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AEO customer accounts were historically managed through ATG Commerce, but the introduction of a new loyalty engine required migrating existing accounts into the updated system while keeping the experience intact for customers throughout the transition. The existing account creation flow had optional loyalty sign-up, limited error handling, and no support for in-store sign-ups initiated through the mobile app. A full audit of all account and loyalty touchpoints across iOS and Android surfaced the gaps that needed to be closed before the new engine could go live.
Competitive research established a baseline for what best-in-class account creation and loyalty enrollment looked like across leading retail apps. From there, three strategic decisions shaped the direction.
Making loyalty opt-in the default in the Create Account flow was the most significant call. It maximized enrollment potential and satisfied the requirements of the new engine without adding friction for customers who were already signing up. Dedicated enrollment flows were designed separately to guide existing ATG account holders through migration without disrupting their existing relationship with the brand. And extending account creation to support in-store sign-ups through the mobile app reduced friction for both customers and store associates at the point of first engagement.
I designed wireframes across iOS and Android covering three distinct flows: the redesigned Create Account experience, ATG migration enrollment, and in-store account creation. Each flow required its own logic and edge case handling, and the migration flows in particular demanded close collaboration with engineering to validate technical feasibility and surface constraints before any design decisions were finalized. Refined wireframes were handed off to the UI team for visual execution, with cross-platform consistency maintained throughout.
Wireframe examples (PW:19HotMetal) Wireframe 1 | Wireframe 2
Default loyalty opt-in increased total enrollment across a base of 10+ million customers, making the program accessible to a significantly broader audience from the moment of account creation.
Stronger data integration between user accounts and the new loyalty engine improved the accuracy and reliability of customer data across the platform.
In-store to online account creation reduced friction for customers signing up in person, giving them immediate access to their accounts and loyalty benefits without a separate step.
Faster access to loyalty benefits drove stronger early engagement and more personalized experiences post-enrollment.
Fewer customer care inquiries related to account confusion, duplication, and failed enrollment, reducing operational load alongside improving the customer experience.