U.S. Bank – Checking & Rewards

UX / Visual Designer

Enhancing Smart Rewards
Clarity 
& Engagement

Helping customers understand tier benefits and make
confident banking decisions
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IMPACT

125% rise in page engagment – 
2.5% new signups


Role: Lead UX / Visual Designer (End-to-End)
Timeline: 1.5 month
TEAM: XA, Research, DEV, PM

OPPORTUNITY

The existing experience had several issues

Customers enrolled in Smart Rewards struggled to understand:

Microsoft’s Office organization relied on fragmented tools and manual communication methods to share updates and knowledge across teams. Important information was difficult to find, inconsistent in format, and often lost in email threads or disconnected systems.

The experience felt clearer in-branch than online — creating a gap in digital confidence.

At the same time, the Rewards page:

  • Was hard to find
  • Contained dense, overwhelming content
  • Lacked clear hierarchy

PROBLEM

Complex information created friction instead of motivation

The existing experience created multiple points of friction:

  • Large comparison grids increased cognitive load
  • All tiers were visually equal → no sense of progression
  • Key actions (like opening an account) were unclear
  • Navigation paths to Rewards were limited

This led to:

At the same time, the Rewards page:

  • Lower understanding vs. branch interactions
  • Reduced engagement with the program
  • Missed opportunities to drive account growth
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GOAL

Turn a complex rewards system into a clear, motivating experience
  • Improve understanding of tier progression
  • Increase visibility and accessibility of Rewards
  • Help users quickly see value and benefits
  • Drive application starts and long-term engagement

ROLE

Lead UX Designer (End-to-End)
  • Defined experience strategy and structure
  • Simplified information architecture
  • Designed scalable components for rewards display
  • Partnered with product, content, and engineering
  • Balanced UX, business goals, and compliance

APPROACH

Designing for clarity, not complexity

Information Architecture

  • Reorganized content around how users think:
  • What do I get? | Where am I?| How do I level up?
  • Reduced reliance on large comparison tables
  • Introduced clearer entry points into Rewards

Audit & Research

  • Reviewed current experience and analytics
  • Identified key confusion points in tier understanding
  • Analyzed competitor reward systems
  • Mapped user mental models around “value” and “progression”
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Key Problems
Users
Key HL
Input_ Research
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Experience Design

Focused on progressive disclosure and visual hierarchy:

  • Highlighted tier progression as a journey
  • Prioritized most relevant benefits first
  • Simplified content into scannable sections
  • Clarified primary CTAs
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Information Architecture

  • Enabled reuse across dashboard and marketing pages
  • Created a foundation for Test & Learn experimentation
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SOLUTION

A clearer, more personalized rewards experience

Tier-Based Design

  • Users can easily understand where they are and what’s next

Simplified Content

  • Reduced dense grids into digestible sections

Personalized Visibility

  • Clear view of current tier and benefits

Improved Navigation

  • Easier access from key entry points

Flexible System

  • Supports evolving rewards structure over time
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KEY TAKEAWAY

Clarity drives engagement

Created a more connected and transparent workplace

  • Clarity drives engagement
  • When users understand value, they’re more likely to act.
 By simplifying complexity and designing for progression, the experience shifted from informational → motivational.