Steven Shay
How I led an app and website redesign to boost guest engagement and launch a new loyalty program
I guided the Content Strategy and UX team, overseeing three UX designers, and a Content Strategist.
ROLE
UX Lead
YEARS
2020
TYPE
Website
25x
Lead Conversion
+22%
Site Traffic
+79%
Time on site
+217%
Brand Awareness
SITUATION
Coming out of the pandemic, IHOP had fallen behind
IHOP’s dated website and app frustrated loyal and new guests alike. The lack of order customization and real-time notifications drove them to order from the competition.
Store franchisees and IHOP lacked critical data needed to grow guest relationships and inform internal decisions.
Additionally, IHOP wanted to launch a new loyalty program that wasn’t yet approved. We had to solve all these problems in a tight six-month timeframe.
Before: The IHOP app
LEADING TEAMS
From meetings to workshops - aligning to meet tight deadlines
I introduced and led a new, collaborative process of sharing work-in-progress deliverables, from insights to rough Figma files, two days each week with IHOP stakeholders and their development team.
This ensured team alignment, facilitated quick decision-making, and minimized the need for ad-hoc meetings ultimately enhancing communication and efficiency.
PRIORITIZATION & FLOWS
Helping the team decide what we’re building
Edit the copy that goes here
EXPERIENCE STRATEGY
Make them feel like they’re ordering from the restaurant
We learned customers expect the ordering online to mirror the dine-in experience, so we added key meal customization options that were missing. I led prototype testing with franchisees and customers to ensure we struck the right balance of customization without overwhelming users.
UX DESIGN
No more “check please”
To speed table turnover and another diner issue, waiting for the check, we added dine-in payment features via the app or website. reducing the time for diners and servers to finish meals. Scan the receipt, pay, and then leave. Easy!
UX DESIGN
From order to pickup: Making the ordering experience effortless
A great ordering experience also lets you know when to pick up your order. I spearheaded the strategy and UX design to enhance the order status experience, helping busy families know when to leave home and for IHOP servers to meet customers in the parking lot with their order.
LOYALTY DESIGN
The fun, new loyalty program doubled IHOP’s sign-up goal
We created an engaging, bank/crypto-themed loyalty program that makes it easy and fun to sign up, earn, and use pancoins (points). The dashboard provides guests with a quick view of their "account" and clear paths to common actions.
To redeem pancoins for food or gear, I led the creation of the "Stack Market" where guests can explore redeemable items.
For dine-in guests, our new UX lets them to scan a code on their receipts to earn pancoins, ensuring they never miss out on rewards they’ve earned.
Let's work on something together.
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