Heymax: Rebuilding the Foundation

Heymax started as a web app designed to help users earn miles on everyday spending. Over time, features and experiments accumulated, but the product didn’t feel cohesive. Navigation was feature-driven rather than intent-driven, performance was constrained by the web app, and our design system lacked the structure to scale. Users understood how to earn miles, but rarely thought about redeeming them.

At the same time, major partnerships and product expansions were on the horizon. We needed the product to feel premium, intentional, and scalable. Over six months, we executed a full rebrand and product overhaul — redefining our brand identity, rebuilding our design system, and restructuring the app’s navigation.

I co-led design alongside another designer, partnering closely with two PMs and engineering, while also running research and usability testing across multiple phases.

• Navigation reflected product sections, not user intent.
• Core flows (merchant pages, vouchers, redemption) were inconsistent and slow.
• Existing design system couldn’t scale, slowing iteration and handoff.
• Users understood earning miles but struggled to see redemption value.

The challenge was to redesign the product for clarity, usability, and scalability — without disrupting existing users.

We focused on clarity, intent, and scalability.

Key decisions included:
1. JTBD Workshops: We ran internal workshops and co-design sessions with real users to define the most important jobs-to-be-done when someone first comes to the app. This helped align the team on what matters most: earning quickly, understanding value, and exploring redemption.
2. Navigation Simplification: Reduced four tabs (Home, Search, Transactions, Profile) to Earn and Redeem, with a future Travel tab. This shifted focus from features to user intent and highlighted the full lifecycle of miles.
3. System Rebuild: Created a mobile-first design system with tokens and components for faster iteration and cohesive UI.
‍4. Brand Refresh: Adopted a “business class energy — not elitist” tone, updating typography, color, visuals, and copy.The redesign allowed the product to scale while reinforcing Heymax’s premium, approachable positioning.

We rethought major touchpoints and simplified flows for clarity:
• Merchant pages and vouchers were streamlined for faster, more intuitive interactions.
• Redemption flows made value tangible (e.g., 1.8¢ per mile).
• Travel pages consolidated miles and award flight info in one view.

‍User Research & Testing:
We conducted multiple rounds of testing, both online and in-person. To make research more engaging and in-depth, we hosted user parties, inviting users to the office to interact with prototypes, share feedback, and collaborate on flows. This allowed us to observe real behavior, test assumptions, and validate our JTBD hypotheses.

Key insights included:
• Existing users adapted quickly; navigation felt familiar.
• New users found the homepage overwhelming and often expected e-commerce-style booking.
• Onboarding explainers were skipped unless prompted; users preferred exploration.
• Power users valued consolidating miles over destination-based goals.
• Clear redemption framing increased perceived value, though new-to-miles users struggled with transfer partners and award flights.

This project reinforced that foundations determine velocity. You can ship features quickly on a weak system, but inconsistencies and unclear structure eventually slow you down. Rebuilding Heymax wasn’t about aesthetics; it was about clarity — in brand, navigation, and the value proposition.

Now the product is focused: Earn. Redeem. Travel. What's next?