Turning confusing rewards into Missions users could act on
Super’s rewards looked valuable, but users struggled to understand, compare, and redeem them. I redesigned the rewards model into guided Missions that made rewards easier to understand and act on.
IMPACT
35%
35%
Boost in reward engagement
Boost in reward engagement
11%
11%
Increase linked user accounts
Increase linked user accounts
5%+
5%+
Rise in reward completions
Rise in reward completions
ROLE
Sr. Product Designer
Led the shift to a guided Mission model. Problem framing, UX strategy, writing, prototyping, MVP.
Led the shift to a guided Mission model. Problem framing, UX strategy, writing, prototyping, MVP.
SCOPE
4 months
2 Product Managers, 3 engineers, 1 researcher. Onboarding, user activation, referral, travel rewards.
SCOPE
4 months
2 PMs, 3 engineers, 1 researcher. Onboarding, activation, referral, and travel loyalty rewards.
PROBLEM
Unclear rewards caused confusion and drop-offs
Users saw rewards, but often could not tell what they were worth, how to unlock them, or why they mattered. That confusion reduced action and made rewards harder to redeem.
Users saw rewards, but often could not tell what they were worth, how to unlock them, or why they mattered. That confusion reduced user action and made rewards harder to redeem.
21%
21%
Didn’t understand the rewards system
Didn’t understand the rewards system
31%
31%
Were dissatisfied with the redemption flow
Turning confusing rewards into Missions users could act on
Turning confusing rewards into Missions users could act on
Similar rewards used different names, rules, and restrictions. Users could not easily predict value or redemption.
The team also lacked a shared model of how the legacy rewards system worked.
The team also lacked a shared model of how the legacy rewards system worked.
Internally, teams had no shared understanding of the legacy system. Aligning on a strategy became as critical as fixing the UX.
The team also lacked a shared model of how the legacy rewards system worked.
COMPLEXITY
The challenge was not only clarity, it was consistency at scale
Our new model had to work across onboarding, referral, travel rewards, and future incentives.
The reward system touched multiple surfaces, reward types, and business goals. Any fix had to stay clear for users and consistent enough to scale.
COMPLEXITY
The challenge was not only clarity, it was consistency at scale
Our new model had to work across onboarding, referral, travel rewards, and future incentives.
The reward system touched multiple surfaces, reward types, and business goals. Any fix had to stay clear for users and consistent enough to scale.
COMPLEXITY
The challenge was not only clarity, it was consistency at scale
The reward system touched multiple surfaces, reward types, and business goals. Any fix had to stay clear for users and consistent enough to scale.
Our new model had to work across onboarding, referral, travel rewards, and future incentives.
Clarity could not depend on context
Reward logic had to stay clear across onboarding, referral, travel, and future incentives.
The model had to stay consistent across surfaces
Reward types and entry points were fragmenting the experience. The model had to reduce variation.
Reward types and entry points fragmented the experience. The model had to reduce variation.
The MVP had to stay simple enough to scale
The solution had to fit product and engineering constraints, using a reusable core pattern.
MESSAGING EXPLORATION
One term reduced reward noise
A shared term made Super’s rewards easier to package and talk about.
I reviewed market reward patterns and proposed PowerUps as a shared term for Super’s mixed incentives.
MESSAGING EXPLORATION
One term reduced reward noise
A shared term made Super’s rewards easier to package and talk about.
I reviewed market reward patterns and proposed PowerUps as a shared term for Super’s mixed incentives.
MESSAGING EXPLORATION
One term reduced reward noise
I reviewed market reward patterns and proposed PowerUps as a shared term for Super’s mixed incentives.
A shared term made Super’s rewards easier to package and talk about.
The naming scan pointed to one clear move: package mixed incentives under a single, memorable term.
Implementation
IMPLEMENTATION
I scaled Missions into a new rewards system
I scaled Missions into a system-wide rewards model
Once Missions proved clearer in onboarding, the next decision was whether the model could scale without breaking.
I worked with PM and engineering to extend one task, progress, and payoff model across activation, retention, and upsell.
The MVP earned buy-in to expand Missions beyond onboarding and gave Super one reusable rewards model instead of scattered one-off mechanics.
Reward prompts to nudge users to link accounts early:
Mission prompts brought key activation steps into the product at the right moment.
Daily Missions to foster user habit-building:
Daily Missions extended the model from onboarding into habit-building.
