UX/ UI Researcher and Designer
Crowdtap
UX Researcher/ Designer, UI Designer
July 2021 - October 2024
Processes Involved:
User Research, User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Personas, Journey Mapping, Workshops, Design Thinking, Usability Testing, Sketching, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Experience Design, Visual Design, Copywriting, Presentations
Crowdtap, the B2C product owned by Suzy, Inc., is a dynamic market research platform that empowers Suzy's clients to quickly gather actionable consumer insights. This is accomplished by engaging with Crowdtap’s dedicated user communities through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. By rewarding users with gift cards and incentives, Crowdtap fosters meaningful participation, helping businesses leverage real-time feedback to drive data-informed strategies and enhance product and service offerings.
Role and Key Responsibilities
Over time, my role as UX Designer for Crowdtap evolved to include ownership of the entire design lifecycle, from initial research and conceptualization to execution and post-launch evaluation.
Given the platform's diverse customer base, I was responsible for designing an experience that was not only seamless and intuitive but also deeply engaging for an array of Crowdtap members.
By prioritizing gamification, I created a user experience that ensured strong user loyalty and drove sustained long-term retention, while providing a fun and effortless way for members to share their opinions and earn extra money.
Crowdtap Personas
One of the most pivotal projects I led was the development of Crowdtap’s four primary customer personas, which became the foundation for designing experiences tailored to our platform’s diverse target demographics.
This process involved conducting 10 rounds of in-depth customer interviews using Suzy’s internal video interview platform, with the goal of identifying key trends, behaviors, and user needs.
The insights from these interviews were synthesized into journey maps and behavioral landscapes, illustrating typical user experiences. These tools helped highlight user preferences, pain points, and potential opportunities, guiding future design decisions to enhance the platform's overall experience.
User Focused Research
As the primary designer for Crowdtap, I spearheaded user research initiatives that provided critical insights and validation for our design strategies, shaping the direction of our B2C platform to better meet user needs and expectations.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of product expectations and our competitive landscape, I facilitated various workshops and conducted in-depth competitive analyses, focussing on all aspects of the consumer-facing platform including onboarding, security, survey experiences, user education, reward redemption, gamification, and more.
Utilizing UserTesting, I spearheaded over 50 usability tests, gathering insights from more than 300 individual respondents through a total of over 40+ hours of recorded interviews. This extensive collection of data drove and validated our design decisions, ensuring we crafted the most effective and relevant experiences for our diverse customer base.
Security and Retention
One of the most challenging aspects of designing a customer-facing product was ensuring that the platform remained continuously engaging and exciting while prioritizing user security and retention.
Given that users were sharing personal information through surveys and redeeming monetary rewards, I focused on creating experiences that instilled a sense of safety and trust. This involved implementing robust security measures, including two-factor authentication, security questions, and SMS verification, all of which enhanced the platform’s overall security and usability.
To keep users motivated to return, I played a vital role in the ideation, research, and execution of various gamification elements. Features such as daily streaks, challenges, levels, reward goals, and badges not only boosted user engagement but also significantly contributed to retaining and growing our customer base of over 2 million users.
Results and Impact
Through my holistic approach to user research and design, I successfully developed Crowdtap’s four primary customer personas, which became instrumental in tailoring experiences that resonated with our diverse customer base of over 2 million users, ultimately driving higher user satisfaction and engagement.
By prioritizing gamification and implementing engaging features such as daily streaks and challenges, I significantly enhanced user retention and loyalty, ensuring that users not only returned to the platform regularly but also found value in sharing their opinions and earning rewards for over 40 gift card providers.
My commitment to integrating robust security measures, including two-factor authentication and SMS verification, not only fostered a sense of trust among users sharing personal information but also contributed to an overall increase in platform usability, further solidifying Crowdtap’s reputation as a secure and reputable environment for user interaction.
Reflection
During my tenure as a UX/UI Researcher and Designer at Crowdtap, I had the opportunity to collaborate closely with product managers, marketing teams, and engineering staff in a dynamic, agile startup environment. This collaborative experience allowed me to tackle specific customer-facing challenges, such as gamification, and deepened my understanding of user engagement from a B2C perspective, contrasting significantly with traditional B2B approaches.
Cross-Team Collaboration
In collaborating with product managers, business analysts, marketing teams, and engineers, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the product lifecycle. This experience expanded my expertise beyond design, allowing me to contribute to every stage of product development—from ideation and strategy to execution and post-launch optimization—giving me a well-rounded perspective on how to create cohesive, impactful solutions.
Designing B2C Solutions
While Suzy operates as a paid membership platform for brands and businesses, Crowdtap offers a free-to-sign-up model, presenting a unique challenge in keeping users consistently engaged and motivated to return. Unlike designing for paying clients, this required innovative and creative approaches to drive user retention, leading to the development of gamified elements that incentivized daily participation. This challenge fostered out-of-the-box thinking, enabling me to design solutions that not only captivated users but also sustained long-term engagement.
Prioritizing User Research
Unlike traditional client-driven requests for specific designs or features, Crowdtap relied heavily on user-centered research to drive the development of solutions that truly resonated with its diverse customer base. This approach made it essential to maintain constant engagement with users through regular usability tests and interviews, ensuring that every design was informed by real user needs. By staying closely connected to our audience, I was able to create seamless, engaging experiences that kept users returning to the platform.