BigToken
Full UX/UI Redesign

Outcome

A research-driven redesign that grew the base

An app people didn't fully trust — where they doubted they could really earn, ran out of surveys, and had no say over their data — rebuilt from the evidence up. Every major decision traces back to a number from research.

The turning point wasn't the visual redesign — it was deciding what to build, and what not to, from what the data actually said. Including the call not to build a web version at all.

01 · Context

Own your data. Get paid for it.

BigToken let people earn real cash by monetizing their own data — answering surveys, watching videos, uploading receipts. The business wanted to grow: expand from a lower-income audience to a lower-and-middle-income one, increase time spent in the app, and collect more valuable data. The experience was working against all three.

The product had a trust problem and a supply problem at once. Users doubted they could actually earn money — some online reviews even called it a scam. Nothing clearly explained what happened to their data. Sections were duplicated and confusing (“My earnings” and “My progress” led to the same place). And people simply ran out of surveys to answer, so sessions stayed short — under three minutes on average. An app that wanted more time and more data was giving people fewer reasons to stay. — feel unclear and untrustworthy. The redesign needed to rebuild confidence in the platform and make earning and redeeming feel intuitive and rewarding.

02 · Research

Letting the evidence decide

I ran a multi-method research process — a redesign this consequential couldn't run on opinion:

• Competitive benchmark against nine apps (Fetch Rewards, Ibotta, InboxDollars, Drop, and others) — scoring each on earning options, payouts, referrals, navigation, and clarity to find where BigToken actually lost. — conducted interviews with existing users to map friction points, mental models around data privacy, and expectations around earnings
• Two sets of personas — user and buyer. Because the goal was to move upmarket, I modeled both the current lower-income user and the middle-income buyer we wanted to win, then mapped their motivations, empathy, and journeys. — analyzed comparable platforms (data monetization apps, survey reward apps, crypto wallets) to identify conventions and gaps
• A large user survey (~3.9K responses) plus BigToken's own usage data — replacing assumptions with numbers on what people wanted and how they behaved. — tested key hypothesis around the home screen hierarchy, survey card formats, and the redemption flow to validate design decisions with real users before committing

The survey was decisive. People wanted a dynamic, game-like experience over a bank-app feel, a colorful look, and — critically — 61% preferred mobile, with the web barely registering. The old desktop version had already been discontinued for being incomplete. That one number ended a debate: we would not build a web app.

03 · Before

The original experience

The old app buried the one thing that mattered — the real-world value of what you'd earned — under raw point counts and a dated, dense interface. Duplicated sections, a confusing menu, and a wallet that made you do the math yourself all reinforced the same doubt: is this real, and is it worth my time?

04 · Decisions

Decisions, each traced to the evidence

Every change below answers something the research surfaced:

• Mobile-only, on purpose. With 61% preferring mobile and a failed desktop behind us, I ruled out a web version entirely — and put that effort into making the mobile experience faster and lighter instead. alongside points — eliminating conversion anxiety at the wallet level
• USD shown next to points. The wallet leads with real dollars, not raw points — killing the “is this worth it?” doubt at the exact moment it appeared. — cleaner, swipe-to-answer interaction that makes completing actions feel fast and low-friction
• “Slide to redeem.” The most anxious moment — cashing out — became a deliberate, satisfying gesture instead of a risky tap. mechanic — transforms an anxious "am I sure?" moment into a satisfying, deliberate gesture
• Smarter actions, so people don't run out. Periodic screeners and the option to skip irrelevant questions keep surveys flowing — directly answering the “I run out of things to do” complaint that was capping session time. — new section making the referral economy visible and motivating
• Transparency, made visible. A plain-language dashboard lets users see, control, and delete their data — turning the platform's biggest liability into a reason to trust it, wrapped in a light, game-like layer that rewards participation. — showing users their data contribution in plain language, reinforcing transparency and trust

05 · Motion & Animations

Microinteractions that reward engagement

A key part of the redesign was adding purposeful motion — animations that make earning feel satisfying, transitions that communicate state changes, and microinteractions that give the app a premium, polished feel. Every animation was designed with a specific intent: reinforce the action taken, provide feedback, and make the product feel alive.

06 · Lessons

What I'd carry forward

I owned this end to end — research, competitive analysis, the survey, information architecture, UI, and motion. Three things stuck with me:

A single number can end a debate. The 61% mobile preference settled the web-vs-mobile question faster and more decisively than any argument could. Research isn't a phase you clear — it's how you avoid building the wrong thing. The 61% mobile preference settled the web-vs-mobile question faster and more decisively than any argument could. Research isn't a phase you clear — it's how you avoid building the wrong thing.

Design for the user you have and the one you want. Modeling both the current lower-income user and the middle-income buyer kept the redesign from optimizing for one at the other's expense — exactly what moving a product upmarket demands. Modeling both the current lower-income user and the middle-income buyer kept the redesign from optimizing for one at the other's expense — exactly what moving a product upmarket demands.

Trust is a feature you can design. The biggest lever wasn't a prettier screen — it was making value and data-control visible. When the doubt is “is this real?”, clarity beats polish. The biggest lever wasn't a prettier screen — it was making value and data-control visible. When the doubt is “is this real?”, clarity beats polish.