MEHAK QURESHI
MEHAK QURESHI

Stewardship -

Exxon Rewards

Business Line


Fuels & Lubes

Design Team

Design Strategy

Project Type

Web Application Development

Project Length

18 Months

My Role

Lead Product Designer

  • Led end-to-end UX from research to UI
  • Defined reward system experience and interaction model
  • Designed flows for earning, tracking, and redeeming rewards
  • Translated behavioral insights into product features

Overview

Field operators at ExxonMobil play a critical role in safety and production, yet existing reward systems were delayed, opaque, and error-prone—leading to low engagement and reduced trust.
This project focused on redesigning the rewards experience to increase transparency, improve motivation, and align incentives with real-time performance.

Objectives

  • Reduce workplace incidents by at least 40% within one year
  • Increase field production by 15% through automation and real-time monitoring
  • Enhance operator decision-making with data-driven insights
Exxon Rewards Objectives Section

Background

ExxonMobil operates in high-risk environments where field operators play a critical role in production and safety. However, the company faced challenges with:

  • Low engagement due to outdated, non-transparent reward systems.
  • Delayed payments for overtime, safety bonuses, and performance incentives.
  • Manual payroll processes leading to errors and disputes.

Key Features Implemented

  • Real-Time Performance Rewards
  • Digital Wallet Integration
  • Gamified Safety Incentives
  • Peer Recognition System

User Benefits

Faster, More Transparent Payments

  • Instant payouts via digital wallets (e.g., Venmo, PayPal) instead of waiting for checks.
  • Real-time earnings tracking in the app—no more guesswork on bonuses or overtime.

Improved Engagement & Recognition

  • Peer-to-peer “kudos” system boosts morale and teamwork.
  • Clear performance metrics show how daily actions impact rewards.

Increased Earnings & Incentives

  • Automated bonuses for safety compliance, production targets, and efficiency.
  • Gamified rewards (e.g., points for hazard reporting) redeemable for cash or gifts.

Enhanced Financial Control

  • Mobile access to payroll history, tax docs, and benefits.
  • Fewer payment errors with blockchain-backed transactions.

Benefits for Businesses

Higher Workforce Retention & Productivity

  • 14% increase in operator retention (saving $2M+ annually in hiring/training).
  • Reduced absenteeism—employees are motivated by real-time incentives.

Improved Safety & Compliance

  • 40% more hazard reports due to gamified rewards.
  • 17% higher safety compliance—directly tied to bonus eligibility.

Operational Efficiency

  • 22% lower payroll processing costs via automation.
  • 87% fewer payment disputes, freeing HR resources.

Data-Driven Workforce Insights

  • AI analytics identify top performers for promotions.
    Real-time KPI dashboards help adjust incentives dynamically.AI analytics identify top performers for promotions.
  • Real-time KPI dashboards help adjust incentives dynamically.

My Role

This project was a part of our UI/UX Bootcamp, and I applied all the methods of research I learned there. This was an individual project, so from UX research to UI designing everything was done by me. I really enjoyed working on this.

Key Takeaways

For Users

  • Instant financial rewards for safe/productive work.
  • Empowerment through transparency and peer recognition.

For ExxonMobil

  • Cost savings from streamlined payroll and retention.
  • Risk reduction through incentivized safety behaviors.
  • Competitive edge in talent acquisition

Design Process

The design process section is a crucial part of your UI/UX case study. It showcases your problem-solving methodology and the steps taken to arrive at the final design solution.
E dp1

Emphasize

User Research User InterviewCompetitive Analysis

E dp2

Define

User Persona Goal Statement Empathy Map

E dp3

Ideate

Brainstorming Card SortingUser Flow

E dp4

Design

Paper Wireframes Visual Design Prototype

E dp5

Test

Check Usability Survey Insight Improvements

Challenge

We wanted to make a safe and easy way to digitally pay for fuel and earn loyalty points right at the pump. The prior innovative method of payment, the SpeedPass dongle was becoming outdated and too costly to maintain and ExxonMobil needed a new way for customers to pay for fuel that matched the ease-of-use and security of Speedpass.

