The pattern library that shaped how digital gift cards are bought.
I led the end-to-end redesign of CashStar's gift card platform and built the responsive pattern library that scaled across every retailer that white-labeled it — Best Buy, Nordstrom, Gap, Subway, and dozens more.
The problem
The existing gift card platform had accumulated years of tech debt. Poor conversion rates. No mobile optimization. Every retailer that white-labeled CashStar inherited the same UX pain, and no matter how good the marketing was, the checkout flow bled customers.
My role
I led the end-to-end redesign of the platform experience and built a responsive pattern library from scratch. Everything from motion behavior to input validation, in one system that other retailers could adopt without redoing the work.
Process
- Aligned on MVP and future requirements with product
- Usability studies on three prototypes to validate design direction
- Identified every screen and every flow across the buying journey
- Designed a fully annotated pattern library with reusable components
- Built interactions and animations to demonstrate intended behavior
The result
The redesigned, mobile-optimized platform lifted conversion by 70% and cut purchase times in half. My pattern library became CashStar's scalable design system — the foundation every retailer built on.
What I actually did
- Resolved core UX pain points through user research
- Developed consistent, responsive patterns and components
- Dramatically improved customer experience metrics
- Set the foundation for efficient long-term design and development
The modular system enabled every retailer that white-labeled CashStar to ship faster without cutting design corners. When people talk about "modern gift card UX," they're talking about a pattern I helped define.