MAXOL
LOYALTY APP
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Maxol has been at the heart of Irish communities for over a century, and to celebrate their centenary, the company wanted to create a loyalty experience that would reward their most loyal customers.
The goal was to design a digital solution that not only reflected the brand’s heritage but also modernized the way customers engage with Maxol, making loyalty both meaningful and effortless.
This project goal was about translating Maxol’s longstanding community presence into a contemporary, user-friendly digital experience that reinforced the brand’s connection to everyday life.
MY ROLE
In this project, I was responsible for leading the UX design process under tight deadlines, transforming the initial concept into high-fidelity mockups ready for client approval.
The app had already been partially developed by another agency, but there was little user research or strategic direction guiding its design. My role involved evaluating the existing concept, uncovering user needs, and translating business objectives into a coherent and intuitive user experience.
I proactively conducted competitor analysis and developed personas to understand the motivations and behaviors of potential users, ensuring the redesign would resonate with real people while meeting Maxol’s business goals.
THE CHALLENGE
The Maxol app arrived at our team in an unfinished state, with development already underway and minimal research informing its initial design.
The first draft had been created without a clear understanding of the users, leaving fundamental questions unanswered: who the users were, what they truly needed, and why they would engage with the app at all.
Additionally, the design needed to balance Maxol’s brand heritage with modern expectations for convenience and usability. These gaps meant that the challenge was not simply to refine visual design but to rethink the user experience from the ground up under significant time constraints.
Original version of the app
RESEARCH
Given the absence of shared research and only five days to deliver high-fidelity mockups, I quickly progressed by doing a competitor's analysis. I studied similar loyalty apps to identify successful patterns and common pain points, which informed the structure and flow of our redesign.
To gain a deeper understanding of user behavior, I created personas reflecting different customer types, exploring why they would use the app, how they would navigate it, and in which contexts they would interact with Maxol’s loyalty features. This research ensured that every design decision was grounded in real-world user needs rather than assumptions.
DESIGN STRATEGY
To ensure the app truly addressed user needs, I designed several customer journeys, exploring different scenarios and contexts in which users would interact with the app. This exercise helped uncover the most critical touchpoints and allowed me to identify which features were essential versus nice-to-have, ensuring every element served a clear purpose.
The design aimed to streamline core actions such as making quick payments, redeeming offers, and scanning codes at petrol pumps, so users could navigate the app efficiently while on the go.
With limited time, the design strategy focused on delivering high-fidelity wireframes that aligned with both user expectations and Maxol’s business objectives. I sketched multiple screen concepts that prioritized key user tasks, emphasizing speed, accessibility, and simplicity.
QR code
for quick purchases
Petrol pump bar code
for quick refuel
Offers
Get gold stars
STYLE GUIDE
Using Maxol's own guidelines, we managed to use the logo's colours and colour block each section, creating a concise look & feel throughout the app.
Each interface element was carefully considered to support a seamless journey, from intuitive navigation to visual cues guiding users toward the features they needed most.
The resulting mockups offered a cohesive, user-centered experience that balanced functionality with Maxol’s brand values, delivering a practical and engaging loyalty solution for their customers.
