Glorify Foundations
Glorify Foundations
Role
Sr. Design Researcher
Skills
Mixed Methods
Roadmap Influence
Timeline
Nov 2023 - Jan 2024
Team
Max McGee (Design Researcher)
Challenge
Challenge
A product update broke a habit 2.5 million people depended on. No one had studied that habit closely enough to know it couldn't be touched.
Glorify had 2.5 million users and had never run foundational research. I pushed for it, framed around three questions: why people signed up, how they used the app, and what they found valuable.
Before those findings could reach the team, a major update shipped to the entire user base.
The structured morning sequence 74% of users had built their mornings around, changed format, sequence, and experience overnight.
Glorify had 2.5 million users and had never run foundational research. I pushed for it, framed around three questions: why people signed up, how they used the app, and what they found valuable.
Before those findings could reach the team, a major update shipped to the entire user base.
The structured morning sequence 74% of users had built their mornings around, changed format, sequence, and experience overnight.
Impact at a Glance
Impact at a Glance
6 weeks to reframe C-suite strategy on core experience. 2 follow-on studies commissioned.
6 weeks to reframe C-suite strategy on core experience. 2 follow-on studies commissioned.
Method
Method
260 surveys. 9 interviews. And a caveat worth naming.
260 surveys. 9 interviews. And a caveat worth naming.
We emailed approximately 5,000 active Glorify users. 260 responded and filled out our survey. Nine in-depth interviews followed, focused on Millennial and Gen Z respondents most relevant to Glorify's growth goals.
One caveat worth naming: these are satisfied customers. Dissatisfied users, and the 95% who didn't respond, may hold very different answers. That gap is part of what made a follow-on churn study worth commissioning.
We emailed approximately 5,000 active Glorify users. 260 responded and filled out our survey. Nine in-depth interviews followed, focused on Millennial and Gen Z respondents most relevant to Glorify's growth goals.
One caveat worth naming: these are satisfied customers. Dissatisfied users, and the 95% who didn't respond, may hold very different answers. That gap is part of what made a follow-on churn study worth commissioning.
Findings
Findings
Glorify handled the decision-making, freeing users to focus on their daily practice of faith.
Glorify handled the decision-making, freeing users to focus on their daily practice of faith.
74%
74%
used Glorify every morning
74%
74%
used Glorify every morning
70%
70%
used Glorify while multitasking
70%
70%
used Glorify while multitasking
Glorify offered value because it made the decision for them, managing the structure and cadence of their spiritual practice so they could focus on the faith itself.
Structure with content was the product. Users came for a sequence that told them what to do next, not content to browse, so attention could stay on faith itself instead of the mechanics of practicing it. 2.5 million people were depending on that structure without knowing it.
Glorify offered value because it made the decision for them, managing the structure and cadence of their spiritual practice so they could focus on the faith itself.
Structure with content was the product. Users came for a sequence that told them what to do next, not content to browse, so attention could stay on faith itself instead of the mechanics of practicing it. 2.5 million people were depending on that structure without knowing it.
Implications
Implications
The incident was a symptom. The dependency nobody had mapped was the real problem.
The incident was a symptom. The dependency nobody had mapped was the real problem.
The update disrupted three things simultaneously: the format users had built their mornings around, the sequence they had memorized, and frictionless access to previously free features. Any one of those changes would have been risky without prior research.
All three together felt like a betrayal of something established and sacred. We received a lot of feedback via emails, support tickets, and app reviews.
The research also revealed another question: if Glorify succeeded at its core job of a faith routine, users would eventually outgrow the daily habit. The team had no answer for what came next.
The update disrupted three things simultaneously: the format users had built their mornings around, the sequence they had memorized, and frictionless access to previously free features. Any one of those changes would have been risky without prior research.
All three together felt like a betrayal of something established and sacred. We received a lot of feedback via emails, support tickets, and app reviews.
The research also revealed another question: if Glorify succeeded at its core job of a faith routine, users would eventually outgrow the daily habit. The team had no answer for what came next.
Outcome
Two years later, an independent review confirmed the same gap this research identified.
Two years later, an independent review confirmed the same gap this research identified.
Within six weeks, findings were in front of Product and C-suite leadership. A cross-functional workshop shifted the conversation from "how do we get more engagement" to "what does engagement actually mean after d30."
Research systems through outside vendors like Sprig were set up for in-app surveying to investigate further questions. Then the company experienced lay-offs, including the design research team.
The follow-on studies never happened. But the question they would have answered is still the most important one Glorify hasn't solved.
A 2026 independent review concluded that users outgrow Glorify within months, the same gap this research identified in 2023.
Within six weeks, findings were in front of Product and C-suite leadership. A cross-functional workshop shifted the conversation from "how do we get more engagement" to "what does engagement actually mean after d30."
Research systems through outside vendors like Sprig were set up for in-app surveying to investigate further questions. Then the company experienced lay-offs, including the design research team.
The follow-on studies never happened. But the question they would have answered is still the most important one Glorify hasn't solved.
A 2026 independent review concluded that users outgrow Glorify within months, the same gap this research identified in 2023.