Buyagift.

Mobile and desktop

Buyagift is the UK’s leading gift experience provider, offering an extensive range of memorable experiences. With over 4,000 gift ideas from thrilling driving days to relaxing spa breaks, Buyagift partners with over 2,000 suppliers to deliver something for every taste, occasion, and budget.

Working closely with a cross-functional team, I led the end-to-end design process for a critical feature: the Intent Page. This new addition aimed to improve the user journey by encouraging exploration of alternative experiences while driving an increase of voucher exchanges into higher-value products.

My role.

As the sole Senior Product Designer on the team, I collaborated with my Product Manager and six engineers to drive the design process from discovery to delivery. My responsibilities included:

Leading research through customer surveys and competitor analysis.
Facilitating workshops to define opportunities and align solutions.
Redesigning user flows to optimise the journey.
Developing interactive prototypes and facilitating usability testing.
Creating a lean MVP to validate and inform design direction.
Delivering UI designs with detailed developer handoffs.

Goals and problem defining.

The Buyagift platform consists of two key components: the customer facing store and the redemption site. The latter is where recipients can redeem their gifted experience or exchange it for an alternative. Aligned with a company OKR to drive revenue growth from recipients, our team’s primary goal was to increase engagement with the wider premium options available.

Or more simply reframed as:
“How might we encourage customers to effortlessly explore and upgrade their experience?”

During an initial strategy session with my Product Manager, we framed this problem statement and identified key opportunities to enhance the recipient experience and provide upselling opportunities, including:

Improve clarity and engagement in the user journey.
Drive users to explore other experiences, with an emphasis on higher-priced upgrades.
Balance simplicity for users wanting to redeem quickly, with a seamless pathway for those considering exchanges.

Research.

Analysis of user flows and analytics revealed drop-offs between the voucher login step and the final redemption of an experience. Users were directly routed to the Product Description Page (PDP) of the gifted experience, which limited opportunities for exploration and upselling.

Customer surveys revealed a critical insight: while the existing flow assumed customers wanted the gifted experience, 36% expressed an openness to exchanges and a willingness to pay for them. With a current exchange rate of just 10%, there was clear potential to redesign the journey.

Ideation.

To explore solutions, I facilitated a workshop where the team sketched and brainstormed ideas, ultimately voting on the concept of an Intent Page. This new intermediary page would act as a decision gateway, presenting users with two clear options:

Continue with the original voucher
Explore other experiences, showcasing premium options.

To support this direction, I conducted competitor analysis and feature benchmarking, focusing on platforms that surfaced alternative products and upgrades. These findings shaped my approach with a few key considerations:

Simplify layouts to minimise cognitive load.
Use clear CTA hierarchies to promote exploration without overwhelming users.
Offer personalisation opportunities to highlight premium options.

The solution.

To validate our approach early, I created a low-fidelity prototype of the new intent page flow, which my Product Manager and I guerilla-tested with people near our office. This quick, low-cost testing method confirmed that users easily understood the choices presented and clarity of the proposed new journey.

Building on this feedback, I designed a lean MVP which introduced two clear options:

Redeem Now → Takes the user to the original experience’s PDP.
Explore Experiences → Directs the user to a Product Listing Page (PLP), showcasing alternative experiences including premium options.

Once the design was finalised, I worked closely with engineering to ensure a smooth handoff using Figma. Regular check-ins helped address any implementation challenges and maintain alignment across teams.

Results.

This MVP was then deployed as part of an A/B test over three weeks, measuring its impact on user behaviour compared to the existing flow. The results demonstrated significant improvements, with the variant showing:

15.5% increase in number of exchanges for similar experiences.
14.3% uplift in customers selecting higher-priced upgrades.
11% reduction in drop-offs, improving overall user engagement.

These findings validated the effectiveness of the Intent Page, leading to plans for a full rollout to all users. Based on the results, we projected an additional £180,000 in annual recipient sales, with opportunities for further growth through recipient retention and conversion.

Next steps.

This project highlighted the importance of presenting users with clear, actionable choices at key points in their journey. The success of the Intent Page demonstrated how even small design changes can significantly influence user behavior and business outcomes. While the Intent Page successfully achieved its goals of increasing engagement and driving revenue, it also highlighted new opportunities to further enhance the experience.

Looking ahead, there’s an exciting opportunity to build on this foundation by introducing personalised upsell recommendations, tailoring suggestions based on user preferences and past behaviour. Exploring dynamic content or AI-driven features could also further enhance the user experience, making it even easier for customers to find their perfect experience.

These concepts represent the next step in evolving the platform, ensuring Buyagift continues to surprise and delight recipients while unlocking greater revenue potential.