From Angry Calls to Self-Serve Clarity: Bonus Interest Tracker
The Problem: The call centre was overwhelmed by customers calling to ask about their bonus interest to see if they qualified or why haven't they got paid. Those calls were costly, time-consuming, and left customers more frustrated than before.
The Business Impact: Bonus interest queries were a small share of total complaints, but disproportionately expensive. Each one required individual handling, draining call centre capacity and driving down App Store ratings across all three brands.
My Role: I led the end-to-end research and synthesis that revealed some compounding failures:
Unclear eligibility criteria
Invisible progress tracking
No payment timeline
The criteria itself was genuinely complex and transparency alone couldn't solve it.
The Outcome: From those findings I designed, iterated and delivered a self-service clarity tracker across 3 brands and 5 products. This was the first time customers had visibility, control and confidence in one place. Research also gave the business evidence that the remaining confusion wasn't a design failure, but a product complexity problem. Two outcomes. One solved through design. One handed to the business as a strategic decision.
Client
Virgin Money | ME Bank | Bank of Queensland
Role
Lead Researcher | UX/UI Designer
Stakeholders
Product Lead | Development Lead | Design Lead | Compliance Team
/ Context
5
Complex Products, 3 Brands, 2 Platforms
10
%
Of Digital Bank Complaints Were Related to Bonus Interest
30
%
Of These Complaints Were from Virgin Money
70
%
Of These Complaints Were from MyBOQ App
How might we help customers stay on track to earn their bonus — without needing to call for help?
/ Discovery
Experience Mapping
We mapped the product criteria and user journey to identify friction points in tracking bonus interest. By analysing app interactions, call centre logs, and user feedback, we uncovered transparency gaps that led to confusion and high support demand. These insights shaped our design hypothesis.
Customers find Bonus Interest criteria difficult to understand.
Pain Point
We believe clear communication of the criteria and progress visibility will reduce support queries, because customers had no way to self-serve the answer.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t know which criteria they haven’t met.
Pain Point
We believe a visual progress tracker will increase completion rates, because users can't act on criteria they can't see.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t understand why pending transactions are excluded.
Pain Point
We believe contextual messaging around pending transactions will reduce confusion, because without explanation exclusions felt like errors.
Hypothesis
Customers lack timely updates on their progress.
Pain Point
We believe timely progress updates will improve confidence and completion, because they can't complete what they don't know they have missed.
Hypothesis
Competitor Analysis
We audited 5 competitor banking apps to benchmark how the market handled bonus interest visibility. The gap was clear: most competitors either lacked a tracker entirely or buried eligibility criteria. That absence validated the opportunity, and the table below shows exactly where the market fell short.
Prototyping
We then designed a series of prototypes in preparation for usability testing.
Usability Testing
I recruited and led 6 moderated sessions across 8 prototype variations. Testing revealed users values the visual tracker and understood each element in isolation, but couldn't connect the criteria, timeline, and tracker into a coherent picture. The hierarchy wasn't guiding them through the information gradually. That insight shifted the iteration priority from visual refinement to information architecture.
Users loved the visual tracker, but struggled to piece together fragmented copy, navigate the cluttered layout, and follow unclear instructions.
/ Design
Redesigned for clarity, usability, and actionability
I led and executed each design iteration based on a specific research finding. The priority was information hierarchy first, making the criteria, timeline, and tracker readable as a connected system before refining the visual layer.
Hover over the arrows to explore key improvements.
Edge Cases
Not all users fit the standard flow. I designed for welcome bonus recipients and under-18 accounts among other edge cases that would have created confusion or exclusion if left unaddressed.
Design Hand-off
I worked directly with the senior UI designer to adapt the tracker across three brand design systems, and aligned with developers early to surface feasibility constraints before final handover, not after.
Before
After
/ Success Criteria
Before handover, I defined what success would look like for the business:
-
Fewer support queries related to bonus interest
+
Improved App Store ratings across brands
+
Sustained engagement post-launch
If confusion persisted post-launch, the next lever was product simplification, not more design.
/ Reflection
Aligning Across Stakeholders
The product was complex enough that even internal stakeholders didn't fully agree on how it worked. Aligning compliance, dev, product, and branding, each with different priorities was challenging at times. What worked was proper documentation and clear communication and as a result I became better in navigating complex regulation heavy products.
Designing for Simplicity
This project taught me that the hardest design problem wasn't the interface, but the product logic underneath it. I learned to advocate for simplicity in the product itself not just on the screen, anchoring every decision in what users could actually understand.
Navigating Conflict Constructively
When a peer reworked my design post-approval, I addressed it directly and respectfully. Escalating when needed, I stayed focused on outcomes, ensuring alignment and delivery without losing trust.
