facilities. He spends his money mainly on meal subscription boxes and health magazines. As people become more conscious of their health today, he wants to off er the best programmes at the best price points, on top of his added knowledge on nutrition. He realises that he is starting to lose track of his past subscriptions to gyms, and is not 100% clear on how much he is spending on digital subscriptions, online education and his periodicals. As a starting-out trainer w ith limited pay, this is of concern to him.

Tommy wants a platform where he can v iew prev iously made subscriptions and purchases, giving him a place to compare prices and keep track of their programmes.

He also wants to be able to see any changes in prices in the long term. For his own benefit, he wants to be able to know how much he is spending (in total) in terms of subscriptions, and be notified of any changes and restrictions to gym policies.

Profile 5 Age: 65 Marital Status: Married with 2 adult chidren Occupation: Retired florist Technology Ex pertise: 2/10 Income: NIL Motivations: - Watching television - Reading newspapers and crossword puzzles -Talking with friends (chit-chat) Frustrations: - Does not understand how the digital world works -Sceptical about personal information online -Easily susceptible to scams when appealing to her interests

Lucy the Luddite

Lucy is a spends most of her time at home. She has a mobile phone which she only uses to call her family and friends. She does not engage in anything online. However, her peers has suggested for her to subscribe to online platforms such as Netflix and Viu Premium, as shows are released up-to-date (as compared to local television) and she can engage in better conversations with her friends. Lucy remains extremely sceptical, but considers the benefits to her in the long term.

Lucy wants to be educated on technology and subscriptions, and the possibility of subscribing to the services mentioned by her peers. Yet she is still adamant about any of her information being submitted to companies, even after subscription. She hopes for an external platform that pays to companies, but does not require her to give out any of her information for future breaches. This also prevents her from any scams as she only needs to interact with this one external platform.

E. Conclusion Key needs, issues and concerns for current and potential consumers

Through this research to investigate the behaviour and attitudes of consumers to subscription-based services, the limitations and problems that they face were better identified, and these could pave the way to more mindful consumption of subscription-based services in the future.

Lack of visual summation of subscriptions

Nature and quantity of subscriptions to consumers

Consumer complacency and ignorance

Companies do not notify before billing period and other policies

Companies’ advantage

Influence on design direction The identified problems and limitations led to the conclusion that in order to encourage mindful consumption, we must: A. educate the people on the subscription-based model so that they are empowered with knowledge; B. promote the desire to keep track of subscriptions, and finally C. offer the platform they need to be actively in charge of their personal spendings on subscriptions.

APPENDIX ASSESSMENT 2: USER-CENTERED RESEARCH

QUESTIONNAIRES

Additional Data

Digital Only Food and Eating Out Deliveroo Plus Grab Club Food Pass Burpple Beyond The Entertainer Others None

55

2 1 Halal Food Hunt S$1.50 per month

2

1 Online Retail Unspecified

Grab Club Food Pass S$7.99 per month

Burrple Beyond S$9.90 per month

None

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, only 7 of them are subscribed to a food-related monthly plan. This equates to roughly 11.5%.

2. Out of the 7 respondents, most of them only use their subscriptions up to 10 times per month. This equates to only 11% of their meals, assuming a 30-day month with 3 meals daily.

3. There seems to be no overlap of subscriptions, which shows that individuals are likely to commit to one of such service to provide them with their needs.

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

Digital Only Lifestyle and Groceries SCORE LiveUp Others None

56

2 1 Online Retail Unspecified

1

1

Amazon Prime S$4.50 per month

SCORE S$2.50 per month

LiveUp S$5.00 per month

None

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, only 5 of them are subscribed to a monthly plan catering to grocery needs and lifestyle. This equates to roughly 8.20%.

2. All 5 respondents only use their subscription 1 to 5 times per month.

3. There seems to be no overlap of subscriptions, which shows that individuals are likely to commit to one of such service to provide them with their needs.

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

Digital Only Games

Humble Bundle Game Pass on Xbox Playstation Plus GameStore for Android Others None

58

2 1 Humble Bundle S$12.99 per month

None

Nintendo Online S$2.50 per month

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, only 3 of them are subscribed to games.

This equates to roughly 4.92%.

2. 2 out of 3 of the respondents can be considered regular gamers, while the last is an occasional gamer who plays only 1-5 times per month.

3. There seems to be no overlap of subscriptions, which shows perhaps there is a personal preference to what type of games these individuals will be active in.

16 - 20 times

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

Periodicals Only Magazines (Printed and Digital) Printed Magazines 8 Days Her World CLEO Men’s Health Torque ICON Action Asia Frankie The National Geographic The Economist TIMES Others None

Digital Magazines 8 Days herworldPLUS CLEO Men’s Health Torque ICON Action Asia epicure Food Magazine Vogue National Geographic The Economist TIMES Others None

1

1

8 Days Her World CLEO ICON (Printed) Unspecified

The Edge (Printed) S$10.83 per month

57

1

1 The Economist (Printed & Digital) S$9.68 per month

The New Yorker (Printed & Digital) S$0.50 per month

1 None

National Geographic (Printed & Digital) S$6.58 per month

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

Printed Magazines

1-5

6 - 10

Digital Magazines

11 - 15

16 - 20

20 - 25

> 25

1-5

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, only 4 of them are subscribed to a monthly plan for printed and/or digital magazines. This equates to roughly 6.56%.

