Streamlining Loyalty Program Content with IA Redesign

Context

Overview

The marketing content for the Mileage Plan hadn't been significantly updated in over five years, which led to outdated information and wasn't the best user experience. To fix this, I led a project to audit and redesign how the information was organized. The goal was to refresh the program details, clearly explain the immediate benefits of joining, and get more people to sign up by making it easier to use and understand. This resulted in fewer pages and a structure that just makes more sense for people..

Problem

Users had trouble finding things quickly because the site wasn't very user-friendly, and the content also didn't speak to everyone. It often focused on advanced terminology for frequent flyers, which confused potential new members. Plus, there was a lot of dense information, like complicated tables, that made it hard to see the value of the program right away. A content check also showed a lot of repeated information, adding to the information overload. All these issues were affecting sign-ups because it was hard for potential members to understand why the program was good and easy to use.

Process

My process for redesigning the information architecture was all about the user and being strategic, using key UX methods.

User Research Insights

The user comprehension study showed that members were really confused about the different kinds of loyalty points. They wanted clearer explanations for each type, and they found the words used on the marketing pages about the program confusing, which made it hard to understand how it all worked and what the benefits were. This directly guided how I approached the redesign.

Discovery Workshops

To really get a handle on the problems and what we could do better with the marketing content, I ran a few brainstorming sessions with multiple teams, including the design team and the lead writer in one session, and the marketing product team in another. The main goal was to hear what everyone thought was wrong and come up with ideas together. These workshops also helped add more context, as the program is over 30 years old with a lot of long-time users and technical limitations. A big thing we agreed on was to make the language more fun and exciting and to really show how the loyalty program makes using our product even better.

Content Audit

To really understand the existing marketing content, I did a thorough check. This meant making a visual map of the site, looking at what was on each page, and checking how people were using the pages with heatmap data. This helped me spot old information, repeated content, broken links, and things that were missing. Grouping the pages by what they were about was a big step in planning the new structure.

Information Architecture Development

Using what I learned from talking to users, checking the content, and the research, I created a detailed sitemap to show the new structure. To make sure the navigation would work well, I also developed wireframes for the main parts. The new IA was designed to put the program benefits first, make it clearer how to earn points, use visuals to explain things better, and highlight our global partnerships. I also kept in mind how the future app would work. This new structure significantly reduced the number of pages from 55 to 25.

Results

Even though the new marketing pages aren't fully up and running yet, the plan for how they should be organized has been finished, and all the stakeholders like it. The detailed research, teamwork, and thinking behind the redesign led to the approval for the new structure.

When I showed the new plan to the Design and Experience Director, they said the new structure made sense and that it should make things much better for users. By cutting down the number of pages, we expect people to find what they need much easier, especially what the program offers and how to join.

We also think that the clearer language, better pictures, and how we're mentioning the upcoming app will get more people interested and make it easier to switch over to the app when it's ready.

Reflections

What I did

As the Lead Product Designer, I led the redesign of how the marketing content for the loyalty program was organized. My main jobs included checking the content for problems, running brainstorming sessions with different teams, working with the user researcher, and coming up with the new structure. I worked closely with the Marketing team to align it with their goals, as well as with the Designers and Writers to make sure it was easy to use and understand, and with the Product Manager to keep everything on track. I also put together what we learned, suggested solutions, and showed them to the stakeholder for their approval.

What I learned

This project reinforced the importance of staying organized with detailed notes and clear next steps, especially while managing multiple projects. Open communication and asking questions across different teams, even about a long-standing program, provided valuable insights for the redesign. Ultimately, it highlighted how key both organization and clear communication are for successful teamwork.

Working at Alaska Airlines as Product Designer - Loyalty team

Scope Deliver a new information architecture for their loyalty marketing content

Tools Figma, Figjam, Quatum Metric, usertesting.com