A single rewards hub to make Missions clear and actionable:
A shared rewards hub gave Missions one home across the product.
Locked rewards to create Super+ upsell opportunities:
Locked Missions turned the model into an upsell surface for Super+.
Timely notifications to re-engage users to complete Missions and earn.
Celebratory confirmation to reinforce earned success.
Step-by-step Missions guide users through core tasks:
Reusable mission flows adapted to referral, activation, and travel rewards.
CONCEPT TESTING
PowerUps improved attention, but not comprehension
PowerUps made rewards more noticeable, but not easier to understand. It still did not make the payoff clear enough to drive confident action.
PowerUps made rewards more noticeable, but not easier to grasp. It still did not make the payoff clear enough to drive confident action.
PowerUps made rewards more noticeable, but not easier to understand. It still did not make the payoff clear enough to drive confident action.
The concept increased attention and gave rewards more presence in the flow. But users still had to decode value, progress, and next steps on their own.
“I’m still not sure what this gets me. Is it actual cash?”
“I’m still not sure what this gets me. Is it actual cash?”
“I’m still not sure what this gets me. Is it actual cash?”
PowerUps improved the packaging, not the payoff model. Users still needed clearer value and visible progress.
A/B TESTING
Visible progress increased onboarding completion by 14%
Users were unsure how much effort earning a reward would take. Visible progress improved onboarding, but it did not fix the model.
One pattern was clear: users could not connect effort, progress, and payoff.
User feedback improved movement, yet the reward system itself still needed to be simpler.
Making progress visible helped users understand where they were and what was left. That lifted onboarding completion by 14%.
“When I click the card, I expect to see how long it'll take me to earn it.”
“I expect to see how long it'll take me to earn it.”
“I expect to see how long it'll take me to earn it.”
User feedback improved movement, yet the reward system itself still needed to be simpler.
WORKSHOPS
We turned scattered rewards into one Missions model
One pattern was clear: users could not connect effort, progress, and payoff.
I led the shift to one Mission model, shaping the structure, progress logic, and MVP pattern PM and engineering could scale.
I led the shift to one Mission model, shaping the structure, progress logic, and MVP pattern PM and engineering could scale.
Those workshops shaped Missions into a single, task-based system teams could align on, explain, and scale.
Missions turned abstract rewards into clear, task-based steps with visible progress and clearer value.
One pattern was clear: users could not connect effort, progress, and payoff.
I led the shift to one Mission model, shaping the structure, progress logic, and MVP pattern PM and engineering could scale.
Missions turned abstract rewards into clear, task-based steps with visible progress and clearer value.
USABILITY TESTING
USABILITY TESTING
Missions made rewards tangible, guided, and easier to complete
Missions made rewards tangible, guided, and easier to complete
Missions made rewards tangible, guided, and easier to complete
Users could act without decoding the reward first. The next step was built into the flow.
Users were unsure how much effort a reward would take. I tested clearer progress cues to reduce that uncertainty.
“Okay, I see. I unlock the reward once I finish these.”
“Okay, I see. I unlock the reward once I finish these.”
“Okay, I see. I unlock the reward once I finish these.”
The flow made starting, tracking progress, and reward readiness easier to follow.
IMPLEMENTATION
I scaled Missions into a system-wide rewards model
Once Missions proved clearer in onboarding, the next decision was whether the model could scale without breaking.
I worked with PM and engineering to extend one task, progress, and payoff model across activation, retention, and upsell.
A shared rewards hub gave Missions one home across the product.
Mission prompts brought key activation steps into the product at the right moment.
Daily Missions extended the model from onboarding into habit-building.
Locked Missions turned the model into an upsell surface for Super+.
Reusable mission flows adapted to referral, activation, and travel rewards.
LEARNINGS
LEARNINGS
What this project taught me about clarity, alignment, and scale
What this project taught me about clarity, alignment, and scale
1
A clearer reward model beat a bigger UI redesign.
A clearer reward model beat a bigger UI redesign.
Users moved faster once effort, progress, and payoff became easier to follow.
Users moved faster once effort, progress, and payoff became easier to follow.
2
Naming helped, but the real win came from structure.
Naming helped, but the real win came from structure.
Users responded once Missions made the next step and reward logic explicit.
Users responded once Missions made the next step and reward logic explicit.
3
Early alignment made the MVP easier to ship and scale.
Early alignment made the MVP easier to ship and scale.
