Soho House App
Design Lead . UX . UI
Bridging the physical and digital experience for Soho House members
Soho House is a global private members’ club for creative professionals. Each location reflects the character of its surroundings while maintaining comfort and style. More than just a gathering place, Soho House offers diverse services and amenities, emphasising creativity and community. It provides a sanctuary for members to connect, collaborate, and draw inspiration from their environment and each other.
Soho House aimed to transform their digital experience by going beyond to seamlessly blend physical and digital experiences. This initiative sought to increase applications, retention, and launch a digital-first membership program, thus expanding their membership base beyond the physical houses and engaging members globally whilst also enhancing the brand aesthetic appeal.
CHALLENGE
Transforming and extending the traditional bricks-and-mortar membership experience into a digital one presented a significant challenge. The objective was to create a cohesive and engaging digital experience that reflected the core values of Soho House. These values include creativity, connection, shared spaces and experiences, dining, drinking, and networking. The goal was to bring members together for a purpose larger than the houses themselves, fostering a sense of connectivity and community.
PROCESS
I led a series of interviews with members, target members, and stakeholders to gather insights on the current digital and physical experience. We conducted in-person and digital interviews globally, collecting valuable research to guide our next steps. This research was condensed into key takeaways and case studies for the team. Additionally, a competitor analysis was performed to identify successes and failures in similar businesses.
This insight guided our design thinking, allowing us to create key problem statements that aligned and propelled our design team forward.
DISCOVERY
We held a series of workshops to brainstorm and develop ideas. Participants included product designers, engineers, marketing, creative, writers, and experts from membership and other areas of the business. Ideas were voted on against a set of value drivers and validated against research, personas, and problem statements. These ideas were then presented to key stakeholders for steer and input.
TESTING
Collaborating with product owners and engineers, we assessed the value and feasibility of various ideas. This process helped us prioritise ideas worth pursuing. Rapid prototyping and testing, using both low-fidelity paper prototypes and high-fidelity designs, allowed us to gather feedback and refine the product before launch.
Validated ideas were brought forward and created as designs and prototypes from which we could test with members and gain valuable feedback. We used low-fidelity prototypes during the initial testing period and moved into high-fidelity later which helped us showcase a realistic product during further testing and the development phase. This process allowed us to pinpoint our failings before launch and gave us a chance to pivot and adapt our ideas so we could create a product that members actually want.
HOUSE PAY
Seamless payments and bill splitting anywhere in the houses
House Pay was developed to enhance the member experience by enabling seamless payments and bill splitting within the houses. This feature aimed to streamline transactions, making it easier for members to enjoy their time without the hassle of managing payments.
HOUSE CONNECT
Enabling Soho House’s global creative community
House Connect was designed to allow Soho House members to access professionals, networking opportunities, exclusive events, and collaboration opportunities globally. This feature aimed to bridge the gap between physical and digital experiences, fostering a sense of community among members.
DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT
Enriching the Soho House experience
Digital Entertainment aimed to enrich the experience for both house and digital members by providing exclusive content and virtual events. This feature sought to keep members engaged and entertained, regardless of their location.
NEW MEMBERSHIP TIERS
Captivating a new audience
Introducing New Membership Tiers was a strategic move to attract a broader audience and expand membership. These tiers offered varying levels of access and benefits, appealing to different demographics and needs.
NEW MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION JOURNEY
Seamless and tailored user experience
We redesigned the Membership Application Process to provide a seamless and tailored user experience. This new process aimed to simplify the application journey, making it more intuitive and personalised for potential members.
LAUNCH
We opted for a soft launch, releasing the new features to staff via feature flagging. This approach enabled us to gather feedback from a controlled group, which was instrumental in refining the features before a broader release. Feedback highlighted a strong preference for career and inspiration-focused connections, guiding further development.
OUTCOME
Our team successfully integrated physical and digital experiences, significantly boosting member engagement, increasing membership applications and retention, and expanding our global reach. These initiatives resulted in a 30% increase in active user engagement on Soho Connect and a 25% rise in new membership applications, while also improving retention rates.
Enhanced member satisfaction with new digital features led to greater daily app usage and a boost in annual recurring revenue through the introduction of new membership tiers and benefits.The implementation of HousePay further drove food and beverage sales across Soho House locations. By streamlining the payment process, HousePay made transactions more convenient and efficient, enhancing the overall member experience.
Additionally, the streamlined membership application process improved both flow and application quality. Soho House successfully hosted global virtual events and saw a significant rise in cross-location connections and collaborations. These advancements in product design have redefined membership engagement, enabling Soho House to foster a vibrant, global creative community.