2. All 5 respondents who subscribe to at least one printed magazine, only use their subscriptions 1 to 5 times per month.

3. All 3 respondents who subscribe to at least one digital magazine, only use their subscriptions 1 to 5 times per month.

6 - 10

11 - 15

16 - 20

20 - 25

> 25

Subscription Boxes Simply Fresh Boxgreen MealPal Yolo Porterfetch Others None

60

1 Yummy Bros S$20.00 per month

None

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, only 1 of them subscribe to subscription box, Yummy Bros, which caters meal boxes to the subscriber.

2. The only respondent makes use of the subscription 11-15 times per month, which equates to 3-4 times per week. This can also be reflected as one out of a seven-day week which he will eat food from these boxes, assuming 3 meals per day.

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

Other miscellaneous products and services BooksActually Boxes Classpass Gym membership The French Cellar Style Theory OhhMyBox Pint Society Ask a French Others None

Wesley Mission and Gym - 1

Classpass - 3

Gym Membership - 9

None - 48

How frequently do you make use of the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

6 4 2

1 - 5 times

6 - 10 times

11 - 15 times

16 - 20 times

20 - 25 times

> 25 times

How much do you pay for the subscription for the product or service listed above per month?

Wesley Mission and Gym

S$28.99

Classpass

Gym Membership

S$69.00

S$20.00

<S$79.00>

<S$60.56>

S$99.00

S$120.00 Note: Wesley Mission and Gym is categorised separately because it is also a charity home.

Takeaways: 1. Out of 61 respondents, 13 of them are paying for miscellanous products and services - all of them being fitness-related memberships.

2. 9 out of 13 respondents subscribe to the gym, prices reaching a big range of between S$20.00 to S$120.00 per month.

3. 3 out of 13 respondents make use of Classpass, where subscriptions range between S$69.00 to S$99.00 per month.

INTERVIEWS

Planning

Introduction What am I (an interviewer) trying to achieve?

- I hope to understand your personal activity and opinion towards subscription-based products and services.

- I am studying the consumption of these products and services by consumers, and aim to improve the mindful consumption of consumers towards them.

Explain to them how the person’s data and any related data I collect will be used from the interview.

- I want to encourage you to speak in your own voice! Even though this is an “interview”, you do not have to speak formally, use as much slang (and profanities) as you wish! If you feel intensely about something, don’t be afraid to let that show.

- At the end of the interview, I will summarise the contents of our interview to make sure that I have accurately understood and recorded the points you have articulated. I hope during this time, I can make a final clarification and consolidation of your understanding and opinion towards subscription-based products and services. This will also be a good time for you to pose any final questions regarding the project and/or the topic to me as well - I will answer them to the best of my abilities.

- Before we officially begin, I want to assure you that this interview will be purely confidential, and kept between you and me. In any case if I do require the contents from this interview, it will remain purely anonymous. If you have any questions and concerns throughout the interview, feel free to voice them out to me.

Start of the Interview [Context] - Before I begin, I want to introduce to you a couple of important terms so that you are clear of what I mean by subscription-based products and services.

(Give definition) [Direct Questions - Topic-driven (products and services)] - Do you subscribe to any products and services?

- Have you once subscribed to any free trial or service? Were there circumstances when you forgot to unsubscribe and the fee was billed to you?

- If you subscribed to a thing, would you forcefully tell yourself to use it?

- Have you encountered any problems changing/cancelling subscription plans?

[Indirect Questions - Personal interests (individuals’ motivations)] - What are your personal interests and hobbies (e.g. sports, gaming, art)?

- What are some products and services that you will pay for?

- Is there anything you think of that can be converted to subscription-based?

[Direct Questions - Topic-driven (recurring billing)] - How often do you check your receipts for online purchases - whether or not it is recorded in your accounts or sent to you via email?

-***Why do you not check the billings that you have? Is it because you don’t have time to, or the platform is inconvenient, or you tend to overlook them? > iBanking statements > E-receipts - Have you or any of your close family members or friends encountered any problems regarding the recurring billing? This can be things like the company not notifying them when a billing is due and doing automatic deduction, or someone else using their bank account?

[Direct Questions - Topic-driven (about expenses)] - In your opinion, how accurate do you think people know about the purchases that they are making? How well do you know your expenses?

- At your age and financial status, do you think you are concerned enough over the money you are spending towards subscription-based services? How do you think you fair compared to your peers? Do you think you are generally overly concerned, or under concerned?

[Indirect Questions - Participants’ understanding on subscriptions] - Based on your interest (e.g Netflix or Spotify), do you choose the type of films and shows and/or music you listen to? Do you search for them, or do you look at what is recommended to you?

- If the playlists are curated, would you prefer to have that, or still choose to search for shows/music on your own and/or get referred to them via friends and family?

(Give brief on subscription-based models and their intended purpose) -Understanding of consumers’ desires: Price, Convenience, Personalisation, Curation -Utility of subscription models for businesses: Brands are important to consumers, therefore many MNCs are hopping on the bandwagon, hoping to generate revenue.

By making use of these subscription-based models, they make use of sunk-cost fallacy to motivate consumers to subscribe and spend more in the long run.

[Direct Questions - Possible changes in behaviours and attitudes] - Tell me about what you feel about the subscription-based models after hearing this information. Does this discourage you from continuing your subscriptions to your current plans and services?

- Would you change your behaviour towards subscription-based services now? Will you be more aware of your subscriptions?

