a way for customers to earn when they spend
With today's economic challenges, people are looking to save money anywhere they can and to make the most out of their purchases. Hero empowers users to maximize the value of everyday expenses and earn when they spend.
our user
KEY TRAITS:
Gen-Z & Millenial
Budget-friendly & reward-oriented
Tech-savvy
DEEPER LOOK:
solution
Hero: a consumer app where you can earn money and brand rewards by submitting receipts and expressing yourself through bite-sized surveys that make sharing your opinions fun.
onboarding flow audit
My first task at Wise Things was to audit the exisiting onboarding & reset password flows. While the flows met most standards, I noticed an oppotunity for better accessibility by extending the options for gender.
After doing research, I found a balance between most inclusive yet also streamlined experience for users.
before
after
hero: gigs
After auditing the onboarding & reset password flows, we moved onto sprints for the different activities users could complete to earn Heroiums. These activities were divided into "Receipts" and "Gigs."
There are three different types of gigs the user might be given: Survey, Predict, and Orchestra.
We kept the type of gig a mystery to the user, so there can't be preference over which kind the user takes.
sprint 1: surveys
competitive analysis
Before starting to design the surveys gig, I reviewed two similar apps, Pogo and Receipt Hog.
Pogo
"Earn on Everything"
Pros
In-app surveys have nice UI
Gamified experience
Cons
Some surveys take place outside of app, & require user to input the same demographic information over and over again
Some surveys ask initial questions that disqualify the user, rendering them unable to receive points and wasting their time
Receipt Hog
"Turn All Receipts Into Cash"
Pros
Multiple kinds of rewards, monthly sweepstakes
Cons
Outdated UI
No surveys available, even after uploading receipts
Pogo's design feels clean, but the organization of rewards felt cluttered, and some of their surveys took the user out of the app, where the UI suffered.
Meanwhile, Receipt Hog's UI is outdated and there aren't any available surveys, but it has unique reward flows and had endearing playful aspects.
opportunities for hero:
Save the user's demographic information, so they don't need to re-enter it every time they take a survey
Have a modern, intuitive UI for the entire app, including surveys, that balances the line between minimal and fun
Survey design
For question format, I consulted the designers of Plural, the software companies use to create the gigs users take. From their designs, I knew what kinds of questions the users might be asked:
Multiple choice (single answer)
Multiple choice (multiple answers)
Numeric scale
Graphic scale (smileys)
Graphic scale (stars)
Also, we needed a completion page and an exit warning.
requirements:
Make as enjoyable as possible for Gen-Z, but still be minimalist
Build a design system as I work
Emphasize fun & beautiful interactions
Go wild with ideas!
Survey final designs & variations
Radio
Checkboxes
Overflow
Final Numeric Scale Design, at states & with varying number scalesdifferent
Numeric Scale variations
Final Star Design
Star variations
Final Numeric Scale Design
Numeric Scale variations
sprint 1.5: predict
After finishing surveys, I started to design the Predict gig. This is where users are shown different assets including video ads, social media posts, storyboards, and text content, and share their opinion.
We implemented a time delay before the user can rate the asset, so that we make sure the user takes the time to review the asset.
For a video asset, I started to design a media player component and how it would look on the locked page.
"Our current plan is too complex for our MVP!"
time for a swapup
After returning from winter break & conversations with the dev team, it was decided that making Hero both a survey AND receipt-scanning app was too ambitious for the MVP.
Gigs were moved to another software, where elements of my design work were incorporated but simplified for engineering.
The Hero app is now just for scanning receipts, through which users earn coins and redeem for gift card codes.
hero: receipts
Welcome back to our old friends Pogo & Receipt Hog, who also have receipt functions in addition to their survey options, and meet Fetch! Fetch is another receipt scanning app, with a focus on bonus points for specific items or stores. I also analyzed Raise, a secondary competitor where users input the exact amount they want to spend at a specific store in the form of a gift card, then pay in-store using the barcode or serial number. I analyzed their layout and organization of stores to see how we could organize our rewards.
opportunities for hero:
requirements:
Receipts home page (empty & full)
List of scanned receipts
show status
Search receipts
filter receipts
Scan Receipt flow
camera view
info/help screen
show image before submit
Rewards
Home
Redeeming coins flow
My rewards
Side menu navigation
Account
Overview
Edit information flows
Invite Friends flow
hero receipt design
home & navigation
Original design from founder
My redesign
my role
Removed bottom navigation bar
Receipts and Redeem are now accessible via the addition of the toggle bar, so there's no longer a need for the bottom bar
Added a bigger camera icon for quick access
Designed a side menu for less-used aspects of the app, including "My Account," "Invite Friends," and "FAQ & Contact."
Changed the CTA on empty state
Reworded it as “scan/add receipt” instead of “invite friends” because we want users to add receipts asap– before, they were waiting for available surveys and couldn’t do anything else. Now they can earn coins immediately, so we should push them towards that.
scanning receipts
Original design from founder
My redesign
initial changes:
Increased size of guidelines to better fit receipts
Added icons to help user: flash, exit, and info
my role:
Although I wasn't sure what our AI scanner capabilities would be, I inferred general capabilities from the competitive analysis, and figured out the ideal flow.
The scan process I determined:
(1) Align receipt to edges, (2) take picture (3) scanner looks for date, store, and total (4) checkboxes update once found (5) “submit” button appears when all checkboxes complete
I also designed the completion screen, the info popup, and failure states
Redeem
my role:
Figured out inner workings of Receipts to Heroiums to Rewards system with the founder. Our main goal was to make it as simple and streamlined as possible.
Initially, I designed frames where Hero offered gift cards for over 20 different stores, but after discussing MVP limitations, I redesigned for limited offerings.
MUSINGS
Waiting for development
With Hero currently in the development queue, my work with Wise Things is currently paused. Usability testing through TestFlight is planned once the app is developed, which I hope I will be able to help run.
Designing beyond the happy path
Considering real users and processes, such as editing user accounts, failure states during the scan process, and error-resistant pop-ups