CP Company - Loyalty program

Our Approach & Methodology

Team structure & collaboration framework

Working with my colleague Frankie, we established a collaborative framework that leveraged our complementary strengths. Frankie brought high energy and visual design expertise, while I contributed research depth and strategic grounding.

Our collaboration process

• Daily check-ins to maintain alignment and share progress

• Structured project management via Notion to track deliverables

• Divided work based on strengths while maintaining joint decision-making

• Professional conflict resolution when we disagreed on approaches

4-Week sprint timeline

Week 1: Foundation & Alignment

• Stakeholder interview and project kickoff

• Secondary research and competitive analysis

• Heuristic evaluation of current program

• Research methodology planning

Week 3: Strategic Direction

• Affinity mapping and insight consolidation

• Problem statement refinement

• Ideation and strategic planning

• Design direction setting

Week 2: Deep Discovery

• Survey deployment and user interviews

• Expert interview with retention specialist

• Data synthesis and pattern identification

• Persona development

Week 4: Execution & Delivery

• Interface redesigns and usability improvements

• A/B testing via Maze platform

• Research report compilation

• Final presentation preparation

Research & Discovery

Research decisions

Why we chose mixed methods: We decided on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research because the stakeholder interview revealed alignment between our initial assumptions and their internal concerns. This gave us confidence to pursue deeper user understanding while validating hypotheses with broader data.

Expert interview rationale: After our initial user interviews consistently showed program awareness issues, Frankie and I discussed whether to include retention marketing experts. We decided this would strengthen our recommendations by learning from successful loyalty programs in other industries.

Secondary research insights

A 2021 McKinsey survey found that 65% of customers are more likely to increase how often they buy from a brand when they're a member of its loyalty program. This validated the strategic importance of fixing CP Company's program.

Competitive analysis revealed: Successful fashion loyalty programs focus on community building and exclusive experiences rather than just discounts—a key insight that influenced our solution direction.

Heuristic analysis: identifying core issues

We conducted a systematic heuristic evaluation using Nielsen's 10 usability principles. This method was chosen because it would quickly identify obvious usability barriers before conducting user research.

Key findings

• Unclear value proposition: The name "The Brotherhood" doesn’t communicate it’s a loyalty program.

• Cognitive overload: Users have to remember tier details instead of seeing side-by-side comparisons.

• Visual hierarchy issues: Three fonts in five sizes created confusion.

• Ambiguous CTAs: "Read More" labels didn't indicate what would happen when clicked.

Decision point: These findings influenced our interview questions—we specifically probed about program awareness and navigation confusion.

A couple things stood out to us

1 Heuristic: Match between the system and the real world

The name The Brotherhood and the accompanying text don’t clearly communicate that this is a loyalty program. For new users, it’s unclear what the offering is or why they should care.

2 Heuristic: Recognition rather than recall

Users have to remember details from previous tiers to understand what each one offers. The information isn’t presented side by side, which makes comparison harder and increases cognitive load.

3 Heuristic: Aesthetic and minimalist design

The page uses three fonts in five sizes and varying weights, without a clear visual hierarchy. This creates visual clutter and makes it hard to identify the most important information.

4 Heuristic: Match between the system and the real world

The label READ MORE doesn’t clearly indicate what will happen when clicked. It opens an overlay that functions more like a FAQ section, which isn’t obvious from the wording.

User research: uncovering the real problem

Out of 47 participants, 30 (64%) said they were not aware of The Brotherhood—the loyalty program.

• This validated out hypothesis about awareness issues.

User interviews (7 participants)

We aimed for 8 interviews based on research showing diminishing returns after 6-8 interviews for usability insights. We conducted 7 in the end, plus our time constraints required focusing on quality over quantity.

Collaboration approach: we evenly divided the interviews. Switching each interview between being the interviewer or note taker.

Key insights

• Participants expressed that they want to feel more than just a data point. If they are signing up they want to receive benefits that non members don’t have.

“If I'm going to be signed up, I'd expect to have the benefits of someone that isn't signed up.” - User 2

• Participants said their personal relationships with CP Company staff keep them coming back, yet they noted that other brands rarely foster such human connections.

“The way they involve you, make you part of the community, that works. That really works. That makes me stay loyal to the brand” - User 4

• Several participants formed real-life friendships through their connection to CP Company, showing how a shared love for the brand can foster community. A clear opportunity for the loyalty program to move beyond transactions and build deeper social ties.

“I treat those stores as a kind of extension of my friendship network, if you like.” - User 5

Expert interview: strategic validation

Why retention experts: We interviewed a professional from HelloFresh to understand loyalty program best practices beyond fashion retail.

