UCount Rewards

UCount Rewards is Standard Bank’s loyalty program designed to reward customers every time they spend. Members earn points based on their banking behavior and card usage, which they can redeem for discounts, vouchers, fuel, and other lifestyle benefits. As part of the bank’s broader digital ecosystem, UCount is integrated into the Standard Bank app as an optional add-on feature.

• Role: Senior Product Designer
• Company: Standard Bank Group
• Team: UX, UI, Research, Analytics, Tech, Marketing
• Duration: 1 year, 6 months

Customers struggled to understand and use the Tier Estimator on the UCount website:

Didn’t know how to progress or what the rewards were.

Many assumed you just had to swipe your card.

Frequent calls to the call centre for clarity

This pointed to deeper usability and comprehension issues across the entire UCount experience.

Customers struggled to understand and use the Tier Estimator on the UCount website:

Make tier progression and benefits easy to understand

Seamlessly integrate the Tier Estimator.

Improve usability, engagement, and findability

I led the UX and product design strategy from discovery through delivery. My key contributions:

Defined the problem and aligned teams

Synthesized research into personas, insights, and MVP features

Facilitated ideation workshops with CX and Engineering teams

Led end-to-end design of all the journeys

Ran user testing and iterative improvements based on insights

Partnered with analytics and content to optimize copy, flows, and onboarding

10 in-depth interviews (diverse demographics across UCount & competitor users)

Call centre agent interviews revealed frustration with tiering and terminology

Heuristic analysis exposed poor usability and inaccessible tier info

Competitor analysis showed gamification and dashboard-level integration as key trends

App analytics: 10% accessed the add-ons section, UCount was underutilized

1. Tier Estimator Overhaul

Made it visible, interactive, and progress-driven

Used plain language and tooltips to explain how to level up

2. Gamified Weekly Challenges

Personalized based on user behavior

Created a fun, learnable experience to drive engagement

3. Content & Labeling Improvements

Replaced confusing terms like “Goals & Gains” with “Learn to Earn

Updated visual hierarchy and used customer-friendly tone

4. Retailer Integration Enhancements

Added Checkers Sixty60 as a direct shopping option

Enabled GPS and link-outs for remote users

Tested across 8 participants

Users struggled with entry point → improved with “View Dashboard” button

Preference for white menu with icons (5/8 preferred it)

Clear interest in progress tracking and weekly challenges

Language like “Rewards Points vs Level Points” was confusing → added tooltips

📈 +100,000 new users after launch (1.4M → 1.5M and still growing)

📉 Reduced call centre queries related to tiering

🛒 Onboarded new retailers like Checkers Sixty60

🔁 Continuous iteration in progress, based on analytics and testing

📊 Improved feature discoverability and user engagement

We didn’t just redesign a feature, we transformed a scattered, low-engagement experience into a meaningful journey that educates, engages, and empowers users to unlock real value.

I made sure every design decision was rooted in research, aligned with the business, and centered around the customer.