Improved the Rewards Claiming Experience for Referrers at Scaler
Designed a 0-1 feature to streamline the reward-claiming process for successful referrals.
Project at a Glance
Scaler’s referral program incentivized learners with rewards for successful referrals, but the existing reward claiming process relied on monthly email forms and manual verification, causing confusion, missed deadlines, and limited visibility. Learners struggled to claim rewards promptly, and support teams were overwhelmed with repetitive queries.
By introducing a centralized dashboard, proactive notifications, and flexible claiming options, we replaced email-based processes with a user-centric, transparent, and automated system, resulting in:
50% Reduction in Missed Claims
40% Decrease in Support Tickets
My Role
Product Designer – Managed the entire design process—from research and information architecture to wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing. Collaborated with Principal Designer, Product Manager, Engineers, and Finance/Program teams to ensure feasibility and alignment with business goals.
Problem Overview
Learners couldn’t easily claim or track their referral rewards due to a manual, email-based process with strict deadlines and no real-time updates.
Why It Is Important:
Many learners missed the claiming window, causing frustration and support requests.
Operational inefficiencies delayed disbursement and eroded trust.
Listening & Analyzing
Notes & Insights
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User Conversations
Participants voiced frustration over missed emails, uncertain timelines, and a lack of control over when and how to claim rewards.
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Support Tickets
Repeated queries confirmed that communication gaps, rigid deadlines, and a lack of transparency were core pain points.
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Team Discussions
Identified excessive manual steps and a reliance on monthly batch processing, which limited flexibility and contributed to delays.
Learner Conversations:
Interviewed 12 learners with a mix of frequent referrers, those who had missed rewards deadlines, and new learners who were unaware of the reward system.
Support Ticket Analysis:
Analyzed 50+ tickets categorizing issues like “missed deadline,” “no tracking,” and “unclear eligibility.
Team Discussions:
Collaborated with Program and Finance teams to map the entire reward cycle—from determining eligibility to vendor payouts.
Understanding the Challenges
Inefficiencies & Missed Opportunities
Rigid workflows and reliance on email led to frequent missed rewards and learner frustration.
Lack of Transparency & Trust
Without real-time tracking, learners felt disconnected, reducing engagement and satisfaction.
Operational Inefficiencies
Manual data handling and fragmented workflows slowed disbursements and increased errors.
Delayed Gratification
Rewards claimed after deadlines took months to process, discouraging participation.
After analyzing all the data and understanding user needs, we finalized the most practical solution, prioritizing a learner-first approach.
The redesigned system empowered learners to track referral progress in real-time, choose rewards on their own schedule, and stay informed through timely reminders. This approach enhanced the user experience, reduced internal bottlenecks, and increased trust and engagement in Scaler’s referral program.
Centralized Dashboard: A single interface showing eligible, claimed, and expired rewards.
Proactive Notifications: Timely in-app, email, and WhatsApp alerts for eligibility, deadlines, and status.
Flexible Claiming Options: “Claim Now” for instant rewards or “Claim Later” to accumulate for bigger perks.
Complexities That Slowed Progress
Technical: Legacy systems required substantial backend changes for automation.
Rigid Deadlines: Existing workflows tied to monthly cycles limited learner flexibility.
Cross-Functional Dependencies: Required close collaboration with Finance and Program teams.
Limited Engineering Bandwidth: Restricted to phased rollouts due to resource constraints.
Designing the Solution: A Step-by-Step Journey
Step 1: Eligibility Notifications
Previously, learners missed opportunities due to sporadic or overlooked emails.
Now, they receive alerts through WhatsApp, email, and dashboard notifications as soon as they’re eligible, preventing missed chances and keeping them updated on deadlines and reward statuses.
Step 3: Claiming the Rewards
Previously, learners faced strict monthly windows and no flexibility. The redesigned approach introduced:
Claim Now: Immediate selection of rewards for eligible referrals.
Claim Later: Accumulate referrals for bigger rewards.
Pro Tips Section: Highlighted that claiming before the 15th ensured timely delivery and explained the benefits of waiting.
While the initial version (v0) still required decisions before the monthly cut-off for early fulfillment, enhanced transparency and timeline visibility helped learners plan better and reduce stress.
Streamlining Back-End Operations:
Learners might not think about the backend, but they expect quick, accurate processing. Before, manual checks and communication delays eroded trust.
Now, automated workflows handle eligibility checks and vendor coordination, speeding up delivery and increasing learner confidence in the referral program.
Validating the Design
We conducted usability testing with 8 referrers who had previously encountered issues with the reward process.
Goals:
Validate the dashboard’s clarity and ease of navigation.
Test the effectiveness of the Claim Now and Claim Later options.
Assess user understanding of expiration timelines and notifications.
Findings:
Success Rate: 7 out of 8 users completed the flow without assistance.
Positive Feedback: Users appreciated the transparency of referral stats and expiration tracking.
Improvements Implemented: The stat table was simplified for better clarity, and the rewards selection window was extended, allowing users to claim rewards at their convenience.
Impact
50% Reduction in Missed Claims: Better visibility and reminders ensured learners rarely missed their claiming windows.
40% Decrease in Support Tickets: Clearer processes and communication reduced confusion and repetitive inquiries.
Key Learnings
Transparency Builds Trust: Real-time tracking and clear communication improved engagement.
Automation Increases Efficiency: Reducing manual tasks benefited both learners and internal teams.
Future Scope:
What’s Next?
Further Streamlining Internal Processes: Optimize workflows to make reward claiming even smoother and faster.
Unified Dashboard: Consolidate referral and reward details into one place for seamless progress tracking.
