PRODUCT DESIGN · MOBILE APP

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A Minimalist VPN for Non-Technical Users in Mainland China

A secure, one tap VPN built for seamless two way connectivity,

— always available, always connected, and completely ad-free.

ROLE

End-to-end: User Research · UI Design

PLATFORM

iOS · Android

TYPE

Mobile App

Context & Problem

Failure Mode 01

Non compliant

VPNs CANNOT be listed on official App stores in China, leaving users unable to obtain “legitimate” channels.

Failure Mode 02

Difficult & Unreliable

Complex installation for non-store channels. Many users dare not use them and therefore never try.

Failure Mode 03

Ads Imitate Users

Ads on and networks and mini ads imitate VPNs. Users may click by mistake and even enter malicious links

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2

Through my research, I found that most VPNs on the Chinese market are one-way , just helping users go abroad, but rarely offering a way back home. Few provide a seamless 'go out and come back' experience. This is the opportunity for me to differentiate: build a true two-way VPN.

TAKEAWAY

Astrill VPN, LetsVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and NordVPN, the top products in Mainland China — used as benchmarks.

Product Comparison

One-way · Two-way · Ads · Interface Simplicity

One-way

(Go Abroad)

Two-way

(Go Out & Back)

Ad-Free

(Zero Ads)

Simple UI

(One-tap Connect)

Astrill VPN

LetsVPN

ExpressVPN

Surfshark

NordVPN

724 VPN

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My Role

I was fully involved in this project, from early user research and isight discovery, to defining design principles, and finally delivering the UI design.

MY END TO END WORKFLOW

01

User Research

Competitor / Feedback Analysis

02

Insight Discovery

03

Define Design Principles

04

UI Design

05

Handoff & Iteration

Team Collaboration / Workflow

TEAM COLLABORATION

Marketing

Customer

Support

Front End

END-TO-END OWNERSHIP

What I Own & Who I Work With

I led the entire process from user research to complete UI design, ensuring our decisions were guided by data and user feedback.

During development and launch, I worked closely with the team to ensure design integrity and a seamless user experience.

User Research

Understand Users

Development

Build & Implement

Customer Support

Listen & Improve

×

×

Insights & Principles

Through research, we distilled two key insights that shape the product and guide every design decision.

01

Trust is everything

Users don’t need “more features”, they need reliability, stability, and peace of mind.

02

Simplicity is not superficial

Users want “it works”, not “it looks good”. True simplicity means reducing cognitive load and making every step effortless.

CONNECTION FLOW

01

Launch

02

Choose Location

03

Connecting

04

Connected

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Principle 01

Own the core experience

Make connecting to VPN as simple as choosing your country.

Principle 02

Pure, clean, and trustworthy

A clean interface builds confidence. Trust is the best feature.

Server Selection

Multiple region options

Connection Management

Standard connect / disconnect

Data Security

VPN Core Features

30-Day Plan

365-Day Plan

Subscription Plans

iOS In-App Purchase

Android In-App Purchase

Payment Channels

Monthly → Annual

Annual → Monthly

Cancel Subscription

Plan Changes

Subscription & Payment

Standard Guest Sign-up

VIP Guest Sign-up

Registration

Guest

Registered Member

VIP Guest

Can purchase directly as guest

VIP Member

User Identity

Registration & Identity

Language Settings

Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese / English

Redemption System

Provides channel marketing codes

Delete Account

Compliant with iOS guidelines

User Support

User Contact Center

Collects user feedback

Cookie Policy

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

User Agreements

Other Settings

VPN

I first used a user flow diagram to clarify the product logic, and then broke down each key decision — clearly presenting the problem, options, choices, and reasoning.

Launch

Choose Location

Connect

Connected

Setting

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DECISION 01

Connecting is the core action of a VPN. I designed a large central button and clear status transitions to make the connection process intuitive, trustworthy, and reassuring.

DECISION 02

"Go abroad, return home" is a real and common need. I used a country list to achieve two-way switching without adding new plugins. Users can simply select a country or "Auto" to access both networks.

DECISION 03

Clean Experience, No Ads

Ads break the experience of a tool product. 724 VPN is ad-free. Even if users hit the free limit, the upgrade prompt is shown once politely, never intrusive.

Search for country

Auto

China

South Korea

Japan

United Kingdom

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After completing the design, I conducted internal testing first, then shared the connection link through various channels to recruit external testers, focusing on validating whether the core flow works end-to-end.

TEST 01

Internal Testing

Team members tried it first, validating key steps such as connecting, selecting nodes, and subscription payments to ensure the basic usability of the core flow.

Connect

Select Node

Subscribe

Success

TEST 02

External User Testing

Shared the connection link through various channels to recruit external testers, collecting real-world feedback beyond the team to better understand actual user needs and pain points.

100%

96%

Easy to Use

92%

Design Principle Validation

Due to limited team resources, this round of testing focused on validating the "core flow usability". We did not conduct large-scale or structural usability tests. This is also a point for further improvement and discussion.

Validation

After launch, user feedback validated our core positioning and also revealed areas that needed improvement.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK · POSITIONING VALIDATED

Users Truly Feel the Value

Easy to use and get started quickly

24/7 customer support, fast and helpful

Fast card payment and secure transactions

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK · ISSUES REVEALED

Two Main Areas of Concern

Unstable Connection

Caused by server-side backend implementation

“Merchant” Misunderstanding

Some users thought their subscription was being sold to third parties

ITERATION

To address the “merchant” misunderstanding, I enhanced the transparency of the subscription flow in the next version — clearly stating “cancel anytime” and “charged monthly” to reduce user hesitation.

Before Iteration

After Iteration

Choose a Plan

Monthly Plan

$9.99

/ month

Billed monthly

Continue

Choose a Plan

Monthly Plan

$9.99

/ month

Cancel anytime

Charged monthly

Continue

Outcome

Reflection

This project showed me that design comes with responsibility even when conditions aren’t perfect.

FINAL TAKEAWAY

Design must account for the uncontrollable — that’s the most important lesson I’ve learned from this project.

THE PROBLEM

Connecting — Failed

No clear feedback when the connection timed out — users were left waiting with no signal that something went wrong.

THE GAP

Design Can’t Solve Backend Instability

The instability came from backend infrastructure. My UI could clearly communicate the problem — but it couldn’t solve it.

THE FIX

Clear States + Retry Control

Make failure states unmistakable, then add manual retry and automatic node switching — giving users a way to act instead of just wait.

Showcase

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