David Grigoryan

• 15% — Conversion Growth
• 25% — WAU Growth

The client’s freemium SaaS product was struggling with low free-to-paid conversion and high post-onboarding churn. Through customer journey mapping and behavioral analysis, I identified a hard paywall immediately after onboarding as the main drop-off point, preventing users from experiencing the product’s core value.

I redesigned the monetization approach by shifting from a hard to a soft paywall, allowing continued access to a limited free version post-onboarding. I also recommended expanding the free-tier experience with select premium features to increase perceived value and strengthen upgrade incentives.

The new freemium strategy increased free-to-paid conversion by 15% within 1.5 months and drove a 25% increase in free user growth, while improving retention and reducing onboarding friction.

• 15% — Conversion Growth
• 30% — Stickiness

A sportsbook and mobile betting platform expanding into a new Tier II GEO was experiencing significantly lower conversion rates compared to its core markets. To identify the root causes, I analyzed the company’s customer profile index (CPI) database alongside desktop and mobile heatmaps, uncovering key behavioral differences and friction points across onboarding, UI/UX, and payment flows.

Using CPI insights, I developed detailed user behavior profiles for the target GEO and aligned product recommendations to local user expectations and habits. I then conducted a full customer journey mapping exercise to identify conversion bottlenecks and proposed data-driven UX, onboarding, and payment flow optimizations supported by clear hypotheses and A/B testing parameters.

The product achieved a 15% increase in conversion and a 30% increase in stickiness within a month, improving onboarding efficiency, reducing user friction, and strengthening market penetration in the new GEO.

• 20% — Conversion Growth
• 30% — Interactiveness

A common CRO issue I observed was that users were not converting on a landing page despite a clear value proposition and strong CTA. First-time visitors were being asked to simultaneously understand the offer, evaluate its relevance, and commit to action, creating a high-friction “cold decision” moment, especially for low-intent or low-trust users.

My solution was to reduce initial decision pressure by introducing a lightweight interactive element directly into the landing experience. Instead of pushing users straight to conversion, I proposed a subtle, non-intrusive modal that appears during browsing and invites simple engagement. The goal was not to accelerate commitment, but to create early participation and shift users from passive consumption to active interaction, building micro-commitments before the primary CTA.

The interactive layer reduced friction by turning passive visitors into active users before the CTA. This created early engagement and micro-commitment, making conversion feel like a natural next step and improving overall conversion momentum.