About the Project
Hidden Valley Ranch set out to build more than just a traditional rewards program. Instead of a basic “buy and earn” model, they wanted a gamified experience that kept users entertained while racking up points and prizes. The challenge was to design a GUI that captured this spirit—fun, exciting, and highly engaging from the very first interaction.
The Flow
Looks complicated...well, it kinda was. When you have a vast landscape of a 100+ page website, there are many user journeys to consider. I partnered with UX to make sure we captured as many scenarios as possible.
The Wires
The wireframes needed to speak clearly and precisely. Not only for the stakeholders, but also for the Designers and developers. Better to over-annotate than leave it open for interpretation. Here's a small sample below.
Design of the Dashboard
The dashboard served as the central hub for every Ranchology guest. After signing up, users landed here to manage their entire rewards experience—tracking points, viewing prizes earned, and discovering new ways to engage. Beyond rewards tracking, the dashboard encouraged deeper participation by highlighting opportunities to earn more points through actions like leaving reviews, watching videos, and interacting with the site’s features.
The Badges
Archetypes were developed for the reward badges obtainable by players. Each character had a unique persona that was fun, likable, and engaging. A few of my character concepts made the list. Working with artist Mauro Gatti on these was a great experience.
And of course, we just had to animate them!
