Creating a Rewards Program and Marketplace for MoveSpring
Role
Lead Product Designer
Lead Product Designer
Team
2 PMs, 2 Engineers, 1 Designer
2 PMs, 2 Engineers, 1 Designer
1. The Problem
Our daily active user rate was low
MoveSpring has seen significant growth, with increasing engagement and a strong user base. However, in late 2022, we noticed a decline in daily active users, which signaled a risk to long-term retention.
To address this, we implemented a new rewards program designed to boost engagement by incentivizing consistent activity. By linking participation to tangible rewards, we aim to increase user motivation, improve retention, and drive overall platform growth.
To address this, we implemented a new rewards program designed to boost engagement by incentivizing consistent activity. By linking participation to tangible rewards, we aim to increase user motivation, improve retention, and drive overall platform growth.
2. Design Approach
After implementation, we launched MoveSpring Rewards as an A/B test, closely monitoring user behavior and engagement metrics. Ongoing research allowed us to refine the feature based on data-driven insights, ensuring its long-term effectiveness in increasing daily active users and overall platform retention.
🧐 Research:
To design an effective rewards program, I first immersed myself in the user experience by dogfooding the platform and evaluating the engagement journey using the Psych framework. We combined quantitative and qualitative research to identify key friction points and prioritize the most impactful opportunities for improving retention and daily activity.
💡 Ideation & Iteration:
I led a collaborative workshop where the team explored different ways to encourage consistent activity. We refined the strongest ideas into prototypes, tested them with users, and gathered feedback. Iterative design cycles helped us fine-tune the experience, ensuring it was intuitive, engaging, and aligned with user motivations.
📐 Measuring Success:
Once launched, MoveSpring Rewards was introduced as an A/B test to track its effect on user engagement. Continuous monitoring and user feedback helped us evaluate its impact, guiding future optimizations and ensuring the feature drove long-term retention and daily participation.
🧐 Research:
To design an effective rewards program, I first immersed myself in the user experience by dogfooding the platform and evaluating the engagement journey using the Psych framework. We combined quantitative and qualitative research to identify key friction points and prioritize the most impactful opportunities for improving retention and daily activity.
💡 Ideation & Iteration:
I led a collaborative workshop where the team explored different ways to encourage consistent activity. We refined the strongest ideas into prototypes, tested them with users, and gathered feedback. Iterative design cycles helped us fine-tune the experience, ensuring it was intuitive, engaging, and aligned with user motivations.
📐 Measuring Success:
Once launched, MoveSpring Rewards was introduced as an A/B test to track its effect on user engagement. Continuous monitoring and user feedback helped us evaluate its impact, guiding future optimizations and ensuring the feature drove long-term retention and daily participation.
🧐 Research
🐶 Dog Fooding:
Mapping Out the Current MoveSpring Experience
The first thing I did was invite everyone to join me in evaluating the current user experience of the MoveSpring app (aka, dogfooding). This exercise allowed us to directly experience the process, identify friction points, and assess how well the current system encouraged consistent engagement. It also sparked important conversations about potential improvements, ensuring that we were aligning the feature with both user needs and business goals from the start.
Mapping Out the Current MoveSpring Experience
The first thing I did was invite everyone to join me in evaluating the current user experience of the MoveSpring app (aka, dogfooding). This exercise allowed us to directly experience the process, identify friction points, and assess how well the current system encouraged consistent engagement. It also sparked important conversations about potential improvements, ensuring that we were aligning the feature with both user needs and business goals from the start.
RESEARCH
Let's see what we found!
Challenges aren't enough
Lack of Immediate Incentives: Wellbeing challenges often rely on users' intrinsic motivation to participate, but not everyone is driven by short-term goals or rewards. Without immediate, tangible incentives, users might lose interest or fail to maintain consistent daily engagement.
Lack of Immediate Incentives: Wellbeing challenges often rely on users' intrinsic motivation to participate, but not everyone is driven by short-term goals or rewards. Without immediate, tangible incentives, users might lose interest or fail to maintain consistent daily engagement.
Decreased Sense of Achievement
Rewards create a sense of accomplishment, whether it's through points, badges, or discounts. Without these, users may not feel a clear sense of progress, which can decrease their overall satisfaction with the app.
Rewards create a sense of accomplishment, whether it's through points, badges, or discounts. Without these, users may not feel a clear sense of progress, which can decrease their overall satisfaction with the app.
Limited Personalization
Rewards programs can be tailored to meet individual user preferences, driving more targeted engagement. Without this feature, MoveSpring may struggle to meet diverse user needs, leading to a one-size-fits-all experience that doesn’t resonate with everyone.
Rewards programs can be tailored to meet individual user preferences, driving more targeted engagement. Without this feature, MoveSpring may struggle to meet diverse user needs, leading to a one-size-fits-all experience that doesn’t resonate with everyone.