INTERVIEWS

Transcripts

Glenn, 21 Have you subscribed to any products and services before?

- I’ve been subscribed to various things before, one of them being this stupid thing called “Lootbox”. Cos I am a movie fan, and this thing sends movie related paraphernalia to your address every month. It was just for fun. I was subscribed to that for a 3 month period, but then after awhile I lost interest and thought “this is stupid” so I stopped. Other than that I am also subscribed to Netflix and Spotify, and I don’t know if this counts but I had my own sim card just for unlimited data when I was undergoing National Service, because I needed more data to watch videos when I was bored in camp.

Did you pay for that SIM card every month or was it a one-time payment?

- It was a monthly payment thing.

How much was it?

- It was $40 every month.

How long did you use the subscription for?

- About 10 months.

Anything else you can remember?

- I did subscribe to Classpass for some time, but I was on free trial so I don’t think that counts. I also accidentally paid for Amazon Prime once.

Can you tell me about the time you ‘accidentally paid’ for Amazon Prime? What caused you to pay?

- Alright so there was this promo, where if you subscribed to Amazon Prime, you would get free shit in this game, and I was like “Oh Yeah!!”. So I did it, and got the free stuff, but then I forgot to unsubscribe.

Was there a trial period? How long was it?

- I think it was free for a month.

And they didn’t notify you when the month’s trial was going to end?

- I don’t think they did because I don’t remember getting emails. I just remembered one day that I was still subscribed to it, and I went back to cancel.

So you only unsubscribed to it after you got the billing?

- I didn’t even notice, because I don’t check my billings usually. I never noticed that I was being charged, I just remembered that I didn’t unsubscribe.

How long were you on the subscription for?

- I think I was on it for a month.

Since you already paid for a month of subscription, would you force yourself to play the game more just to make the best out of it?

- At the time I was playing it very regularly, so I guess I got my value out of it. But either way I would have, because you have to maximize the value.

Since you already paid for a month of subscription, would you force yourself to play the game more just to make the best out of it?

- At the time I was playing it very regularly, so I guess I got my value out of it. But either way I would have, because you have to maximize the value.

-OH! I just remembered I have been paying for an Antivirus on my computer. I think it’s about $80 for a year.

What are your hobbies and interests right now?

- I am interested in music!

Which part of music are you interested in? Is it music production, or just playing your own music, or just exploring new music?

- I like finding new songs with a certain sound, and I try to play those sounds on my guitar. I record music but I don’t produce music.

Based on your interests, what sort of subscription-based services will you pay for?

- I don’t really like apps that teach you how to play an instrument. I’d rather pay for something and then teach myself. I would pay for a Digital Audio Workspace which is like Garageband, or FL Studio (but that is expensive). It is usually a one time payment.

Is there anything you can think of that can be converted into a subscription based service?

-I think any service can be converted into a subscription based thing. If they had to change anything to a subscription based thing it would be the DAW I think. They would probably make you pay monthly for access to the software.

Would you then subscribe to that? Or would you find another alternative?

- Actually, I might prefer subscribing to that because it’s cheaper right? Like I wouldn’t have to fork out $200 straight up. So if I wanted to use it just for 2 months, I could pay for 2 months’ worth of subscription rather than $200 up front for the whole software.

How often do you check your receipts for online purchases? Whether or not it is recorded in your account or sent to your email.

- If it’s like a one time purchase, I will check the email before I delete it. But if its something that I pay for with my card at a restaurant I wouldn’t check the monthly invoice that the bank sends to me.

What discourages you from checking them though?

- The real reason? Because every time you log into the bank’s website, you have to do the One Time Password thing which is super annoying.

Also the code that they use on the invoice is super hard to understand. Like McDonalds is registered as HanBaoBao Inc. So when you see the invoice, you’ll be confused as to what shop you spent your money on. Yeah basically the invoice doesn’t make any sense.

What sort of E-Receipts have you been receiving?

- I bought an amplifier online, and some clothes. I get e-receipts from clothes usually.

What about Grab?

- I don’t get receipts in my email, I get them in the app. And when you book a grab the price is already there so I guess it isn’t a huge deal

Have you had other family members and friends experience the same problems as you do so far?

- Yeah I’ve heard stories from friends for sure but I don’t remember who exactly.for me to check the e-receipts.

In your opinion how accurately do you think people value the purchases that they are making in terms of subscription based services?

- I don’t think anyone really knows for sure. I feel like when you subscribe to something, you will think about if you’re willing to pay that amount of money every month for the product or service that you get, and since you’re willing to pay that amount, your decision is already made and you no longer have to think about it every single month.

Do you think it’s the consumers fault that they are ignorant to the things that they are paying for? Or do you think that the responsibility lies with the company to inform the consumer every time that they charge the fee?

- I feel like businesses should send a receipt to the consumer every time they bill them instead of one receipt every three months.

But doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Because you’ve already been billed. There’s nothing you can do about the billing for that particular month. This entire situation could be prevented if the company informs the consumer before the billing occurs, so that the consumer has a choice to cancel before the billing comes for that month - You’re right. I mean it’s not illegal, but it’s definitely not the nicest thing to do. But then again, you can’t get ahead in business if you’re nice.

So it’s a logical thing for a business to do to profit, but it’s not the nicest thing to do.

Are you more inclined to use the list of things that the company curates for you, or would you rather go out and find things that interest you on your own.

