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Challenges
Balancing gamification elements with clarity, optimising the redemption flow to minimise friction, and effectively communicating tiered benefits without cognitive overload are key hurdles.
Project goal
The goal of the Ertguli loyalty program within the banking mobile app is to enhance customer engagement and retention by offering a rewarding and seamless experience. Through personalised offers, tiered benefits, and effortless point accumulation, the program encourages active usage, strengthens customer loyalty, and provides exclusive rewards such as discounts and cash-back.
Competitive analysis
I analyzed several competing banking loyalty programs that could impact Ertguli’s user engagement and retention. Ertguli has the opportunity to differentiate itself by integrating the best features from competitors—such as transparent reward tracking, personalized offers, and seamless redemption—into a unified and user-friendly experience, without overwhelming customers with overly complex choices.
bank of georgia
- Tier-based benefits with premium perks (e.g., lounge access, concierge services);
- Strong brand association with high-status customers;
- Seamless integration within the banking app.
Strengths:
- Benefits are mostly exclusive to high-tier users;
- Less gamification and engagement for regular customers;
- Limited visibility on how to progress between tiers.
Weaknesses:
user flow
low/hi-fi design
Takeaways
The key takeaways for the Ertguli Loyalty Program focus on ensuring a seamless and intuitive user experience. Clear and simple navigation from home page to key features like the loyalty dashboard and reward redemption is essential to keep users engaged. Personalization plays a crucial role in motivating users, with tailored offers and progress tracking boosting retention.
Visibility of points and rewards, combined with flexible paths for engagement, will enhance the user journey. Additionally, efficient session management and regular notifications about new offers or user progress will keep the experience dynamic and encourage continued interaction with the program.
What is the product and who is it for?
DESIGN STRATEGY
n this project, I took a goal-directed design approach that proved to be quite effective in our design efforts. I found qualitative research methods to be the most useful, consisting of stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, and the most important persona construction. I started out by asking myself some initial key questions.
What do our primary users need most?
What challenges could we face moving forward?
Which users are the most important to the business?
Who do we see as our biggest competitors?
What should we review to familiarise ourselves?
I found data from interviews to be the most effective understandings I garnered. I then used an affinity diagram to separate the data into groups of tasks which were further categorised by high level goals for improvement in efficiency, process, depth, and familiarity. Recognising the conflicts of interest from each audience allowed me to focus on shaping user goals and how those goals would in-turn also affect the business’ goals.
USER MOTIVATIONS & NEEDS
"I want to earn rewards for my daily banking activities."
"Cashback and discounts on partner stores would be valuable."
"Exclusive perks for long-term customers would make me stay with the bank."
"I prefer a simple way to track my points and benefits."
"A clear breakdown of how points are earned and redeemed is important."
"I don’t trust programs that have hidden rules or expiring points."
"Too many restrictions on reward usage make them feel pointless."
"I don’t want to wait too long to redeem rewards."
"If the app doesn’t clearly show my progress, I lose interest."
"Complicated reward systems discourage me from using loyalty programs."
PAIN POINTS & FRUSTRATIONS
"Tier-based benefits that give me better rewards over time."
"Integration with daily banking activities like payments and savings."
"A way to convert points into real money or transfer them to friends."
"Push notifications about expiring rewards or new offers would be great."
"An easy-to-understand dashboard with my loyalty status would be helpful."
FEATURE REQUESTS & EXPECTATIONS
USER FLOW
LOW/HI-FI DESIGN
TAKEAWAYS
The key takeaways for the Ertguli Loyalty Program focus on ensuring a seamless and intuitive user experience. Clear and simple navigation from home page to key features like the loyalty dashboard and reward redemption is essential to keep users engaged. Personalization plays a crucial role in motivating users, with tailored offers and progress tracking boosting retention.
Visibility of points and rewards, combined with flexible paths for engagement, will enhance the user journey. Additionally, efficient session management and regular notifications about new offers or user progress will keep the experience dynamic and encourage continued interaction with the program.
design strategy
In this project, I took a goal-directed design approach that proved to be quite effective in our design efforts. I found qualitative research methods to be the most useful, consisting of stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, and the most important persona construction. I started out by asking myself some initial key questions.
What is the product and who is it for?
What challenges could we face moving forward?
I found data from interviews to be the most effective understandings I garnered. I then used an affinity diagram to separate the data into groups of tasks which were further categorised by high level goals for improvement in efficiency, process, depth, and familiarity. Recognising the conflicts of interest from each audience allowed me to focus on shaping user goals and how those goals would in-turn also affect the business’ goals.
User Motivations & Needs
What do our primary users need most?