Workshops gave PM and Eng one model to support instead of scattered reward mechanics.
Workshops gave us one model to support instead of scattered reward mechanics.
Want the full story?
This case study is the high-level view. Happy to go deeper in conversation.
Want the full story?
This case study is the high-level view. Happy to go deeper in conversation.
Want the full story?
This case study is the high-level view. Happy to go deeper in conversation.
Want the full story?
This is a high-level view of the work. Happy to go deeper in conversation.
Up next
I scaled Missions into a system-wide rewards model
IMPLEMENTATION
Once Missions proved clearer in onboarding, the next decision was whether the model could scale without breaking.
I worked with PM and engineering to extend one task, progress, and payoff model across activation, retention, and upsell.
Mission prompts brought key activation steps into the product at the right moment.
A shared rewards hub gave Missions one home across the product.
Timely notifications to re-engage users to complete Missions and earn.
Celebratory confirmation to reinforce earned success.
Daily Missions extended the model from onboarding into habit-building.
Locked Missions turned the model into an upsell surface for Super+.
Step‑by‑step Missions to guide users to engage in core tasks with ease.
Reusable mission flows adapted to referral, activation, and travel rewards.
Impact
Role
Scope
35%
Increase in conversions
11%
Boost in reward engagement
5%+
Higher checkout completions
This project showcase reflects my work. Certain details were adjusted to honor confidentiality.
Super’s rewards UX confused users. Poor communication and unclear redemption stalled engagement. This led to fewer account linkings, less activity, and lower retention.
Super’s rewards looked valuable, but users struggled to understand, compare, and redeem them. I redesigned the rewards model into guided Missions that made rewards easier to understand and act on.
Poor communication and unclear redemption reduced engagement. This led to fewer account links, less activity, and lower retention.
IMPACT
35%
Boost in reward engagement
11%
Increase linked user accounts
5%+
Rise in reward completions
ROLE
Sr. Product Designer
Led the shift to a guided Mission model. Problem framing, UX strategy, writing, prototyping, MVP.
Drove the shift to a guided Mission model. Problem framing, UX strategy, writing, prototyping, MVP.
SCOPE
4 months
2 Product Managers, 3 engineers, 1 researcher. Onboarding, user activation, referral, travel rewards.
SCOPE
4 months
2 Product Managers, 3 engineers, 1 researcher. Onboarding, activation, referral, travel rewards.
WORKSHOPS
We turned scattered rewards into one Missions model
One pattern was clear: users could not connect effort, progress, and payoff.
I led the shift to one Mission model, shaping the structure, progress logic, and MVP pattern PM and engineering could scale.
Missions turned abstract rewards into clear, task-based steps with visible progress and clearer value.
MESSAGING EXPLORATION
One term reduced reward noise
A shared term made Super’s rewards easier to package and talk about.
I reviewed market reward patterns and proposed PowerUps as a shared term for Super’s mixed incentives.
The naming scan pointed to one clear move: package mixed incentives under a single, memorable term.
LEARNINGS
What this project
taught me about clarity, alignment, and scale
1
A clearer reward model beat a bigger UI redesign.
Users moved faster once effort, progress, and payoff became easier to follow.
2
Naming helped, but the real win came from structure.
Users responded once Missions made the next step and reward logic explicit.
3
Early alignment made the MVP easier to ship and scale.
Workshops gave PM and Eng one model to support instead of scattered reward mechanics.
LEARNINGS
What this project
taught me about clarity, alignment, and scale
1
A clearer reward model beat a bigger UI redesign.
Users moved faster once effort, progress, and payoff became easier to follow.
2
Naming helped, but the real win came from structure.
Users responded once Missions made the next step and reward logic explicit.
3
Early alignment made the MVP easier to ship and scale.
Workshops gave PM and Eng one model to support instead of scattered reward mechanics.
COMPLEXITY
The challenge was not only clarity, it was consistency at scale
Our new model had to work across onboarding, referral, travel rewards, and future incentives.
The reward system touched multiple surfaces, reward types, and business goals. Any fix had to stay clear for users and consistent enough to scale.
Clarity could not depend on context
Reward logic had to stay clear across onboarding, referral, travel, and future incentives.
The model had to stay consistent across surfaces
Reward types and entry points fragmented the experience. The model had to reduce variation.
The MVP had to stay simple enough to scale
The solution had to fit product and engineering constraints, using a reusable core pattern.