- I don’t solely rely on the “recommended for you” list when I use Netflix, but I do appreciate that they do employ this tactic because most of the time, they do show me stuff that I am interested in. But at least they also give me the option to venture out and explore other things that I might not usually watch

So in general do you feel like you’re benefiting from the subscription based service?

- But when I subscribe to something, I don’t do it because I feel like they would curate good lists of things that I would like to watch. I just subscribe to it because I feel like the product is good and I will make use of it.

Yes but that is just one of the pulling points of these subscription based services. There is also the fact that when you make use of these services, you aren’t just giving them your money, you’re also giving them data about you.

So do you think it is ethically right for these companies to make use of the data they gather from you be it when you are using the app and after you stop subscribing to them?

- I agree that gathering data about your consumer to push or market things to them is a valid strategy but at the same time I don’t think its right for companies to sell the data that they collect to other people.

Knowing that the companies make use of your data, would you change the way you view these services?

- I am kind of okay with it. Maybe it’s because I am sceptical about how people knowing what kind of shirt I buy will give them pertinent information about me. But if its something more personal like my monthly income, I would be a little bit more scared.

INTERVIEWS

Transcripts

Sara, 21 Are you subscribed to any product or service?

- Yes, mainly Netflix and Spotify.

Have you once subscribed to any free trial or service? Were there circumstances when you forgot to unsubscribe and the fee was billed to you?

- No. I always think that I know I’m going to forget when the free trial is over and so I don’t subscribe to them in the first place unless I know I definitely will be using it for a long time.

If you subscribed to a thing, would you forcefully tell yourself to use it?

- Depends. For example, if it’s a gym membership paying per month, I will consciously sign up for the minimum number of classes that I feel will make my money’s worth.

Have you encountered any problems with changing/cancelling subscriptions?

- Yes. Company policies on the cancellation process can be confusing and on one occasion, I almost had to pay for a subscription for 4 weeks instead of the 2 weeks I could only commit to. After calling the company and clearing up at misunderstanding of the policy, we sorted it out such that I would not have to pay for 4 weeks as I could only commit to 2.

- Another challenge I had was with my Dad paying for 2 subscriptions that we are not currently using, and have not been using a good number of months. Factors that made it difficult to cancel these 2 subscriptions was thinking that they were both related to important services (eg: insurance, banking etc), the troublesome unknown process of having to sort out this issue and also because he does not believe that the bill we have to pay for it is a huge amount, compared to how much he is earning and he feels it can be afforded.

What are your personal interests and hobbies (e.g. sports, gaming, art)?

- Music: playing instruments, singing, listening to music - Sports: daily exercise, gym sessions, playing sports with friends - Watching documentaries or thought provoking shows. Reading scientific magazines.

- Art: drawing, painting

What are some products and services that you will pay for?

- Mainly sports, magazines or shows. I think at the current moment, they are mostly subscription-based, which I like. In terms of music, I like to sing, so I think I would consider a Digital Audio Workspace to mix voices and sounds as well. I think the same goes for sports. For example if I was interested in badminton, I am definitely up for badminton courses that can help me to improve on my current playing skills. I think in general I like the idea of being able to learn new skills but also improving current ones.

Is there anything you think can be converted to subscription-based?

- I think adding on top of those mentioned earlier, I think things like rentals can be quite appealing. For example, since I like to sing, I would consider purchasing or buying a microphone with courses that teach me how to sing or harmonise and what not.

How often do you check your receipts for online purchases - whether or not it is recorded in your accounts or sent to you via email? Could you give me a rating from a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the most regular.

- Often enough, in my opinion. I review the receipts sent to me right after purchase. But I don’t actively keep a track record of my spendings per month. 7/10.

Why do you not check the billings that you have? Is it because you don’t have time to, or the platform is inconvenient, or you tend to overlook them?

- I only subscribe mainly to 2 platforms so it’s quite easy to manage and not needing to check often. I also share these 2 platforms with my family so to me, these would be a necessity so I know I’m going to have to pay for them anyway.

Previously, you mentioned about your dad having issues with making alterations to your family’s subscriptions. Could you elaborate on that please?

- Sure. So what happened was that my family wanted to change our house telephone - the physical phone. In order to do that, we had to switch our number from the old phone to the new phone, which we thought was a simple process. We approached the assistant at our local telephone line company to ask if they could help us with that, but they told us that that is more complicated than it seems, at least at that point in time. They suggested to us to subscribe to another phone line so that the old phone could take the new number, and the new phone to take the old number. There was going to be a buffer period until they could properly process and physically switch our number from one phone to the other. That was what we did, and so for some time, our family had two house numbers. Actually, we still have two numbers now. Ironically, we do not use the house phone at all... -c-

-c- Right now, because of the tedious process of trying to understand how this entire “switching” works, and also because of how busy my parents are with work and family, we have completely forgotten about cancelling the new phone line. I think besides that, because the bills for the phone lines don’t take up a big part of our family’s income, we are not overly concerned about it.

In your opinion, how accurate do you think people know about the purchases that they are making? How well do you know your expenses?

- 3/10. I feel I personally know and am more aware of my own expenses.

At your age and financial status, do you think you are concerned enough over the money you are spending towards subscription-based services? How do you think you fair compared to your peers? Do you think you are generally overly concerned, or under concerned?

- Yes. 7/10. I would say I am concerned enough. I think it would be better if people around me were a little more concerned about their own spending towards subscription-based services. Or just spending in general.