Key learning: "It can't be for everyone. Not everyone wants to engage with the brand in the same way. It should be more for the real fans out there."

This insight was pivotal—it validated our hypothesis that CP Company should focus on brand enthusiasts rather than broad market appeal.

Solution development

Ideation & decision-making process

Collaborative ideation: During our ideation session, we had a professional disagreement about the seriousness of the process. I initially felt we already knew what to redesign, but Frankie insisted on proper ideation methodology. After discussion, we committed to thorough ideation, which actually generated new directions and strengthened our final solution.

Strategic decisions made

1. Focus on community over discounts based on user feedback

2. Target brand enthusiasts following expert interview insights

3. Honor heritage as differentiator from competitors

4. Dual-timeline approach providing quick wins and long-term vision

Affinity mapping: finding core themes

Working together (with Frankie starting while I attended another meeting, then finishing jointly), we identified four core themes:

• Community: Desire for belonging and connection

• Connection: Personal relationships with brand and staff

• Engagement: Meaningful interactions beyond transactions

• Personalisation: Tailored experiences that recognise individual preferences

Decision impact: These themes became our design principles and guided all subsequent solution development.

Design strategy & execution

Work division rationale: In the final week, we strategically divided work based on our strengths. Frankie focused on visual redesign while I compiled the research report. We maintained alignment through three daily check-ins and mutual feedback on each other's work.

Key design decisions

Landing Page Redesign

• Clearer value proposition: Made loyalty program purpose obvious from first glance

• Improved hierarchy: Simplified visual design with consistent typography

• Stronger CTAs: Emphasised "Let's get started" over terms & conditions

• Enhanced hero section: Extended image upward with layered text for immersion

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the original and our updated design.

Dashboard Redesign:

• Separated navigation: Moved dashboard to its own tab for clarity

• Progress emphasis: Made current points and next-tier preview prominent

• Western reading patterns: Restructured layout for left-to-right, top-to-bottom scanning

• Reduced cognitive load: Eliminated need to remember information between sections

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the original and our updated design.

Testing & validation

A/B testing decision: We chose to test our redesigned elements through Maze to validate improvements before final delivery. This added credibility to our recommendations.

Results: User testing showed 47% initially thought "Read More" would show additional benefits, while 36% assumed it would expand personal info. Our redesign eliminated this confusion through clearer information architecture.

Results & impact

Immediate deliverables

Research artefacts:

• Comprehensive research report with actionable insights

• 3 detailed personas representing different customer segments

• Strategic presentation with implementation roadmap

Design solutions:

• Redesigned landing page and dashboard with improved usability

• A/B tested interface elements showing measurable improvements

Strategic transformation

Problem re-framing success: We successfully shifted stakeholder focus from "fixing program features" to "rebuilding brand intimacy." The client confirmed our research aligned with their internal intuitions, providing validation for strategic direction.

Stakeholder alignment: Vanessa (our primary stakeholder) expressed excitement about having clear direction and actionable recommendations. The alignment between our findings and their internal concerns built confidence in implementation.

Long-term foundation: Our research framework and personas provide CP Company with tools for ongoing customer understanding and program evolution.

Key learnings & insights

This project reinforced critical principles about user research and collaborative design. Our interviews validated awareness issues but revealed a deeper truth—the real problem wasn't program features but lost brand intimacy. Community connection beats discounts for lasting relationships, and heritage becomes a competitive advantage when leveraged authentically.

Working with Frankie showed how complementary skills create stronger outcomes. Her visual expertise and energy balanced my research depth and strategic approach. When we disagreed during ideation, addressing it professionally improved our results. Daily check-ins prevented misalignment, while managing team stress through supportive planning maintained productivity under tight deadlines.

Next steps & recommendations

Immediate implementation (quick wins)

• Deploy redesigned landing page and dashboard interfaces

• Implement accessibility improvements for EU compliance

• Launch awareness campaign using research insights

• Begin community-focused content strategy

Strategic development (long-term vision)

• Conduct deeper user research for comprehensive program overhaul

• Develop detailed customer segmentation strategy

• Create heritage-focused engagement initiatives

• Build measurement framework for community building success

Ongoing evolution

• Regular user feedback collection and analysis

• Iterative design improvements based on usage data

• Expansion of community-building features

• Integration with broader brand experience strategy

Conclusion

This project demonstrates how user research and collaborative design thinking can transform underperforming customer experiences. CP Company now has both immediate solutions and strategic direction for rebuilding the community connection that made their brand special.

The transformation from an invisible loyalty program to a community centered strategy shows the power of understanding real user needs versus assumed requirements. By honouring CP Company's heritage while meeting modern customer expectations, we created a foundation for sustainable loyalty that goes beyond transactions.