Q4
Q4 PLAN
Product Growth
WHAT THIS ISN'T
A detailed scope for each initiative.
WHAT THIS IS
A high-level snapshot of the sequence that will fix the upgrades funnel.
Aaron · Product · Q4 2026
PREREQUISITEProduct Growth: State of Play
01
01 · RECAP
We know where it leaks, and why.
WHERE WE LOSE PEOPLE · FUNNEL
58%
Tap into an auction from results
63%
Open an auction and do nothing
28%
Tap bid, don't confirm
51%
Tap buy, don't pay
HOW MIGHT WE · CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS
Make the fee feel fair?
Make the value of First Class obvious?
Help customers judge whether an upgrade is a fair deal?
Help customers judge whether they can win?
Make bidding clear enough that customers don't feel they must bid late?
02
02 · HOW WE'LL WORK
Be bold. Ship in bundles. Test what's risky.
01 · BUNDLE THE NO-BRAINERS
The pages aren't working today. We fix them in bundles, not one change at a time.
02 · CUSTOMERS SEE IT FIRST
Nothing in these designs has been customer-tested yet. Every design will be.
03 · A/B WHAT'S RISKY
Where one solution is risky and could go either way, it's tested in isolation.
03
03 · THE SEQUENCE
The order we'll work in.
1
Total price everywhereMake the fee feel fair
Mandatory
2
Search by timeSeparate capability
1 experiment
3
Redesigned auction page with First Class benefitsMake the value of First Class obvious
2 experiments
4
Savings and odds transparencyHelp customers judge a fair deal, and whether they can win
1 experiment
5
Benefits recap on the confirmation pageMake the value of First Class obvious
1 experiment
6
Set your bid knowing your chancesMake bidding clear enough that customers don't feel they must bid late
1 experiment
7
Results screen redesignTouches several of the five; needs working through
More discovery needed
First Class benefits iterate in parallelEvery train → per operator → per station → per train
Not tested
04
04
3 · Redesigned auction page with First Class benefits
Experiment 1: benefits and sticky bar
Experiment 1
Experiment 2: same with operator image
Experiment 2 · with images
Engineering size · Small
How might we make the value of First Class obvious?
  • First Class benefits start with what's true on every train
  • Frequent questions, e.g. do I need to bid late?
  • Bid and buy buttons always in view
  • Separately, test operator images
Figma →
05
05
4 · Savings and odds transparency
Auction page with stats bar and what people pay
Auction page
Stats bar
How often people win here
What people actually pay
What people actually pay
Engineering size · Medium
How might we help customers judge whether an upgrade is a fair deal, and whether they can win?
  • How often bidders win, and how many upgraded this month
  • What people actually pay, against the walk-up price
Figma →
06
06
5 · Benefits recap on the confirmation page
Confirm screen with benefits recap
Confirm
Engineering size · Small
How might we make the value of First Class obvious?
  • Remind people what they're buying at the point of paying
Figma →
07
07
6 · Set your bid knowing your chances
Bid screen
Bid
Engineering size · Small
How might we make bidding clear enough that customers don't feel they must bid late to win?
  • Screen already built; we change what it says, not what it is
  • Chance of winning shown at each price
  • Set a maximum, pay only the lowest amount that wins
Figma →
08
08
7 · Results screen redesign
Results screen, one card per train
Results
Touches several of the five. Which ones, and how, needs working through.
  • This needs a lot of work, so it comes last
Figma →
09
09 · FIRST CLASS BENEFITS ITERATE IN PARALLEL
Start with what's true everywhere. Add detail as it's verified.
What you get on this train component
The component that iterates
MVP · NOW
True on every train
"A bigger seat, your own table, a quieter coach. Your seat is reserved the moment you win."
Next
Per operator
"Breakfast served to your seat. Drinks included." LNER
Then
Per station
"Lounge at York from 06:00. Free drinks, snacks, Wi-Fi." Origin or destination matches
Q1
Per train
"Dish menu on this service." Needs operator data
  • Only the MVP is A/B tested, inside step 3. The rest ships to everyone as content is verified with operators
  • Rule: never promise a benefit the train doesn't deliver. Where an operator's service varies by day or route, we say less, not more
10 · WHERE WE ARE
The upgrade flow today.
Current results
Results
Current auction page
Auction
Current confirm
Confirm
10
11 · WHERE THIS LANDS
The upgrade flow by the end of Q4.
Results
ResultsTBC
Auction page
AuctionSmall + Medium
Bid
BidSmall
Confirm
ConfirmSmall
Open in Figma →Results is direction, not design. Everything else is what steps 1 to 6 test.
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