Based on your interest (e.g Netflix or Spotify), do you choose the type of films and shows and/or music you listen to? Do you search for them, or do you look at what is recommended to you?

- Yes. Depends.

- Initially, I search for songs or shows that I want to listen or watch. I tend to create playlists on spotify and create a list of movies that I really like on Netflix. Once that’s done and I don’t have anything specific to look for, I tend to rely on recommendations that are targeted to me to help broaden my music tastes.

If the playlists are curated, would you prefer to have that, or still choose to search for shows/music on your own and/or get referred to them via friends and family?

- I still intend on continuing my current subscriptions.

Would you change your behaviour towards subscription-based services now? Will you be more aware of your subscriptions?

- Yes. It has made me more aware of how business work regarding subscription-based services and the shortcomings of it. Such as being aware that I will not be actively notified by the service when they intend to collect the bill, potential complications regarding cancelling the service. Knowing such things will make me more cautious and proactive about the service and company before actually committing to it

INTERVIEWS

Transcripts

WH Leong, 53 Have you subscribed to any products and services before?

- Yes, Spotify and Netflix. I subscribe to the newspaper as well, but that is shared within family.

Have you once subscribed to any free trial or service? Were there circumstances when you forgot to unsubscribe and the fee was billed to you?

No. I do not trust free trials. Even if I am interested in what is offered on trial, I would not subscribe to it. I believe it is a marketing strategy to make us hooked onto the product or service.

Are you aware that you can unsubscribe after the free trial period?

Yes, but even if I wanted to unsubscribe, the process of unsubscribing is difficult. There will so many questions asked about why I wish to unsubscribe, whether or not I want to choose alternatives etcetera. If I wish to unsubscribe, I just want a simple button to click on to allow me to unsubscribe. So to prevent the hassle in the first place, I just choose not to sign up for a free trial at all.

If you subscribed to a thing, would you forcefully tell yourself to use it?

- No. I use it as I wish.

Have you encountered any problems with changing/cancelling subscriptions?

Yes. As mentioned earlier, I just think it’s a hassle. My daughter used to subscribe to two magazines. The cancellation for them was difficult.

What are your personal interests and hobbies (e.g. sports, gaming, art)?

Reading books, playing Lego.

What are some products and services that you will pay for?

I will invest in a kindle (and the e-books) and Lego.

Is there anything you think of that can be converted to subscription-based?

- I’d imagine the books buy on kindle to be converted to rental servicing instead of a one-time off purchase of the entire book. As for Lego, I do not think there is any potential in it turning subscription-based.

How often do you check your receipts for online purchases - whether or not it is recorded in your accounts or sent to you via email?

- I do not regularly check my bills online. I tend to receive my bills in the mail, and I check my expenses through the bank’s website online. For myself, if the figure spent each month is reasonable and falls within my means, I will be confident that there are no issues with the billing.

Why do you not check the billings that you have? Is it because you don’t have time to, or the platform is inconvenient, or you tend to overlook them?

- As long as the figure being deducted from the bank is reasonable, then my family will be fine with paying for any of the subscriptions that we are subscribed to. We rely on past experiences and word-of-mouth of each other to ensure that figures for the bills stay within the same range. If the figure deducted is not big, I do not see the necessity to check.

Have you or any of your close family members or friends encountered any problems regarding the recurring billing? This can be things like the company not notifying them when a billing is due and doing automatic deduction, or someone else using their bank account?

- We don’t do online shopping often, so there are no issuesyou have to maximize the value.

In your opinion, how accurate do you think people know about the purchases that they are making? How well do you know your expenses?

-3/10. I think people, at least those of my age, see that since the figures deducted are not huge relative to what we are earning, there is no need to look into the specifics of what we are spending.

-3/10 for me as well.

At your age and financial status, do you think you are concerned enough over the money you are spending towards subscription-based services? How do you think you fair compared to your peers? Do you think you are generally overly concerned, or under concerned?

- No, I do not believe that I am concerned over the money paid to subscription-based services. I do not wish to change my behaviour is as well. I am comfortable with the way things are. I still believe that so long as what I’m spending fall within my means, I do not see the necessity to know how much I’m spending on them.

Based on your interest (e.g Netflix or Spotify), do you choose the type of films and shows and/or music you listen to? Do you search for them, or do you look at what is recommended to you?

Recommended - 90%.

Random scrolling - 10%

Tell me about what you feel about the subscription-based models after hearing this information. Does this discourage you from continuing your subscriptions to your current plans and services?

Feeding data to the company makes me comfortable. Because most things are converted online now, a lot of personal information is available there too. One instance will be credit card information. I have heard way too many cases of online scams. So if I were to combine the idea of curation and personal information being online, I think the worst case scenario is that they are able to recommend me films or songs encoded with a virus, inviting me to download it. The virus will then be in my system and network, which can corrupt the work I am doing, and maybe even hack into my information.

Would you change your behaviour towards subscription-based services now? Will you be more aware of your subscriptions?

Knowing that my data is fed, I will choose to be off the subscription plans, so that they are unable to curate my information. I will choose to consciously find my own films to watch and music to listen to.

If given a choice, would you opt out of curation?

- Yes, for the sake of security.

Will there be any circumstances where you would like to be recommended things?

- No. I would still prefer to have my own choice. It is how things have been in the past anyway. I am used to that.

