QuillBot’s strength has always been in rewriting and grammar assistance — but until now, users had to leave their native writing environments to access it. We designed and launched QuillBot’s Safari extension and macOS distribution to meet users where they write, expand into the Apple ecosystem, and unlock higher engagement and premium conversions.
What was my role?
Product Designer, Strategist, and Usability Evaluator
Who did I work with?
Shubhashish Sinha (PM) and Marine Asalia (PM)
What did I work on?
Interaction Design, Visual Design, Interactive Prototypes, and Usability Tests
What did I learn?
Design for Apple native platforms, Design a daily use product, Team work makes the dream work
QuillBot had strong adoption on Chrome and Edge, but two critical user groups were left out:
Without support on these platforms:
But bridging both required tackling two very different product and payment landscapes:
macOS users had no direct way to access QuillBot tools while writing. This forced context-switching and broke workflow.
The Apple ecosystem — known for high purchasing power — was untapped, resulting in lost distribution reach and premium conversion opportunities.
Expand QuillBot beyond Chrome, support Safari & macOS users.
Unlock premium revenue, on Apple platforms while staying compliant.
Ensure consistent UX across ecosystems, despite differing policies.
Establish scalable distribution models (App Store vs Website).
Mandatory IAP (Apple’s 30% cut, approval hurdles, compliance).
Couldn’t enter App Store due to accessibility APIs, limiting discoverability.Couldn’t enter App Store due to accessibility APIs, limiting discoverability.
Pricing had to account for different revenue models and distribution channels without confusing users.
Balanced clear setup instructions (Safari permissions are complex) with keeping friction low. Iterated to a step-by-step guided flow inside the bundled app.
Unlike Chrome, Safari does not support a side panel API. Redesigned extension interactions to rely on popovers and context menus instead.
Apple’s strict policies around IAP meant deferring premium nudges until we had a compliant path, prioritizing launch speed over monetization.
Maintained a consistent QuillBot extension experience across Chrome, Edge, and Safari while respecting Safari’s UI norms.
Apple’s App Store restrictions prevented us from publishing our macOS extension because it relied on accessibility APIs. We consciously chose a direct website distribution model to ensure users still benefited from powerful system-wide writing assistance, even if it meant foregoing App Store reach.
As the designer, I facilitated alignment across these teams, ensuring UX, tech feasibility, and product behavior worked together.
Extension development, macOS bundling, StoreKit + Chargebee integrations
Reviewed App Store compliance, privacy terms, subscription data handling.
Aligned pricing strategy with Apple’s commission for purchases via Safari Extension.
Crafted lifecycle marketing for Safari & macOS app with distribution via App Store and website.
Help center updates for Safari and macOS users on the latest extensions.
Expanded QuillBot into Safari and macOS ecosystems.
Users could now access QuillBot directly where they write.
Entered a high-value Apple audience with stronger premium conversion potential.
Ensured Safari users experienced the same assistance as Chrome/Edge users.
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This project taught me that designing for Apple platforms requires not just UX thinking, but also balancing compliance with user value. For Safari, we played within the rules. For macOS, we chose a pragmatic path outside the App Store to deliver real value. In doing so, we also unlocked new distribution and revenue channels for QuillBot.
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