GLocate is your one-stop storage app for all your gift card needs. Users’ login, upload their physical cards onto the app and get notification reminders while on the go to retailers in their area. The goal was to understand and improve the user’s recollection of their gift cards while limiting the discrepancy of them not using it.
The problem I suspect is that customers are distracted by competing promos between retailers, misplace the cards or never get around to using them. I worked researching, and conducting all necessary documentation to support and validate my problem statement.
Roles
- User Research
- UX/UI Design
- Brand Design
Deliverable Links
Defining the problem
Problem Statement
Shoppers need a way to be reminded of the gift cards they have because they are distracted by competing promos between retailers, misplace the cards or never get around to using them.
Hypothesis
I believe that by improving the gift card redemption part of the shopping experience I will grasp the user’s attention and promote retention. I will know this to be true when I see users redeem gift cards through GLocate, and cash out successfully.
User Research
Interview
I interviewed four people, men and women ages 28-35 who fit my target audience of adult users that have received a gift card for a variety of occasions, including to say thank you, celebrate a birthday, or a birth of a new family member.
Some insights included..
“I normally pre-budget mentally to keep track of my gift card balance.”
Shelda EasonExperience Design Manager at Spectrum Enterprise
“I have alarms for when I should be on my way to the gym, I have an alarm half-way through my workout that say hey, you should be done or half way done by now.”
Teresa NaranjoDigital Art Director at Bloomberg LP
“Sometimes if I’m having a hard week I have Alexa set as two alarms.”
Gadi BassinCreative Director at Dyson
Research findings + problem solving
I discovered through my user interviews people set multiple follow up alerts as reminders (at least two) to ensure they accomplish the initial task set.
By adding a follow up notification reminder at the location of the retailer will help keep users on track with their intention of using the gift card.
Persona
Based on the interviews, I was able to really understand my potential users, their pain points, goals and the specific problems they faced while having a gift card.
Entering on cue: Francine (she is very detail orientated and organized). She is my ideal customer as she often goes over the limit and keeps gift cards she doesn’t like stored in a closet drawer at home.
Persona
Also entering on cue: Dennis. He is my ideal customer as he goes to the mall and gets distracted by his son’s restlessness in the stores causing him to walk past the retailers he has gift cards to.
Competitive Analysis
Exploring features and competitor solutions
Several apps in the market offer gift card storage, like Apple Wallet and Giftcards.com, but they primarily focus on broad digital payments rather than enhancing the gift card experience.
Within the feature comparison matrix, I noticed other competitors such as Gyft and Google Wallet provided storage solutions but lack smart notifications that alert users when they’re near a retailer, often leading to unused balances.
Direct Competitor
Apple Wallet
Gyft
Raise
Giftcards.com
Indirect Competitor
Snapchat
The Solution
The solution, GLocate. A native app designed to help people with gift cards get notification reminders while on the go to retailers in their area.
MVP: A fully functional app that set up alerts as reminders to ensure users’ accomplish the initial task set. By adding a follow up notification reminder at the location of the retailer will help keep people on track with their intention of using the gift card.