I do not support subscription-based models. I would want to pay off once. By doing so, I don’t have to account for recurring bills, or update any sort of billing information, even if it meant it being cheaper by 100%. Ultimately, I think ownership to me is extremely important, particularly for things that play a big role in my daily functions. For example, I purchase the Adobe Acrobat license many years back, and the programme is still functioning well today. Because I own the license, I am guaranteed the product for however long I am using it for.

When it comes to monthly billing, I may have to worry about whether payment is processed and whether or not I can maintain my account.

This gives the company the power and upper hand.

INTERVIEWS

Transcripts

HW Fu, 20 Have you subscribed to any products and services before?

- Yes. Off the top of my head, Spotify, netflix, MMA class and Bloomberg.

Have you once subscribed to any free trial or service? Were there circumstances when you forgot to unsubscribe and the fee was billed to you?

- Yes. My mum subscribed to a camera scanning app. She was on a free trial for 2 weeks, but then got billed 8-9 months after that. It was around $80. We approached the bank to get our charge back, because the company that created the app didn’t seem legitimate.

If you subscribed to a thing, would you forcefully tell yourself to use it?

- Yes, I would want to make full use of it, to its best value.

Have you encountered any problems with changing/cancelling subscriptions?

- No I have not. I keep track to the stuff i subscribe to, so I know which companies I am essentially supporting.

What are some reasons that helped you to avoid such problems so far?

- For a big part, I only subscribe to reputable products and services, and at least in Singapore, I trust our laws to have companies operate under good regulations. They often provide good customer service.

What are your personal interests and hobbies (e.g. sports, gaming, art)?

- Soccer, gaming and MMA. I play computer games as well, mostly MOBA (multiple player battle arena) such as League of Legends and Dota 2.

What are some products and services that you will pay for?

- I would pay for games, monthly rental for a pitch to play soccer, logistics for a soccer game etc. I think, so long as I get to pursue my interests, I would be willing to pay for them.

How often do you check your receipts for online purchases - whether or not it is recorded in your accounts or sent to you via email?

- I check them once a month, only when the banking statements come in.

Why do you not check the billings that you have? Is it because you don’t have time to, or the platform is inconvenient, or you tend to overlook them?

- I guess I tend to overlook them, and I think checking them once a month is sufficient

Have you or any of your close family members or friends encountered any problems regarding the recurring billing? This can be things like the company not notifying them when a billing is due and doing automatic deduction, or someone else using their bank account?

- Besides the situation with my mum, no.

In your opinion, how accurate do you think people know about the purchases that they are making? How well do you know your expenses?

- General - 6 or 7/10.

- Me - 7/10

How do you keep track of your expenses?

- I make use of an app to record my daily expenses, but i stopped because i got lazy to key in every single one of my purchases. I get tired easily, and it is such a hassle!

- I think at the same time, there is little incentive for me to keep track. I am definitely not spending more than what I’m earning, hence, there is no necessity to keep track of them specifically. I just rely on on past few billings and experiences.

At your age and financial status, do you think you are concerned enough over the money you are spending towards subscription-based services? How do you think you fair compared to your peers? Do you think you are generally overly concerned, or under concerned?

- I think I am sufficiently concerned. Yes, I believe financial state determines whether or not anyone wants to keep track of their finances.

Based on your interest (e.g Netflix or Spotify), do you choose the type of films and shows and/or music you listen to? Do you search for them, or do you look at what is recommended to you?

- Recommended - 80% - Friends and family - 20%

Tell me about what you feel about the subscription-based models after hearing this information. Does this discourage you from continuing your subscriptions to your current plans and services?

- No, I believe that the subscription-based model is always a win-win situation. At the end of the day, customers get better service, and the company gains revenue. I don’t really think there is a losing end.

Would you change your behaviour towards subscription-based services now? Will you be more aware of your subscriptions?

- No, I am good with what I know.

INTERVIEWS

Transcripts

HW Leong, 20 Have you subscribed to any products and services before?

- Yes.

Have you once subscribed to any free trial or service? Were there circumstances when you forgot to unsubscribe and the fee was billed to you?

- No.

If you subscribed to a thing, would you forcefully tell yourself to use it?

- Yes, I would have that mindset at the beginning of my subscriptions.

Have you encountered any problems with changing/cancelling subscriptions?

- No I have not.

What are your personal interests and hobbies (e.g. sports, gaming, art)?

- I watch korean dramas a lot, and Netflix.

What are some products and services that you will pay for?

- I would definitely pay for entertainment services. For myself, I think I will pay most for services that I can use to kill time when travelling, or when I have little tasks to do at my workplace.

How often do you check your receipts for online purchases - whether or not it is recorded in your accounts or sent to you via email?

- For subscription-based products and services, all my subscriptions are either part of a family package or shared among friends. They would show me the full amount the first month, and we will split the bill evenly. Subsequently, I would just pay them the same amount monthly. Hence, no bills or any transactions will be recorded for that particular product or service.

- For other items that I would buy online, for example, shopping on websites and buying items in games, I would check the recipts and bank statements monthly, to make sure it tallies, and that there are no ghost purchases.

Why do you not check the billings that you have? Is it because you don’t have time to, or the platform is inconvenient, or you tend to overlook them?

