Deals Discovery & Redemption
Reducing friction in deal discovery and redemption for a closed user group app.
role
Product designer
focus
Discovery, redemption flows
platform
Mobile app (CUG)
This project focused on improving two high-friction areas of a closed user group deals app: discovering nearby offers and redeeming coupons at the point of use.
Members valued access to exclusive discounts, but engagement was dropping. Research showed that users struggled to find relevant deals near them and often abandoned coupons due to a confusing, multi-step redemption flow. These issues not only frustrated members, but also reduced partner value and increased support requests.
I started by interviewing active users and members who had stopped using the app to understand where the experience broke down. Two themes emerged clearly: discovery needed to feel location-aware and immediate, and redemption needed to feel obvious and fast—especially in real-world, time-sensitive contexts.
The solution centered on simplifying both ends of the experience. Deal discovery was redesigned around geolocation, surfacing nearby offers by default and allowing lightweight filtering by category and distance. The redemption flow was reworked to remove unnecessary steps, clarify expectations, and guide users confidently from selection to confirmation.
The updated experience led to measurable improvements across engagement and business metrics. Lapsed users returned, overall engagement increased, and partners saw higher redemption rates. Support inquiries related to coupon issues dropped significantly, reinforcing that the new flows reduced confusion rather than shifting it elsewhere.
This project reinforced the impact of addressing small but critical moments in a user journey—and the importance of designing for real-world usage, not just ideal paths.
Olivia Vaughan