From Angry Calls to Self-Serve Clarity: Bonus Interest Tracker
The Problem: The call centre was overwhelmed by customers calling to ask about their bonus interest to see if they qualified or why haven't they got paid. Those calls were costly, time-consuming, and left customers more frustrated than before.
The Business Impact: Bonus interest queries were a small share of total complaints, but disproportionately expensive. Each one required individual handling, draining call centre capacity and driving down App Store ratings across all three brands.
My Role: I led the end-to-end research and synthesis that revealed some compounding failures:
Unclear eligibility criteria
Invisible progress tracking
No payment timeline
The criteria itself was genuinely complex and transparency alone couldn't solve it.
The Outcome: From those findings I designed, iterated and delivered a self-service clarity tracker across 3 brands and 5 products. This was the first time customers had visibility, control and confidence in one place. Research also gave the business evidence that the remaining confusion wasn't a design failure, but a product complexity problem. Two outcomes. One solved through design. One handed to the business as a strategic decision.
Client
Virgin Money | ME Bank | Bank of Queensland
Role
Lead Researcher | UX/UI Designer
Stakeholders
Product Lead | Development Lead | Design Lead | Compliance Team
/ Context
5
Complex Products, 3 Brands, 2 Platforms
10
%
Of Digital Bank Complaints Were Related to Bonus Interest
30
%
Of These Complaints Were from Virgin Money
70
%
Of These Complaints Were from MyBOQ App
How might we help customers stay on track to earn their bonus — without needing to call for help?
/ Discovery
Experience Mapping
We mapped the product criteria and user journey to identify friction points in tracking bonus interest. By analysing app interactions, call centre logs, and user feedback, we uncovered transparency gaps that led to confusion and high support demand. These insights shaped our design hypothesis.
Customers find Bonus Interest criteria difficult to understand.
Pain Point
We believe clear communication of the criteria and progress visibility will reduce support queries, because customers had no way to self-serve the answer.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t know which criteria they haven’t met.
Pain Point
We believe a visual progress tracker will increase completion rates, because users can't act on criteria they can't see.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t understand why pending transactions are excluded.
Pain Point
We believe contextual messaging around pending transactions will reduce confusion, because without explanation exclusions felt like errors.
Hypothesis
Customers lack timely updates on their progress.
Pain Point
We believe timely progress updates will improve confidence and completion, because they can't complete what they don't know they have missed.
Hypothesis
Competitor Analysis
We audited 5 competitor banking apps to benchmark how the market handled bonus interest visibility. The gap was clear: most competitors either lacked a tracker entirely or buried eligibility criteria. That absence validated the opportunity, and the table below shows exactly where the market fell short.
Prototyping
We then designed a series of prototypes in preparation for usability testing.
Usability Testing
I recruited and led 6 moderated sessions across 8 prototype variations. Testing revealed users values the visual tracker and understood each element in isolation, but couldn't connect the criteria, timeline, and tracker into a coherent picture. The hierarchy wasn't guiding them through the information gradually. That insight shifted the iteration priority from visual refinement to information architecture.
Users loved the visual tracker, but struggled to piece together fragmented copy, navigate the cluttered layout, and follow unclear instructions.
/ Design
Redesigned for clarity, usability, and actionability
I led and executed each design iteration based on a specific research finding. The priority was information hierarchy first, making the criteria, timeline, and tracker readable as a connected system before refining the visual layer.
Hover over the arrows to explore key improvements.
Edge Cases
Not all users fit the standard flow. I designed for welcome bonus recipients and under-18 accounts among other edge cases that would have created confusion or exclusion if left unaddressed.
Design Hand-off
I worked directly with the senior UI designer to adapt the tracker across three brand design systems, and aligned with developers early to surface feasibility constraints before final handover, not after.
Before
After
/ Success Criteria
Before handover, I defined what success would look like for the business:
-
Brands Evolved Through Strategic Design
+
Improved App Store ratings across brands
+
Sustained engagement post-launch
If confusion persisted post-launch, the next lever was product simplification, not more design.
/ Reflection
Aligning Across Stakeholders
The product was complex enough that even internal stakeholders didn't fully agree on how it worked. Aligning compliance, dev, product, and branding, each with different priorities was challenging at times. What worked was proper documentation and clear communication and as a result I became better in navigating complex regulation heavy products.
Designing for Simplicity
This project taught me that the hardest design problem wasn't the interface, but the product logic underneath it. I learned to advocate for simplicity in the product itself not just on the screen, anchoring every decision in what users could actually understand.
Navigating Conflict Constructively
When a peer reworked my design post-approval, I addressed it directly and respectfully. Escalating when needed, I stayed focused on outcomes, ensuring alignment and delivery without losing trust.
