Taco Bell Reloading
Gift Card

Role

Lead UIUX Design (Customer Pod)

User Research

Copy Writing

Date

11/2024 to 05/2025

Project Type

MOBILE APPLICATION

(IOS + Android)

Taco Bell, a well-recognized Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) brand, has held a loyal fan base and a steadily growing digital presence. As part of its digital growth strategy, Taco Bell offers gift cards for in-app purchases. However, the existing gift card experience lacked visibility and ease of use — the option to reload was buried deep within the menu, leading to low user engagement and missed opportunities for retention and repeat purchases.

To support both user convenience and business goals, Taco Bell needed a redesigned gift card flow that made reloading fast, intuitive, and easily integrated into the broader ordering experience.

99.7%

of users didn't not reload Gift Card before redesign

54.7%

increase in gift card reloads and usage

Problem of Gift Card

As a part of its digital transformation, Taco Bell moved away from the third-party card providers to implement and market Taco Bell's native gift card experience inside the app. However, current gift card functionality was deeply buried at the end of them menu screen as shown below on the first screen. It made it difficult for users to discover, purchase, or even reload gift cards, which resulted in low engagement and missed revenue opportunities.

To fix this problem, the goal was to revamp the experience by introducing a dedicated gift card landing screen with direct purchasing capabilities, and by integrating a simple reload feature. This approach aligned with industry's trends and standards set by competitors like Starbucks, McDonalds, and also Uber, where convenient reload options have proven to drive repeated usage and customer retention.

❌ Problem - Gift card functionality buried deep at the end of the menu screen (see first screen attached below)

🍎 Solution - Redesign the experience by introducing a new gift card landing screen and flow

Competitors Analysis

I did a competitive analysis comparing gift card accessibility across both QSR and non-QSR brands, including Starbucks and Uber. Starbucks stands out for its clear call-to-action buttons for purchasing and adding existing cards, offering a smooth, fully native experience that avoids redirecting users to external web views. Similarly, Uber provides a fast and intuitive in-app reload feature, making the process simple and easy for users.

New Reload Gift Card Flow

As shown below in order, the Reload Gift Card Flow was recreated:

Users were able to find gift card separately through their profile page, by selecting payment. They could start the reload, or even add gift card and also purchase gift card. Amount were easy to select, instead of entering it manually.

1. Navigate to Profile

Users begin by tapping on the Profile icon (instead of going through the Menu).

2. Access Payment Methods

On the Profile screen, users select "Payments", which brings them to the Payment Methods section.

3. Land on Gift Cards Tab

By default, users are taken to the "Gift Cards" tab — showing any existing gift cards linked to their account.

4. Reload, Add, or Purchase

From this screen, users are presented with three options:
- Reload an existing gift card
- Add a new gift card
- Purchase a new gift card

5. Select Reload Amount

If reloading, users can choose from amount $10 - $50, or can custom amount.

6. Select a Payment Method

The card previously used for reload is shown by default. If users want to switch cards, they can tap the card icon and select a different saved card.

7. Complete Reload

Once the amount and payment method are selected, users can proceed to reload the gift card.

Taco Bell Reloading Gift Card