Web design
Increasing log in and sign up rates for a rewards program
Redesigning a better log in and sign up experience for Winn-Dixie, finding the balance between security and usability.
Timeline
3 months
Role
UX/UI designer
Stakeholders
3 product managers, 1 director of product, 5 engineers
Background
Winn-Dixie Supermarket launched a new proprietary e-commerce experience that offered customers the ability to shop their local stores online. In preparation for this launch, we had to ensure that our customer’s information was secure, since we would be accepting payment information.
This resulted in making a necessary switch to a more secure service that authenticated end users to Winn-Dixie’s website and app. Although this switch was beneficial to our customer’s security, it created a new problem.
Understanding the problem
The problem
Winn-Dixie’s new log in and sign up experience is missing critical elements and features, leading to frustration for new and returning customers. This friction in the user journey affects key business metrics like user acquisition and retention rates.
We want our customers to have a seamless experience when logging in or signing up through our website or app so they can enjoy the benefits of our award-winning loyalty program.
88% of sales
are made by customers with a rewards account
Through internal research, it was determined that 88% of sales are made by
Winn-Dixie customers with a rewards account. It is critical that we make this process as easy as possible to join and interact with our loyalty program.
Skip to the solution
It's ok to click… I won't be mad :)
Mapping out the approach
Research
Competitor research, user personas, UX audit, & web analytics
Design
Create user flows, wireframes & prototypes
Iterate
Iterate designs based off of initial feedback
Collaborate
Run stakeholders through designs (& iterate some more)
Handoff
Developer design specs and assets
Identifying user needs through competitor research, user personas, & evaluating the current experience
Competitor research
To kick off this project, I started by conducting competitor research to gather insights on how to make Winn-Dixie’s log in and sign up experience better. I researched 3 key competitors in the retail space– ALDI, Kroger, and Publix.
I analyzed their patterns and user flows to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
UX audit
Next, we performed a UX audit of the current experience to gain a better understanding of our users pain points and to identify solutions.
Main user flows to evaluate:
Log in via email address
Log in via phone number
Sign up for an account
Tip: Scroll through the slideshow below to see UX audit observations.
Identified improvements
UI updates
Update font and styles to remain consistent with Winn-Dixie’s brand.
Update the header and footer to be consistent with Winn-Dixie’s website.
Simplify user flows
When validating a phone number, there are unnecessary steps a user must take to log in. We want to remove any additional steps as possible.
UX writing
Improve copy across the entire experience that is more human-centric.
We need to be more clear on what is happening, what we want the user to do next, and help them navigate the situation.
Error messages
Make the error messages more clear and easier to navigate.
Password validation
Let the users see their password. Mistyping a password is a common problem during log in and registration, especially on mobile.
Show password requirements for new users creating an account. Users shouldn’t have to guess what these requirements are.
Analyzing data through Microsoft Clarity sessions
After conducting a UX audit, I wanted to gain some first-hand insight by evaluating Microsoft Clarity sessions. This research allowed me to get an idea of exactly where customers were getting frustrated.
Key findings
Users faced difficulties with signing in due to script errors and input issues.
It is taking users too long to create an account, with the average time being around 3 minutes (industry standard recommendation is 30 seconds).
Re-designing the log in and sign up experience for a better user experience and increased conversion rates
The solution
After identifying our users’ needs and pain points, we landed on a clear solution for the experience. We need to redesign the log in and sign up experience to reduce friction points for new and returning users by:
Optimizing user flows
Optimize user flows to improve log in and sign up times
Reworking UI elements
Rework UI elements to support brand consistency
Improving UX writing
Improve UX writing by leading with a human-centric approach
Let’s get cooking with designs!
User flows
To kick off the process, I started by creating user flows for the log in and sign up process. These were reviewed with the web product manager on my team and then approved to start designing.
Wireframes & prototypes
Now it was time to start creating the first draft of wireframes and prototypes.
In my first iteration of the improved log in and sign up experience, I created designs and reviewed them with my team; web product manager, app product manager, e-commerce product manager, and director of product.
Identified improvements
Simplify the sign up flow by removing an unnecessary step
Remove additional CTAs that we initially thought were required to include due to Microsoft Azure templates
Shorten input fields height to remain consistent with Winn-Dixie's banner site
Simplify the footer
Update imagery due to a branding shift
Collaborating with stakeholders to ensure project goals were being met
More collaboration & more iterations
Once my revisions were made, I prepared prototypes for an additional review session with other key stakeholders and our development team.
With this final review session, I made a couple of small iterations (the iterations don’t stop!) and was ready to prepare the final files for handoff.
Final designs
Flow 1: Log in via phone number
Flow 2: Log in via email address
Flow 3: Sign up for an account
Developer handoff & continued support
Preparing the designs for a seamless handoff
During this stage, I supported the web product manager in writing requirements and collaborated closely with the lead developer to ensure all elements were covered and project goals met.
For the file handoff, I ensured that all assets were easily accessible for the developers and provided them with a design specs and an annotated Figma file.
Constant communication and collaboration are key!
Results & final thoughts
Results
This project is still in the development phase and is scheduled to ship Q2 of 2025. Although we are not able to get any live metrics of the redesign, I provided the following deliverables:
50+
screens
Including desktop, tablet, & mobile versions
11+
flows
Prepared over 11 user flows for the experience
20+
error states
Audited and re-wrote over 20 error messages
5+
form fields
Provided over 5 new form field states
Once the designs are live, we will be monitoring and analyzing the following metrics to quantify its impact:
Log in rate
Sign up rate
Time spent on sign up form
Final thoughts
I felt an immense sense of ownership over the project because I was the one who analyzed and flagged this less than stellar user experience.
I was able to get stakeholder buy-in by presenting the problem and providing them with the business impact. By improving the log in and sign up experience, it had the potential to positively impact business metrics and improve the impression of our rewards program.
There were, of course, some challenges that we faced along the way. We had the following challenges during the project:
Microsoft Azure template limitations
Privacy and data limitations
In an ideal state we would have loved to implement Single Sign-On (SSO)
Limited resources to conduct user research and testing
Limited developer resources due to business constraints
Although we had our fair share of challenges, we were proud of the MVP delivered. This was a fulfilling project to be a part of.
Cheers to advocating for our users and the business!
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