Reducing Platform
Diversion

The Problem

Rover estimated 20%+ of potential revenue was lost to off-platform bookings — relationships starting on Rover, completing elsewhere. I led design on two complementary initiatives: phone blocking and a Community Guidelines modal.

The design constraint: do not hurt booking rates. Keeping people in the product only matters if they can still book.

Phone Blocking & Community Guidelines

Phone blocking: any personal number shared before a booking was intercepted. App and web showed a modal; SMS masked the number with an automated explanation. The block lifted once a booking was confirmed between that pair.

Community Guidelines modal: reached users at critical moments, required an explicit "Got it" confirmation, and reappeared if dismissed by closing the app.

Neutral Broadly, Positive Where It Counts

Booking rates stayed neutral across the marketplace — we didn't make it harder to book. In the high-risk segments, booking odds were 3.5% higher when both sides had seen Community Guidelines.