EmCan Case Study
EmCan is a mobile loyalty app for fuel stations across UAE, helping customers earn and redeem rewards on fuel, car washes, coffee, and partner offers. As the Product Designer (UI/UX), I designed new features like promotions, car wash packages, coffee stamp cards, and a partnership integration with regional loyalty programs, improving user engagement and reward redemption
Impact & Results
73% Faster
Review Time
Moderation efficiency
30% Reduction
Time-to-Market
Via design system
+40%
Lead Generation
After website redesign
My Role
Lead UI/UX designer for the loyalty experience. Worked with product manager, developers, marketing, and partner teams.
Timeline
7 months from discovery to PWA launch, with continuous iteration and feature delivery post-launch.
Tools & Tech
Figma, JIRA, Confluence, Miro, Design systems
The Problem
Although EmCan had a basic loyalty system, users struggled to understand how to earn and redeem rewards. Car wash and coffee benefits were not surfaced in the app, and partner offers were fragmented. This led to low redemption rates and limited engagement with promotions.
Key Challenges
01
Existing brand and design system to follow
02
Had to support multiple loyalty partners with different rules
03
Short release timeline aligned with a marketing campaign launch
Problem 1 - Retail Promotions
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Process
- Reviewed existing C-store offline promotion experience.
- Mapped the user journey to see where offers should appear
- Explored IA: home vs. dedicated offers tab vs. in-context placement at checkout
- Ran quick usability checks or stakeholder reviews
Outcome
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Problem 2 - Car wash package
Traditionally, buying car wash packages has required customers to physically present a voucher each time they visit for a wash. This has posed a challenge for the business, as it aims to maintain the existing process while also integrating a digital solution. The goal is to display vouchers within the app, ensuring that the purchasing experience remains offline at convenience stores.
Process
- Defined key flows: buying a car wash, redeeming, tracking remaining washes
- Sketched different ways to visualize remaining washes and expiry
Outcome
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Problem 3 - Coffee Stamp Card
In the past, physical stamp cards were a common sight at petrol stations, allowing customers to collect stamps in exchange for complimentary coffees. However, many people frequently misplaced their cards or simply forgot to ask for stamps during their visits, leading to missed opportunities for free beverages.
Process
- Defined key flows: buying a car wash, redeeming, tracking remaining washes
- Sketched different ways to visualize remaining washes and expiry
Outcome
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Problem 4 - Partnerships with Other Loyalty Programs
EmCan aimed to seamlessly integrate with various external loyalty partners, each possessing unique rules, point systems, and branding. This integration was essential to enhance the benefits available to our EmCan community members. However, we faced a challenge in effectively promoting these partnerships within our app. We needed to devise a strategy for integration that would minimize the implementation effort required from developers whenever a new partner came on board. The design must ensure that users can easily access and understand the benefits offered by each partner.
Process
- Mapped user flows like linking external journeys, viewing joint rewards, redeeming across programs.
- Collaborated with developers and partner teams to understand technical limits.
Outcome
- Designed a “Linked Loyalty Accounts” section where:
- Users can connect/unlink partner programs.
- See combined or separate balances clearly.
- Created partner-specific reward cards that respect each partner’s brand while still fitting EmCan’s design system.
- Added feedback states for sync errors and pending connections.
Learnings & Reflection
Outcomes
- Clearer flows for promotions and car wash redemption.
- Digital coffee loyalty integrated into the main app.
- A scalable pattern for adding new loyalty partners.
Learnings
- Designing loyalty across categories (fuel, wash, coffee, partners) taught me to think in systems—not isolated features.
- I learned to communicate complex partner rules in simple interfaces and microcopy.
EmCan Case Study
EmCan is a mobile loyalty app for fuel stations across UAE, helping customers earn and redeem rewards on fuel, car washes, coffee, and partner offers. As the Product Designer (UI/UX), I designed new features like promotions, car wash packages, coffee stamp cards, and a partnership integration with regional loyalty programs, improving user engagement and reward redemption
Impact & Results
73% Faster
Review Time
Moderation efficiency
30% Reduction
Time-to-Market
Via design system
+40%
Lead Generation
After website redesign
My Role
Lead UI/UX designer for the loyalty experience. Worked with product manager, developers, marketing, and partner teams.
Timeline
7 months from discovery to PWA launch, with continuous iteration and feature delivery post-launch.
Tools & Tech
Figma, JIRA, Confluence, Miro, Design systems
The Problem
Although EmCan had a basic loyalty system, users struggled to understand how to earn and redeem rewards. Car wash and coffee benefits were not surfaced in the app, and partner offers were fragmented. This led to low redemption rates and limited engagement with promotions.
Key Challenges
01
Existing brand and design system to follow
02
Had to support multiple loyalty partners with different rules
03
Short release timeline aligned with a marketing campaign launch
Problem 1 - Retail Promotions
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Process
- Reviewed existing C-store offline promotion experience.
- Mapped the user journey to see where offers should appear
- Explored IA: home vs. dedicated offers tab vs. in-context placement at checkout
- Ran quick usability checks or stakeholder reviews
Outcome
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Problem 2 - Car wash package
Traditionally, buying car wash packages has required customers to physically present a voucher each time they visit for a wash. This has posed a challenge for the business, as it aims to maintain the existing process while also integrating a digital solution. The goal is to display vouchers within the app, ensuring that the purchasing experience remains offline at convenience stores.
Process
- Defined key flows: buying a car wash, redeeming, tracking remaining washes
- Sketched different ways to visualize remaining washes and expiry
Outcome
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Problem 3 - Coffee Stamp Card
In the past, physical stamp cards were a common sight at petrol stations, allowing customers to collect stamps in exchange for complimentary coffees. However, many people frequently misplaced their cards or simply forgot to ask for stamps during their visits, leading to missed opportunities for free beverages.
Process
- Defined key flows: buying a car wash, redeeming, tracking remaining washes
- Sketched different ways to visualize remaining washes and expiry
Outcome
Users often found it challenging to uncover promotions, leading to confusion about which offers were relevant to them. This lack of clarity made it difficult for them to take advantage of available deals. To address this we followed the below steps:
Problem 4 - Partnerships with Other Loyalty Programs
EmCan aimed to seamlessly integrate with various external loyalty partners, each possessing unique rules, point systems, and branding. This integration was essential to enhance the benefits available to our EmCan community members. However, we faced a challenge in effectively promoting these partnerships within our app. We needed to devise a strategy for integration that would minimize the implementation effort required from developers whenever a new partner came on board. The design must ensure that users can easily access and understand the benefits offered by each partner.
Process
- Mapped user flows like linking external journeys, viewing joint rewards, redeeming across programs.
- Collaborated with developers and partner teams to understand technical limits.
Outcome
- Designed a “Linked Loyalty Accounts” section where:
- Users can connect/unlink partner programs.
- See combined or separate balances clearly.
- Created partner-specific reward cards that respect each partner’s brand while still fitting EmCan’s design system.
- Added feedback states for sync errors and pending connections.
Learnings & Reflection
Outcomes
- Clearer flows for promotions and car wash redemption.
- Digital coffee loyalty integrated into the main app.
- A scalable pattern for adding new loyalty partners.
Learnings
- Designing loyalty across categories (fuel, wash, coffee, partners) taught me to think in systems—not isolated features.
- I learned to communicate complex partner rules in simple interfaces and microcopy.