UX Designer
At the core of YuLife’s app is a simple exchange: healthy behaviour in return for rewards. That model drove engagement, but it also meant the company paid on every redemption. As enterprise clients grew larger and more active, costs rose quickly, putting pressure on the model.
YuLife needed a more sustainable approach without weakening engagement. The Impact Pass emerged from that tension. Players would donate in-app currency (YuCoin) to unlock rewards over time. Instant, transactional redemption would be replaced with progression. However, the system had to remain motivating while fundamentally changing how value was delivered.
When I joined the project, the Impact Pass existed as a mechanic rather than a complete experience. Questions remained around motivation, progression, and emotional payoff. I audited earning flows, reviewed engagement data, and studied battle pass systems in games to understand pacing and structure.
Several principles emerged:
Preserve established earning behaviour. Replacing instant redemption had to feel intentional, not restrictive.
Protect sustained engagement. Progression needed to maintain momentum across a full season.
Design pacing deliberately. Reward spacing had to sustain anticipation without exhausting value too quickly.
Align motivation with sustainability. The system had to remain compelling while protecting margins.
The work quickly expanded beyond defining a mechanic. It required shaping a complete progression system that balanced motivation, clarity, and long-term engagement. While the project touched multiple areas of the app, I focused on the challenges that would most directly affect behaviour and sustainability:
Design a sustainable reward mix. Without instant redemption, progression had to remain compelling. Monetary rewards were paired with gameplay and cosmetic items to add depth without increasing costs.
Balance progression pacing. Rewards needed to feel achievable across a season without stalling early or being exhausted too quickly. Levels and thresholds were calibrated to maintain momentum while protecting margins.
Make donating meaningful. Social elements raised questions around visibility and competition. The system emphasised collective progress and shared milestones to encourage participation without driving comparison.
Elevate key moments. With instant redemption removed, claiming a reward became the primary payoff. Claim states were designed to feel deliberate and celebratory, reinforcing the link between contribution and outcome.
Early analytics showed that engagement with the Impact Pass was only slightly lower than the in-app store experience. Given expectations that a constrained, donation-led journey would reduce participation, this was significant. It validated that progression and shared impact could sustain motivation without relying on instant redemption.
More importantly, the Impact Pass reshaped how YuLife approached rewards at a business level. What began as a cost-control initiative evolved into a distinct product offering that influenced positioning and market strategy. It demonstrated that engagement, sustainability, and social impact could be aligned rather than traded off.