RESEARCH
We then analyzed data
Limited Personalization
After mapping out the end-to-end experience, I partnered closely with the PM and Engineering teams to dive into the quantitative data. Together, we analyzed user behavior, identified where users were dropping off, and explored which features were being used during the trial period. This collaboration helped us pinpoint areas for improvement and prioritize key changes.
After mapping out the end-to-end experience, I partnered closely with the PM and Engineering teams to dive into the quantitative data. Together, we analyzed user behavior, identified where users were dropping off, and explored which features were being used during the trial period. This collaboration helped us pinpoint areas for improvement and prioritize key changes.
RESEARCH
Interviewing Beta Clients
After identifying where drop-offs occur, we began conducting interviews with beta users to understand why they were leaving after challenges and what could get them to stay.
💡Ideation & Iteration
After completing our research to identify the challenges with the MoveSpring Rewards program, I facilitated a design sprint workshop with my PM, Engineers, Data Analyst, and User Researcher. Together, we prioritized the key issues impacting user engagement and proposed solutions to enhance the rewards experience.
From the workshop, we identified several solutions to improve the MoveSpring Rewards experience and worked on some wireframes:
From the workshop, we identified several solutions to improve the MoveSpring Rewards experience and worked on some wireframes:
Reward Options:
Allow users to preview potential rewards during the earning process to motivate them to engage with the app right away.
Streamlined Reward Marketplace:
Implement a personalized marketplace that is catered to the user's habits.
Interactive Rewards Goals:
Create an interactive goal process that familiarizes users with how they can earn rewards, increasing early engagement.
IDEATION & ITERATION
What we learned
Following the workshop and prototyping phase, we conducted user testing with prospective users to determine which elements of the MoveSpring Rewards program would have the most significant impact.
Reward Progress Visibility:
The personalized rewards dashboard helped users quickly understand how they could earn rewards and which actions would bring them closer to their goals, motivating them to stay engaged.
Clear Rewardable Moments:
Defining clear, achievable goals tied to rewards made it easy for users to understand what actions they needed to take to earn rewards. This clarity helped drive consistent engagement, as users knew exactly how to progress and what they could gain by staying active in the app.
Incorporating user feedback, I began iterating on the design to address the usability and UX issues raised by testers. This ensures we deliver a high-quality product.
Reward Progress Visibility:
The personalized rewards dashboard helped users quickly understand how they could earn rewards and which actions would bring them closer to their goals, motivating them to stay engaged.
Clear Rewardable Moments:
Defining clear, achievable goals tied to rewards made it easy for users to understand what actions they needed to take to earn rewards. This clarity helped drive consistent engagement, as users knew exactly how to progress and what they could gain by staying active in the app.
Incorporating user feedback, I began iterating on the design to address the usability and UX issues raised by testers. This ensures we deliver a high-quality product.
IDEATION & ITERATION
Final MVPs
After two rounds of testing, we began refining the final version of the MoveSpring Rewards MVP, preparing it for launch and real-world user testing.
📐 Measuring Success
Here are three key features we introduced as part of the MoveSpring Rewards program:
Marketplace for Rewards:
We introduced a rewards marketplace where users can browse and choose from a variety of rewards based on their activity and progress. This marketplace gives users the flexibility to select rewards that are most meaningful to them, whether it's merchandise, discounts, or other incentives, creating a more personalized and engaging experience.
Goals Tied to Rewards:
We implemented clear, achievable goals that are directly tied to earning rewards. Users can see what actions they need to take—such as completing daily steps or participating in challenges—to earn specific rewards. This creates a sense of purpose and motivation, driving continued activity and engagement in the app.
Rewards Checkout:
Once users have earned enough points or completed a goal, they can easily redeem their rewards through a streamlined checkout process. This feature ensures a smooth and rewarding experience, allowing users to claim their rewards quickly and without friction, which reinforces positive behavior and encourages long-term use of the app.
Combining all the implementation and design we delivered, we managed:
Marketplace for Rewards:
We introduced a rewards marketplace where users can browse and choose from a variety of rewards based on their activity and progress. This marketplace gives users the flexibility to select rewards that are most meaningful to them, whether it's merchandise, discounts, or other incentives, creating a more personalized and engaging experience.
Goals Tied to Rewards:
We implemented clear, achievable goals that are directly tied to earning rewards. Users can see what actions they need to take—such as completing daily steps or participating in challenges—to earn specific rewards. This creates a sense of purpose and motivation, driving continued activity and engagement in the app.
Rewards Checkout:
Once users have earned enough points or completed a goal, they can easily redeem their rewards through a streamlined checkout process. This feature ensures a smooth and rewarding experience, allowing users to claim their rewards quickly and without friction, which reinforces positive behavior and encourages long-term use of the app.
Combining all the implementation and design we delivered, we managed:
% ⬆️ in Daily Active Users
0
% ⬆️ in rewards redemptions
0