Who do we see as our biggest competitors?
Which users are the most important to the business?
What should we review to familiarise ourselves?
"I prefer a simple way to track my points and benefits."
"I don’t want to wait too long to redeem rewards."
"A way to convert points into real money or transfer them to friends."
"Cashback and discounts on partner stores would be valuable."
"A clear breakdown of how points are earned and redeemed is important."
"If the app doesn’t clearly show my progress, I lose interest."
"I don’t trust programs that have hidden rules or expiring points."
"Push notifications about expiring rewards or new offers would be great."
"Tier-based benefits that give me better rewards over time."
"I want to earn rewards for my daily banking activities."
"Exclusive perks for long-term customers would make me stay with the bank."
Pain Points & Frustrations
"Complicated reward systems discourage me from using loyalty programs."
"Too many restrictions on reward usage make them feel pointless."
Feature Requests & Expectations
"An easy-to-understand dashboard with my loyalty status would be helpful."
"Integration with daily banking activities like payments and savings."
Nino is a busy professional who actively uses her banking app for everyday transactions, bill payments, and online shopping. She values convenience and enjoys programs that reward her for actions she’s already taking. However, she often finds loyalty programs confusing and dislikes unclear point systems with hidden restrictions.
She prefers a seamless, transparent experience where she can easily track her rewards and redeem them without hassle. Personalized offers, such as cashback on her favorite brands and discounts on travel services, would motivate her to engage more with the Ertguli program. Time-efficient interactions are crucial for her, so she expects a well-structured, visually appealing UI with straightforward navigation.
Giorgi is a digital-savvy user who frequently makes online purchases, trades crypto, and uses various financial services through his banking app. He enjoys exploring new features but loses interest if a system feels too complicated or slow. He appreciates gamification elements, such as progress tracking and tier-based rewards,
Giorgi expects instant updates on his points, clear redemption options, and the ability to use rewards flexibly, such as converting points into cash or discounts on digital services. A smooth, visually dynamic interface with interactive elements would keep him engaged with the Ertguli loyalty program.
meet the users
Name:
Age:
Occupation
Nino
33
Marketing specialist
Name:
Age:
Occupation
Giorgi
28
Tech Enthusiast
TBC LOYALTY
PROJECT GOAL
The goal of the Ertguli loyalty program within the banking mobile app is to enhance customer engagement and retention by offering a rewarding and seamless experience. Through personalised offers, tiered benefits, and effortless point accumulation, the program encourages active usage, strengthens customer loyalty, and provides exclusive rewards such as discounts and cash-back.
CHALLENGES
Balancing gamification elements with clarity, optimising the redemption flow to minimise friction, and effectively communicating tiered benefits without cognitive overload are key hurdles.
Name: Nino
Age: 33
Occupation: Marketing Specialist
MEET THE USERS
Nino is a busy professional who actively uses her banking app for everyday transactions, bill payments, and online shopping. She values convenience and enjoys programs that reward her for actions she’s already taking. However, she often finds loyalty programs confusing and dislikes unclear point systems with hidden restrictions.
She prefers a seamless, transparent experience where she can easily track her rewards and redeem them without hassle. Personalized offers, such as cashback on her favorite brands and discounts on travel services, would motivate her to engage more with the Ertguli program. Time-efficient interactions are crucial for her, so she expects a well-structured, visually appealing UI with straightforward navigation.
Giorgi is a digital-savvy user who frequently makes online purchases, trades crypto, and uses various financial services through his banking app. He enjoys exploring new features but loses interest if a system feels too complicated or slow. He appreciates gamification elements, such as progress tracking and tier-based rewards,
Giorgi expects instant updates on his points, clear redemption options, and the ability to use rewards flexibly, such as converting points into cash or discounts on digital services. A smooth, visually dynamic interface with interactive elements would keep him engaged with the Ertguli loyalty program.
Name: Giorgi
Age: 28
Occupation: Tech Enthusiast
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
I analyzed several competing banking loyalty programs that could impact Ertguli’s user engagement and retention. Ertguli has the opportunity to differentiate itself by integrating the best features from competitors—such as transparent reward tracking, personalized offers, and seamless redemption—into a unified and user-friendly experience, without overwhelming customers with overly complex choices.
BANK 0F GEORGIA
- Tier-based benefits with premium perks (e.g., lounge access, concierge services);
- Strong brand association with high-status customers;
- Seamless integration within the banking app.
Strengths:
- Benefits are mostly exclusive to high-tier users;
- Less gamification and engagement for regular customers;
- Limited visibility on how to progress between tiers.
Weaknesses:
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