Simplifying Rewards: A New User Experience for Air Miles Collectors

Helping new collectors understand and enjoy the Air Miles program with targeted emails, smart UX, and educational tools.

My Role

Lead UX Designer

(1 of 2)

Team

Product Owner, 2 Content Designers, 2 UX Designers

Timeline

5 months

Platforms

Email, App, Web

Tools

Figma, AEM (Adobe Experience Manager)

Project Overview

What We Built

A multi-step onboarding journey for new collectors (Air Miles members), guiding them from email → app → educational websites.
The goal: help users understand the program, earn faster, and redeem sooner.

The Problem

The Air Miles program is complex. Two types of miles (Cash vs. Dream), confusing “opt-in” steps, and limited onboarding led to frustration and drop-off.

My Role

I led UX for this 5-month project.

Turned requirements into wireframes, UI, and final designs across web, email, and app
Helped align content and creative teams
Ensured the experience felt clear, cohesive, and brand-right

Why It Mattered

This was the first major project to use the new Air Miles rebrand — and the first touchpoint for thousands of new users. We had a real shot at making the program feel easier and more rewarding from day one.

The Challenge

“We need a way to help collectors understand the program quickly — or we’ll lose them in the first week.”

Complexity Confused New Users

Two types of Miles (Cash vs. Dream) with different use cases
“Opt-in” offers required extra steps most collectors didn’t understand
Messaging about how to earn and redeem wasn’t clear or consistent

Business Goal

Get new collectors to participate more — meaning:
✔ Earn more Miles
✔ Redeem earlier
✔ Stay active in the program

The Process

01 - Kickoff & Planning

Team formed & roles defined
Scope set: Emails, App flows, Exclusive Offers, Educational content
Gamification planned (badges, progress tracking)
Notifications & email reminders included in early flow

02 - Early Design & Strategy

Wireframes and flows created for email and app experiences
Initial gamification concepts explored — Starbucks & Tim Hortons moodboard
Cross-functional misalignment surfaced (UX vs. creative)

03 - Mid-Project Pivot

Gamification dropped due to technical limitations
Offer card visual workaround created (progress images instead of real-time tracking)
Notification could no longer be used to house an independent experience
Pivot to educational web pages for explaining the program instead of having faux-websites inside the app.

04 - Team Sync & Process Fixes

Daily standups begin to align UX, content, and creative
Modular email section system designed for reusability
Email iteration begins — 11+ messages refined and simplified

05 - Brand & Tech Challenges

Air Miles rebrand in-progress — our project was first to use it
Flexible design system built to adapt to unknowns
Switched to AEM for educational pages
Self-taught AEM publishing to accelerate delivery

06 - Launch & Reflection

Web and email experience shipped
One email section praised as “clearest Air Miles explanation ever”
Still waiting on metrics, but internal feedback strong
Positive team reflection on alignment and final delivery

Key challenges & Solutions

🚫 Creative team disconnect

The UX and content/creative teams were working in silos, which caused misalignment, inconsistent messaging, and delays.

✅ Solution

We initiated daily cross-functional syncs to realign the team. These helped us refine the flow and break emails into modular sections.

🚫 Gamification dropped late in the game

Gamification was originally core to the concept (badges, progress tracking), but got scrapped due to tech limitations.

✅ Solution

We pivoted and simulated progress with smart visual cues—like changing images in the email offers—keeping the experience engaging despite the constraints.

🚫 Notification module limitations

We initially planned to use in-app notifications to educate users. That idea got shut down due to technical limitations. We then attempted to have a faux in-app website for our experience but that was canceled as well.

✅ Solution

I designed flexible, responsive educational landing pages instead, ensuring continuity from email to app to web.

🚫 Surprise rebrand mid-project

Air Miles was quietly undergoing a rebrand. Our project would be the first to go live under the new branding—but we had little access to official assets.

✅ Solution

I designed with flexibility in mind, anticipating the new style and adapting quickly when it was finally revealed.

🚫 New CMS (AEM) roll-out during our build

The dev team had to build the new educational web pages in Adobe Experience Manager—brand new to Air Miles.

✅ Solution

I taught myself how to publish in AEM to help move faster and make design tweaks on the fly.

Crafting the Collector Journey

Designing a seamless onboarding experience from inbox to app to web.

This project launched during a major Air Miles rebrand — and we were the first to implement the new look and feel.

While rebrand assets were withheld for most of the project, I ensured our work was flexible and future-proof. Our modular designs helped set the visual tone for other teams.

A Cohesive, Guided Experience

We delivered a thoughtful, omni-channel experience for new Air Miles collectors — starting from their welcome email, to app engagement, and finally educational content on web.

Every step of the journey was designed to ease users into the program’s complexities, helping them earn and redeem faster with confidence.

The Email Journey

We designed over 11 modular emails, strategically spaced to guide users through key behaviors:

Downloading the app
Opting into offers
Understanding Dream vs. Cash Miles
Redeeming their first reward

I personally designed multiple reusable email sections — one of which was praised by stakeholders as “the clearest the Air Miles program has ever been explained.”

Mobile App Integration

Originally, we planned to use gamification: badges, in-app progress tracking, and triggered educational content. We also planned to have an entire in-app fa

When technical constraints emerged, we pivoted and delivered:

Visual “step images” that mimicked progression
Emails that deep-linked to exclusive in-app offers
Educational content also accessible on web

Educational Web Pages

When in-app learning modules were removed from scope, I took full ownership of designing responsive educational pages that:

Explained how to earn and redeem miles
Clarified Dream vs. Cash Miles
Reinforced program value to new users

To help speed implementation, I even taught myself AEM (Adobe Experience Manager) and supported the dev directly.

Real Results, Real Impact

This project launched quite a while ago, and I heard it has done well — but unfortunately I am still waiting for metrics that were promised to me almost a year ago at this point. I guess that's just what happens sometimes.

Early Feedback

“This is the clearest the Air Miles program has ever been explained.”
– Air Miles Stakeholder

“This sets the bar for how we welcome new collectors.”
– Project Team Member

What We’re Watching For:

App downloads driven by the email journey
Completion rates for exclusive offers
Page traffic and time spent on educational pages
First-time redemptions among new collectors

What I Learned & Takeaways

Design requires flexibility

Even the best-laid plans shift — and this project proved it. When gamification features and notification modules were cut, I learned how to pivot fast without compromising the user experience. Designing backup solutions (like visual progression images and responsive web pages) taught me to be solution-focused, not tool-dependent.

Communication is everything

Cross-functional collaboration was a challenge at first. Misalignment between UX, content, and creative slowed us down. But once we implemented daily check-ins and walked through each email and asset together, our workflow completely transformed. I now bring that collaborative rigor into every project.

Ownership builds impact

I took full ownership of designing the educational web pages — from wireframes to implementation in AEM. Teaching myself a new CMS and jumping in to support dev work reminded me that great UX goes beyond screens; it’s about removing friction wherever it shows up.

Good UX is clarity

One of the email components I designed was praised as “the clearest the Air Miles program has ever been explained.” That moment validated how thoughtful UX can turn complexity into simplicity — and complexity was exactly what this project needed to untangle.