Turning AI into revenue: the monetization strategy that boosted profits by 40%
Year
2025
Collaborators
Product Managers, Engineers, Business Strategists
Role
Product Designer
Status
Shipped
Context & Challenge
Jusbrasil launched a new IA for legal professionals. Cool..right? But how could we actually make money with it?
I was responsible for designing the monetization strategy for Jus AI, a generative AI tool built to help legal professionals draft smarter, faster, and more precise content.
The company was launching a brand-new product in an emerging market, and we had no previous pricing model and a bold goal:
Monetize AI without breaking user trust or hurting engagement.
Problem & Solution
Problem Space
Make money from something new from scratch. We only have data from a group of beta testers, so we had to learn with this audience and know when and how to better position paywalls and gain value from the users.
Solution Space
We create a concept named output-based paywalls, so the trigger appears after the AI delivers a high-value result. For that, I need to map the user journey and identify when the “A-ha moment” occurs, and place the trigger immediately afterward.
My Approach
The Design Process: How I Developed the Solution.
Research & Benchmarking
I analyzed monetization patterns from players in the market, such as Notion AI, Grammarly, Claude, and ChatGPT, to identify the sweet spot between value delivery and upgrade. Through this research, I identified the key design patterns used across the market and gained some insights to map the “Aha-moment.
Mapping the “Aha-moment”
I analyzed behavioral data and session recordings from beta testers to pinpoint where users experienced real value with Jus AI. We discovered that the moments right after generating a legal draft or completing legal research were the ideal points to introduce a paywall — users had just saved meaningful time and effort, making the value clear and the upgrade feel natural.
Designing the Monetization Flow
The design process wasn’t linear; I explored several directions before reaching the final concept. Our central premise was simple: instead of showing a static paywall, we needed to design contextual upgrade moments that appear right after users experience clear value. With that in mind, I created four flowchart variations to map the buying journey and align the approach with stakeholders before moving into design.
The final decision was made collaboratively with stakeholders, but what ultimately guided us was the “Aha-moment” and our core concept of an output-based trigger.
Other design decisions
Contextual upgrade modals: I designed personalized modals depending on user intent (trial, upgrade, and winback).
New Pricing Structure: We repositioned Jus AI as a premium feature within our existing subscription tiers, maintaining transparent and scalable pricing.
Results & Post-Launch Impact
+5,000
new subscriptions in the first weeks after launch
+40%
growth in ARPU
+20k
monthly active subscribers after 4 months of launch
My Impact
I led the end-to-end design of monetization flows, from research to experimentation and interface delivery. Worked closely with Product, Growth, and Engineering to align hypotheses, define metrics, and iterate rapidly, which makes Jusbrasil an AI leader in Brazil, mainly in the legal area.