- Normally, I would already have been checking the amounts that I pay for such products and services, but recently due to rumours about the government’s introduction of GST (Goods and Services Tax) to online purchases, my family and myself have been checking the bills more regularly for updated prices that we would have to pay. > iBanking Statements If the service was paid by me through my account and I am sharing a cost with my friends, I would check the iBanking Statements every month to make sure that there were no changes to the amount. Obviously, I would not want to be paying more. I believe most of my friends have the same mindset as me. We would just put in a recurring payment to the person who has signed up for the service every month. > E-recipts - For online payments, I would have checked the bill either from the website where I purchased my item, or after purchase when it is delivered to the correct address. Because I own some coupons and other benefits, sometimes I help other people buy stuff and send them to their house using my account.

Otherwise, for most purchases that I have paid using Samsung Pay - whether it was outside, Qoo10 or other websites that might accept Samsung Pay - I would like scroll through the app or online bill once a month to check on my purchases and look out for anything that might have been charged extra or wrongly to my account.

- Note that checking on Samsung Pay, it notifies you of the purchases once the payment has gone through, so most of the time I would have checked for the payment there and then when the notification of the amount appears.

Have you or any of your close family members or friends encountered any problems regarding the recurring billing? This can be things like the company not notifying them when a billing is due and doing automatic deduction, or someone else using their bank account?

- Yes. Phone bills and TV bills.

- There were additional phone bills mysteriously charged to a friend’s account.

- For TV, the company did not notify my family member when the subscription has already gone past the recontract date, silently raising and charging a higher price for the subscription. It was a good 20% increase.

In your opinion, how accurate do you think people know about the purchases that they are making? How well do you know your expenses?

- Personally, I think it’s easy for people to track their purchases and transactions.

- Most of the time, companies would send out an e-reciept upon sucessful payment, so it is only up to the consumer whether they would want to check the reciept for any discrepancy. For physical payments, my mum and I frequently make use of Samsung Pay for train rides or other payments, replacing the use of physical debit, credit and ezLink cards. This way, it would be easier for us to track our payments, and we can earn rewards at the same time. We would usually check for the payment amount through a notifications.

- Through Samsung Pay, I am able to track my expenses more accurately. I am able to see the general transactions I have made, and the products and services that I am paying for. However, for others like grab rides, food paid with Fave Pay and GrabPay, they would have their own tabs to track payments, and this can be a bit more troublesome to track. They do not appear on bank statements, and rather only on the app themselves.

At your age and financial status, do you think you are concerned enough over the money you are spending towards subscription-based services? How do you think you fair compared to your peers? Do you think you are generally overly concerned, or under concerned?

- Yes, I think I am concerned enough. I think that I am spending less as compared to my peers. Many of them have signed up for services that are of a higher price, such as standalone packages as compared to the ones shared among multiple people. Many of them also subscribe to services that I do not use, such as Viu and HBO. - I am just more concerned about the amount that I am spending. But i think a large reason is also because of the nature of my job - I tend to have a lot more time on my hands compared to my friends and family, which gives me greater encouragement to check on my expenses regularly and observe them more closely.

Based on your interest (e.g Netflix or Spotify), do you choose the type of films and shows and/or music you listen to? Do you search for them, or do you look at what is recommended to you?

- Both.

For Netflix, if the show was recommended to me by a friend, then I would have to search for it. Other items would just be recommended by the app itself.

For Spotify, I would just listen to the default playlists curated by Spotify, to listen to the newer top songs. I listen to my own playlists for the songs that I like.

Tell me about what you feel about the subscription-based models after hearing this information. Does this discourage you from continuing your subscriptions to your current plans and services?

- If they can keep up with updated, fresh and current content, then I think people, particularly millenials, would still keep up with the shows, the music and most of the services they provide. If the price has turned unreasonable (more than what most people can afford), or there is only a limited amount of old content, or the newer content is only set to be released on the site at a later time, I would think people would steer away from it and find other alternatives that would be better at satisfying their wants instantly.

Would you change your behaviour towards subscription-based services now? Will you be more aware of your subscriptions?

- I am definitely more mindful now. For new subscriptions in the future, I will consider more seriously, whether I would be needing them or they are merely just desires at that point in time.

INTERVIEWS

Transcripts

Ryan, 20 Have you subscribed to any products and services before?

- Yes. Netflix, Calm, Spotify and probably one or two more that I forgot about.

Have you once subscribed to any free trial or service? Were there circumstances when you forgot to unsubscribe and the fee was billed to you?

- Yes I did. I’ts a common business model because there’s inertia in opting out of the service, so people are more likely to stick with it. There was one circumstance where I subscribed to a photo editing app to do a trending social media challenge (3 days free) and I forgot to opt out. It cost me $26 for a month.

If you subscribed to a thing, would you forcefully tell yourself to use it?

- No I won’t. It’s a typical case of sunk cost fallacy - I would only really use it if it brings me benefits.

Have you encountered any problems with changing/cancelling subscriptions?

- No, most established services like Netflix or even online courses like Udemy/Skillshare are quite friendly and liberal with their refund policies. Even if I were to cancel, I would remind myself to cancel early - I had to email one or two companies before.

What are your personal interests and hobbies (e.g. sports, gaming, art)?

- Sports, education and movies.

What are some products and services that you will pay for?

- Anything that improves my life/mental performance in general. I am currently subscribed to a meditation app, and I was a subscriber to the microblogging app Medium for about six months.

Is there anything you can think of that may potentially turn subscription-based, based on your current interests you mentioned earlier?

- No, not at the top of my head now.

How often do you check your receipts for online purchases - whether or not it is recorded in your accounts or sent to you via email?

- Once every 2 weeks.

