Reimagining the American Express Digital Experience
A comprehensive redesign of the American Express mobile app focusing on enhancing user engagement, streamlining financial management, and creating a premium digital experience for cardmembers.
Year
2024
Role:
UX Designer
Duration:
6 months
Project Overview
American Express needed to modernize their mobile app to meet evolving customer expectations and compete with fintech disruptors. The goal was to create an intuitive, premium experience that would increase engagement and strengthen customer loyalty.
Our team conducted extensive research with cardmembers to understand their pain points and design a solution that would transform how they manage their finances and access exclusive benefits.
Key Deliverables
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User research and persona development
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Information architecture redesign
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High-fidelity prototypes and design system
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Usability testing and iteration
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Developer handoff documentation
Users struggled to find key features buried in menus, leading to frustration and decreased app usage
2. Complex Navigation
Cardmembers weren't utilizing exclusive benefits and rewards, missing opportunities for value.
1. Low Engagement
The visual design felt dated and didn't reflect the premium brand experience American Express is known for.
3. Outdated Design
Research & Discovery
We conducted comprehensive user research to understand cardmember needs, behaviors, and pain points
User Interview
5 users tends to uncover ~85% of major usability issues. 10–15 users provides broader insight and helps validate patterns across different user segments.
Survey Response
Used 50–200+ survey responses to have reasonably reliable quantitative data.
Usability Test
I had 4 distinct user groups (including new & experienced users), tested 5–7 participants per group.
Persona Created
After going through initial research, we created three different Personas to identify and identified three core user archetypes.
Key Insights
Financial Overview Priority
78% of users wanted to see their spending summary and available credit immediately upon opening the app.
Rewards Confusion
65% of cardmembers were unaware of all the benefits available to them, indicating a discovery problem
Transaction Management
Users needed better tools to categorize, search, and analyze their spending patterns
User Personas
The Busy Professional
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Reviews transactions quickly between meetings
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Needs instant clarity, recognition, and reassurance
Design Process
An iterative approach focused on user feedback and continuous improvement
Ideation
Sketching and brainstorming solutions
Wireframing
Creating low-fidelity layouts
Visual Design
High-fidelity mockups
Testing
Validation and iteration
Information Architecture
Card Sorting
User Flow
Steps taken during the Research Process
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Card sorting (open, closed, hybrid)
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Site maps
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User flows
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Tree testing
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Content inventories
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Navigation models
Wireframes
All About Our Story
Subtitle Goes Here
This is the space to introduce visitors to the business or brand. Briefly explain who's behind it, what it does and what makes it unique. Share its core values and what this site has to offer.
High-Fidelity Prototype
By using high-fidelity prototypes, the design team was able to validate design decisions with real users, uncover friction points in navigation and feature discovery, and refine complex interactions before development.
This led to improved user engagement metrics such as higher daily active usage, better task completion rates, and stronger reward redemption — showing that the prototype helped bridge the gap between design intentions and user expectations
Solutions
A reimagined mobile experience that puts the user's financial needs front and center.
Feature 1
Smart Dashboard
A personalized home screen that displays real-time account information, spending insights, and actionable recommendations at a glance.
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Real-time balance and credit availability
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Spending trends and category breakdown
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Personalized rewards opportunities
Feature 2
Rewards Hub
A dedicated space that makes it easy to discover, track, and redeem rewards while highlighting exclusive member benefits.
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Visual points balance and earning history
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Personalized offer recommendations
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One-tap redemption process
Feature 3
Enhanced Transactions
Powerful tools to help users understand and manage their spending with intelligent categorization and search capabilities.
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Auto-categorization with custom tags
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Advanced filtering and search
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Receipt attachment and notes
Design Systems
A comprehensive design system ensuring consistency across all touchpoints
Color Palette
Typography
Navigation
Result & Impact
The redesign delivered significant improvements in user engagement and satisfaction.
Increase in Daily Active Users
+32%
Improvement in Task Completion Rate
68%
More Reward Redemptions
3.5x
App Store Rating from 3.2
4.8
User Feedback
"The new app is incredible! I can finally see all my benefits in one place and actually use them. Game changer."
Alex Smith
Gold Card Member
"Navigation is so much better now. I can find everything I need quickly. The spending insights are really helpful too."
Drew Carlyle
Card Member
This is your Testimonial section paragraph. It’s a great place to tell users how much you value your customers and their feedback.
Charlie McMann
Client Review
Key Learning
What Worked
Opportunities
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Early and continuous user testing validated design decisions
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Simplified navigation dramatically improved discoverability
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Visual hierarchy helped users scan information quickly
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Further personalization based on spending patterns
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Integration with budgeting and financial planning tools
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Enhanced social features for shared expenses
Conclusion
This project demonstrated the power of user-centered design in transforming a complex financial product into an intuitive, engaging experience. By deeply understanding our users' needs and iterating based on feedback, we created a solution that not only met business objectives but genuinely improved cardmembers' daily lives