Problem

  • 14–21 day delays in payments
  • 35% reporting discrepancies
  • No visibility into earnings
  • Complex eligibility rules

Solution

  • Real-time rewards dashboard
  • Digital wallet for payouts
  • Gamified incentives
  • Peer recognition

Result

  • Low trust in the system
  • Reduced engagement
  • Increased disputes and admin overhead

Pain Point

  • Complex eligibility rules: 68% of operators don’t understand bonus criteria
  • Slow redemption: 60–90 day wait for safety rewards
  • Lack of transparency: No visibility into point balances
  • Delayed payments: 14–30 day wait times for bonuses and overtime
  • Frequent errors: 1 in 5 paychecks require correction
  • No real-time tracking: Operators can’t see pending payments

Core Experience

  • Earn → Track → Redeem
  • Simple and continuous feedback loop
  • Reduces confusion and delays
E features

Features

  • Instant digital payouts
  • Real-time earnings dashboard
  • Automated tax calculations
  • Dispute resolution portal
  • Multilingual support
  • Biometric login

Key Insight

  • Rewards only work when they are:
  • Immediate
  • Transparent
  • Easy to understand

Key UX Decision

Real-Time Feedback

  • Immediate reward visibility
  • Builds trust
  • Encourages repeated behavior

Gamification

  • Points, milestones, leaderboards
  • Motivates engagement
  • Encourages safety participation

Wallet

  • Instant payouts
  • Eliminates payroll dependency
  • Improves perceived fairness

Design Strategy

1. Make Rewards Instant
Reduce delay between action and reward.

2. Make Progress Visible
Provide real-time tracking of earnings and bonuses.

3. Encourage Positive Behavior
Use gamification to reinforce safety and productivity.

Ex ds

Key UX Decisions

Make Rewards Instant

  • Shows earnings, bonuses, and progress
  • Builds transparency and trust

Digital Wallet Integration

  • Enables instant payouts
  • Eliminates dependency on payroll cycles

Gamified Incentives

  • Points for safety actions
  • Leaderboards and milestones

Peer Recognition System

  • Encourages team engagement
  • Reinforces positive culture
Ex impact

Impact

  • Increased retention by 14%
  • Reduced payment disputes by 87%
  • Lowered payroll costs by 22%
  • Increased safety engagement (40% more hazard reporting)

Constraints & Trade-offs

  • Balancing instant payouts with financial compliance
  • Ensuring fairness in gamification systems
  • Integrating with legacy payroll infrastructure

Empathy Map

Think Feel

"Why does it take 3 pay cycles to fix a simple overtime mistake?"

"Another app? Probably just more tracking disguised as help."

"Safety bonuses feel like a scam - I never see the money."

Hear

"HR said we'd get paid faster, but it's the same old delays."

"The safety reward points expire before we can use them."

"They track everything but never show us the data."

See

Gloves covered in grease/mud making phone use difficult

"PAY ERROR" post-it notes on the crew bulletin board

Say & Do

"I'll believe the instant payments when I see them."

"Not worth reporting near-misses - the points never add up."

Participant Demographics

A wireframe is a rough schematic created in the early stages of digital product design to help visualize and communicate the structure of a product or website.

Users Age

Pd

Phone Type

Pd

Internet Browser

Pd

Workplace Type

Pd

Users Group

Field Operator

Field Operator

Maintenance Technician

Maintenance Technician

Production Supervisor

Production Supervisor

HSE Manager

HSE Manager

Persona

Name

Jake Reynolds

Occupation

Self-employed

Jake Reynolds

Jake Reynolds Story

Jake Reynolds is a regional director who needs to catch flights a lot. He sometimes has to 7-8 times a month for work purposes. His company has assigned Jason to a specific region so that he travels to the same cities and stays at the same hotels for convenience.

Gain

  • Watch earnings update after each overtime shift
  • Push notification when safety points convert to cash
  • Clear breakdown of every dollar earned
  • Real-time leaderboard showing team’s safety performance

Demographic

42 years old, previously lived in Boston, Massachusetts, but moved to Chicago for a new job with the startup company. Has a high-income level. Married with three kids.

Pain Point

  • Can’t predict take-home pay due to opaque calculations
  • Late payments cause bill payment stress
  • Past experiences with “improved systems” that failed
  • Feels rewards are designed to be unattainable

Org Activity

Tech Sevy

Social Skills

Low fidelity wireframe

Exxon Rewards Low fidelity wireframe

User Interface

Exxon Rewards User Interface

Key UX Decision

  • Behavioral systems require trust
  • Speed directly impacts motivation
  • UX can influence real-world actions

Wanna collaborate?

Let’s chat.

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Hey, thanks for checking out my work.

I’ve been fascinated with the way people interact with technology since forever. I’m particularly keen on digital products designed to make life easier for human beings.

What are you working on?

If you want to know more about my design process, or if you want to talk about a cool idea, don’t hesitate to hit me up.