Optimizing Code Distribution
How I eliminated a redundant internal tool and unified the on-site gifting workflow under one platform --> improving speed, reducing error, and making engineers (and event staff) happy.
Role
UX Designer
Industry
Corporate Gifting
Duration
2 Sprints
Context
Cultivate offers gifting experiences for events. The online platform was great! But a separate dashboard was built just for in-person events. It was underused, clunky, and duplicative.
The Friction
The side-dashboard created logistical headaches:
Manual data uploads
Gift links sent through error-prone spreadsheets or email
Poor redemption visibility post-event
Clients frustrated with the clunkiness
The Objectives
Consolidate gifting flows into one platform
Remove reliance on contact lists for code generation
Improve on-site distribution
Automate post-event redemption tracking
Research + Strategy
🔍 Discovery & Direction
We ran interviews with internal teams to surface workflow breakdowns and what redemption success actually meant. From those insights, we identified 3 key “How might we” areas:
Generate gift links without contact info
Distribute codes easily during live events
Report redemptions cleanly after the event
The Nitty-gritty how might we's
Rapid-Fire Brainstorming with Internal Teams
The AH-HA moment (Not the band):
A/B Testing
Wisdom of the crowd!
Why reinvent the wheel when you can run A/B tests to learn from the competition’s wins
Design Decisions
What We Built
We redesigned the online dashboard to support both use cases:
Quick Generate Button: Generate codes fast, no contact info needed
Credential-Based Redemption: Claim a gift with name/email or employee ID
QR Code / Party Link System: Group access for fast onsite handoff
Admin Check-in: Tool Assign codes during event check-in
Real-time Redemption: Tracking All data centralized post-event
User Stories
The Recipient Journey
Mock-ups
Collab & Constraints
🤝 Engineering Partnership
Every idea was validated with engineers. We prioritized for max impact, minimal lift. Avoided feature bloat. Built smarter, not more.
Outcome
Retired the extra dashboard
Streamlined internal workflows
Faster, more accurate on-site gifting
Happier event staff and cleaner data
Clients got a smoother, more premium redemption experience
💭 What I Learned
The best UX improvements are sometimes invisible to the end-user.
Internal pain = external experience
Working closely with devs early saves everyone time and sanity
Context
Cultivate offers gifting experiences for events. The online platform was great! But a separate dashboard was built just for in-person events. It was underused, clunky, and duplicative.
The Friction
The side-dashboard created logistical headaches:
Manual data uploads
Gift links sent through error-prone spreadsheets or email
Poor redemption visibility post-event
Clients frustrated with the clunkiness
The Objectives
Consolidate gifting flows into one platform
Remove reliance on contact lists for code generation
Improve on-site distribution
Automate post-event redemption tracking
Research + Strategy
🔍 Discovery & Direction
We ran interviews with internal teams to surface workflow breakdowns and what redemption success actually meant. From those insights, we identified 3 key “How might we” areas:
Generate gift links without contact info
Distribute codes easily during live events
Report redemptions cleanly after the event
The Nitty-gritty how might we's
Rapid-Fire Brainstorming with Internal Teams
The AH-HA moment (Not the band):
A/B Testing
Wisdom of the crowd!
Why reinvent the wheel when you can run A/B tests to learn from the competition’s wins
Design Decisions
What We Built
We redesigned the online dashboard to support both use cases:
Quick Generate Button: Generate codes fast, no contact info needed
Credential-Based Redemption: Claim a gift with name/email or employee ID
QR Code / Party Link System: Group access for fast onsite handoff
Admin Check-in: Tool Assign codes during event check-in
Real-time Redemption: Tracking All data centralized post-event
User Stories
The Recipient Journey
Mock-ups
Collab & Constraints
🤝 Engineering Partnership
Every idea was validated with engineers. We prioritized for max impact, minimal lift. Avoided feature bloat. Built smarter, not more.
Outcome
Retired the extra dashboard
Streamlined internal workflows
Faster, more accurate on-site gifting
Happier event staff and cleaner data
Clients got a smoother, more premium redemption experience
💭 What I Learned
The best UX improvements are sometimes invisible to the end-user.
Internal pain = external experience
Working closely with devs early saves everyone time and sanity