From Angry Calls to Self-Serve Clarity: Bonus Interest Tracker
The Problem: The call centre was overwhelmed by customers calling to ask about their bonus interest to see if they qualified or why haven't they got paid. Those calls were costly, time-consuming, and left customers more frustrated than before.
The Business Impact: Bonus interest queries were a small share of total complaints, but disproportionately expensive. Each one required individual handling, draining call centre capacity and driving down App Store ratings across all three brands.
My Role: I led the end-to-end research and synthesis that revealed some compounding failures:
Unclear eligibility criteria
Invisible progress tracking
No payment timeline
The criteria itself was genuinely complex and transparency alone couldn't solve it.
The Outcome: From those findings I designed, iterated and delivered a self-service clarity tracker across 3 brands and 5 products. This was the first time customers had visibility, control and confidence in one place. Research also gave the business evidence that the remaining confusion wasn't a design failure, but a product complexity problem. Two outcomes. One solved through design. One handed to the business as a strategic decision.
Client
Virgin Money | ME Bank | Bank of Queensland
Role
Lead Researcher | UX/UI Designer
Stakeholders
Product Lead | Development Lead | Design Lead | Compliance Team
/ Context
5
Complex Products, 3 Brands, 2 Platforms
10
%
Of Digital Bank Complaints Were Related to Bonus Interest
30
%
Of These Complaints Were from Virgin Money
70
%
Of These Complaints Were from MyBOQ App
How might we help customers stay on track to earn their bonus — without needing to call for help?
/ Discovery
Experience Mapping
We mapped the product criteria and user journey to identify friction points in tracking bonus interest. By analysing app interactions, call centre logs, and user feedback, we uncovered transparency gaps that led to confusion and high support demand. These insights shaped our design hypothesis.
Customers find Bonus Interest criteria difficult to understand.
Pain Point
We believe clear communication of the criteria and progress visibility will reduce support queries, because customers had no way to self-serve the answer.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t know which criteria they haven’t met.
Pain Point
We believe a visual progress tracker will increase completion rates, because users can't act on criteria they can't see.
Hypothesis
Customers don’t understand why pending transactions are excluded.
Pain Point
We believe contextual messaging around pending transactions will reduce confusion, because without explanation exclusions felt like errors.
Hypothesis
Customers lack timely updates on their progress.
Pain Point
We believe timely progress updates will improve confidence and completion, because they can't complete what they don't know they have missed.
Hypothesis
Competitor Analysis
We audited 5 competitor banking apps to benchmark how the market handled bonus interest visibility. The gap was clear: most competitors either lacked a tracker entirely or buried eligibility criteria. That absence validated the opportunity, and the table below shows exactly where the market fell short.
Prototyping
We then designed a series of prototypes in preparation for usability testing.
Usability Testing
I recruited and led 6 moderated sessions across 8 prototype variations. Testing revealed users values the visual tracker and understood each element in isolation, but couldn't connect the criteria, timeline, and tracker into a coherent picture. The hierarchy wasn't guiding them through the information gradually. That insight shifted the iteration priority from visual refinement to information architecture.
Users loved the visual tracker, but struggled to piece together fragmented copy, navigate the cluttered layout, and follow unclear instructions.
/ Design
Redesigned for clarity, usability, and actionability
I led and executed each design iteration based on a specific research finding. The priority was information hierarchy first, making the criteria, timeline, and tracker readable as a connected system before refining the visual layer.
Hover over the arrows to explore key improvements.
Edge Cases
Not all users fit the standard flow. I designed for welcome bonus recipients and under-18 accounts among other edge cases that would have created confusion or exclusion if left unaddressed.
Design Hand-off
I worked directly with the senior UI designer to adapt the tracker across three brand design systems, and aligned with developers early to surface feasibility constraints before final handover, not after.
Before
After
/ Success Criteria
Before handover, I defined what success would look like for the business:
-
Fewer support queries related to bonus interest
+
Improved App Store ratings across brands
+
Sustained engagement post-launch
If confusion persisted post-launch, the next lever was product simplification, not more design.
/ Reflection
Aligning Across Stakeholders
The product was complex enough that even internal stakeholders didn't fully agree on how it worked. Aligning compliance, dev, product, and branding, each with different priorities was challenging at times. What worked was proper documentation and clear communication and as a result I became better in navigating complex regulation heavy products.
Designing for Simplicity
This project taught me that the hardest design problem wasn't the interface, but the product logic underneath it. I learned to advocate for simplicity in the product itself not just on the screen, anchoring every decision in what users could actually understand.
Navigating Conflict Constructively
When a peer reworked my design post-approval, I addressed it directly and respectfully. Escalating when needed, I stayed focused on outcomes, ensuring alignment and delivery without losing trust.