Why do you not check the billings that you have? Is it because you don’t have time to, or the platform is inconvenient, or you tend to overlook them?

- I tend to overlook them quite a fair bit... I should probably log in more often to look at my bank statements, now that I think of it. But I do receive emails whenever my apple account is billed.

Have you or any of your close family members or friends encountered any problems regarding the recurring billing? This can be things like the company not notifying them when a billing is due and doing automatic deduction, or someone else using their bank account?

- Nope, but if security isn’t tight, there msy be issues with fraud. My bank account was recently hacked - there was an unknown fraudulent transaction. I don’t know if the hackers did it because they had access to my information through online subscription services though.

In your opinion, how accurate do you think people know about the purchases that they are making? How well do you know your expenses?

- I don’t think people are very accurate with knowing their expenses overall, probably a 5/10. I think if people don’t use a finance tracking app like Wally, it’s very easy to underestimate their spending, and I’m guilty of that to a certain extent as well. I should probably track it more dilligently. I am probably a 6/10.

At your age and financial status, do you think you are concerned enough over the money you are spending towards subscription-based services? How do you think you fair compared to your peers? Do you think you are generally overly concerned, or under concerned?

- I am probably somewhere in the 50th percentile. I am not too concerned but I do check in on my billings now and then.

Based on your interest (e.g Netflix or Spotify), do you choose the type of films and shows and/or music you listen to? Do you search for them, or do you look at what is recommended to you?

- I do google searches for nice shows and movies on Netflix, and search for music on Spotify too. It’s a mix of AI playlist recommendations or radio and search.

If the playlists are curated, would you prefer to have that, or still choose to search for shows/music on your own and/or get referred to them via friends and family?

- No preference, probably curated ones.

Tell me about what you feel about the subscription-based models after hearing this information. Does this discourage you from continuing your subscriptions to your current plans and services?

- I wont necessarily be discouraged because most of the things I’ve subscribed to do bring a lot of value to my life, but I’ll definitely be more conscious of which ones I’m spending money on every month and probably tighten up the decision criteria for adding new subscriptions.

Would you change your behaviour towards subscription-based services now? Will you be more aware of your subscriptions?

- I don’t think I will change my behaviour, but I will definitely be more aware.

References Jacob, S. A., & Furgerson, S. P. (2012). Writing Interview Protocols and Conducting Interviews: Tips for Students New to the Field of Qualitative Research. Qualitative Report, 17.

ISSN: 1052-0147, EISSN: 2160-3715 Colosi, L. (2006). Designing an effective questionnaire. Research Brief, 2006, 1–6.

Holtzblatt, K., Wendell, J. B., & Wood, Shelley. (2005). Building an Affinity Diagram. In Rapid contextual design a how-to guide to key techniques for user-centered design (pp.

159–180). San Francisco : Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann.

Shaw, Lucas (2018). Bloomberg: The Streaming Revolution. https://www.bloomberg.com/ quicktake/the-streaming-revolution (https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/the-streaming-revolution) Chen, Brian X. (2020). The New York Times: How Much Are We Paying for Our Subscription Services? A Lot. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/personaltech/ paying-subscription-services.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/ personaltech/paying-subscription-services.html) Giroir, G. (2019). Louisiana Federal: How Much Are You Actually Paying for Your Monthly Subscriptions? https://www.louisianafcu.org/articles/how-much-are-you-actually-paying-for-your-monthly-subscriptions (https://www.louisianafcu.org/articles/how-muchare-you-actually-paying-for-your-monthly-subscriptions) Barseghian, A. (2019). Forbes: What’s Behind The Rise Of the Subscription Model? https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/08/12/whats-behind-the-rise-ofthe-subscription-model/#442673fd35c3 (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/08/12/whats-behind-the-rise-of-the-subscription-model/#442673fd35c3) Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com Icons made by Flat Icons from www.flaticon.com Icons made by Pixel Perfect from www.flaticon.com Icons made by Eucalyp from www.flaticon.com Icons made by itim2101 from www.flaticon.com

Note: All information was analysed and paraphrased from the sources above. They were not quoted directly.

Possible limitations of this research 1. Limited scope to the target audience: Because questionnaires and interview are conducted online (due to the ongoing pandemic), and observations are made within households, it was difficult to gather an entirely comprehensive data that covers all subscriptions across the population in Singapore. The project was not able to reach a wider audience as planned before.

2. Pre-knowledge that used as lenses for analysis: Before research began, preliminary research and understanding of the local culture and attitudes were studied. There may be several assumptions made to guide the research.

For example, Americans’ lack of knowledge for their subscription-based services were used to introduce this project as a possible reflection of the situation in Singapore. This premise was based on assumptions that they are both developed countries with a large middle-income population who have access to the Internet, who are generally educated and who are also aware of what subscriptions are.

Another example is making use of preconceived notions to analyse and understand consumers’ behaviour. The habits and priorities of Singaporeans were brought to light - “conservative” and “family-oriented” were two.

However, these are limitations because pre-knowledge may pose a danger to the inaccuracy in linking causes and effects, problems and solutions etcetera.

The underlying reasons for any design problem is varied - caused by a multitude of factors. Hence, it is important to keep in mind that such pre-knowledge are merely tools to help us contextualise the problem, and should not be used solely as the main form of analysis.

I would like to thank my family, friends, course mates, tutors (Jessica Lea Dunn and Christine Teng), unit coordinator (Madeleine Borthwick) and many others who have provided guidance to my journey thus far.