AIR MILES Receipts

Redesigned the AIR MILES Receipts experience to reduce friction and improve the flow for AIR MILES collectors.

Project Overview

The Goal: Redesign the AIR MILES Receipts experience to improve collector engagement with the module and drive collectors to engage with the AIR MILES app.

Project Type: Professional Project | Lead UX Designer

Team: Designers, Developers, SPM, PO, QA

Timeline: Oct 2024-Mar 2025

Summary of Key Results: Improved UX/UI, new LLM integration, functional push notifications, migrated codebase to Flutter.

Problem & Context

What is AIR MILES Receipts?

AIR MILES Receipts is a feature within the AIR MILES Rewards Program app that allows collectors to earn Miles by scanning their shopping receipts. The feature scans line items from receipts, matches them against eligible offers, and issues Miles to the collector.

Insights into Collector Challenges

Unexplained Rejections

Collectors didn't want to use the Receipts module because they didn't understand why their receipts were rejected.

“Every attempt to use AIR MILES Receipts has been rejected for reasons not clear to me, so I don’t even try anymore.”— No Earn User

Confusing Process

Collectors (especially non-users) didn’t know how to use Receipts.

“[I’d like a] clearer explanation of what partners and receipts are included, and when and how to scan receipts.”— Page active non user

Scanning Issues

Collectors found scanning unreliable, especially with long receipts.

“I don’t undersand how I’ve scanning receipts eligible for this and almost every time the app does not accept the scan, but the receipt is legitimate.”— No Earn User

Too Much Effort for Value

Collectors saw Receipts as too much work for too little return.

“I don’t have time of patience to check what qualifies for air miles, keep receipts, submit photos/scans, and verify whether I was rewarded or not.”— No Earn User

Design Solutions (Front-End)

Improved collector comprehension

Pain Point: Unexplained Receipt Rejections

To build trust and encourage ongoing engagement, it was critical to clarify why receipts were being rejected. Enhancing the results screens - refining iconography, language and layout - helped educate collectors on required fields and incorrect or missing information. I partnered with UXR to test and validate the updated designs with collectors and refined the designs based on user feedback.

Designing for Delay: Improving the Receipt Scan Experience during LLM Processing

Pain Point: Scanning Issues

The Problem

To improve match accuracy, we implemented an LLM in the receipt scanning pipeline - resulting in a 44% increase in succcessful line-item matches. However, it also introduced longer processing times for complex receipts, which risked frustrating collectors expecting near-instance results.

How might we minimize friction in the scanning process and prevent frustrating collectors who upload longer receipts and experience delays?

My Process

1. Quantifying the impact to collectors

I analyzed real receipt submission data to assess how many users would be affected. This helped frame the risk level to ensure I was designing for real impact - not edge cases.

  • 51% of receipts: ~ 11 secs processing (no change)

  • 67%: between 11-15 sec

  • 90%: processed within 20 sec

Option 2: Immediate Exit + Push Notification

Approach: Allow users to leave the flow after submission and send a notification once the receipt is processed.

Design Solution

2. Researching UX patterns and user perception of delays

I explored research and best practices in managing delays:

  • Actual vs. perceived load time

  • Micro-interactions and loading patterns

  • Increasing willingness to wait through feedback and control

3. Exploring Flow Options

I proposed and evaluated two design directions based on user experience, and development feasability:

Option 1 (Selected): Delayed Exit After 20 seconds

Approach: Keep all users on the loading screen for 20 seconds, then allow users to exit the flow if processing isn’t complete.

Pros:

  • Users see results without interruption

  • Reduces unnecsesary notifications

  • Keeps users on the “happy path”

2. Allowing collectors to exit the flow after 20 seconds

Since 90% of receipts were processed within 20 seconds, we kept users on the loading screen during that time to maximize the chance they’d see a successful result right away. For longer processing times, we showed a “processing your receipt” screen with clear messaging and gave users the ability to leave the flow and receive a push notification when it was done.

3. Adding a “Processing” state to the Receipts Activity screen

We introduced a “processing” state on the Receipts Activity screen. This let collectors know their submission was successful and being processed, helping prevent duplicate submissions and easing uncertainty during wait times.

After

4. Push Notification Integration

Collaborated with developers to implement push notifications so collectors would be alerted the moment their receipt was ready - closing the loop and reducing anxiety.

Cons:

  • Inconsistent experience - some wait, some exit

  • All users are forced to wait initially

  • Missed opportunity for meaningful app use during that time

Cons:

  • Risk of missed notifications (only 30% of collectors have push notifications enabled)

  • Some users may not know where to return to view results

  • Very short wait times may still feel jarring when paired with notifications

1. Enhancing the loading screen

We added a progress indicator to the loading screen to convey approximately how much wait time was left. This decreased uncertainty about the length of the process and reduced perceived wait time. The countdown updated every 5 seconds and then every second for the last 5 seconds to create the perception that the processing time was accelerating towards the end.

Before

Pros:

  • Consistent, predictable experience

  • Gives users control and flexibility

  • Users can continue browsing or using the app

Behind the Scenes: Cross-Functional Collaboration

Designer-Developer Collaboration

  • Worked closely with developers to ensure a smooth hand off process

  • Participated in regular design-dev syncs

  • Created detailed developer hand off documentation

Streamlining Workflows

I identified opportunities to improve ways of working to improve cross-functional collaboration within the project team and to ensure UX was integrated into all aspects of the workflow (JIRA ticket creation, planning, QA and UAT).

Figma Organization for UX Efficiency

The Problem: Design work was split across multiple Figma files, each tied to a JIRA ticket. This created fragmentation - making it hard to find previous work, reference old designs, or maintain consistency across flows.

My Contribution: I created a new Figma structure centred around user flows, rather than tickets. Each key flow in the AIR MILES Receipts experience - like “scanning a receipt”, “submitting an inquiry”, “results screens” - had its own dedicated file with a clear structure and version history.

Standardizing UX Jira Tickets - Improving Product & Design Collaboration

The Problem: UX work was inconsistently documented in Jira. Design work was either not being tracked in Jira or different formats for tickets were being used, leading to confusion on requirements and scope of work during sprint planning. Designers often lacked the full context needed to complete design work efficiently.

My Contribution: I proposed and implemented a standardized Jira ticket template for UX work, designed to ensure consistent documentation, better alignment across times, and clearer hand off expectations.

I led design demos for stakeholders (PMs, Senior Leaders, developers, QA), and created decks or prototypes to explain design decisions, and the design vision and usability.

Template Structure included:

Ticket naming convention: [Module Name] - Screen/Flow Name - short desciptive summary of the task

Description: Design/Research/Define/Document [flow/feature name] - include target platform

Goal: Briefly explain the suer or business problem being solved

Target platform: web only OR app only OR both

Deliverables: Wireframes/UI screens/Prototype/Documentation

Out of scope: brief description of what is out of scope

Acceptance criteria: final design reviewed and approved by stakeholders

Demos & Presentations

During demos, I shared UX research and secondary research to explain design decisions and gain buy-in and trust from product and senior leaders

Where to next? Head over to my “The Power of Storytelling” page to see the creative way I presented the AIR MILES Receipts feature using an iconic 90’s game show!