Overview
Niyo Global’s Refer & Earn transformed scattered one-off shares into a unified, gamified dashboard driving repeat referrals through visible Niyo Coins unlocks, milestone steppers, and scratch card delights, using in-app perks over heavy cash spend while building trust and scalability.
Problem Statement
Redesign Refer & Earn from a simple “share a link and hope” mechanic into a structured loyalty experience that clearly explains successful referrals, makes inviting effortless, tracks end-to-end, gamifies meaningfully, and provides a dashboard for quick progress understanding.
Understanding What We Are Trying to Solve:
Users referred once then stopped due to unclear next steps, reward timelines, and lack of progress visibility, leading to mistrust and “missing reward” escalations. The fragmented experience lacked a central hub combining journey, actions, and payouts.
Goals
• Boost high-intent referrals that complete friend activation and first booking, cutting “missing reward” support tickets.
• Deliver single-glance dashboard for states, unlocks, and totals like 7500 Coins (=₹150).
• Gamify transparently with perks (Zero Flight Fees, 2500 Coins/milestone) for streaks and campaigns.
• Target Octalysis: Development (milestones), Ownership (personal dashboard), Social Influence (friend impacts).
Pain Points
• No visibility into referral status after sharing.
• Unclear friend actions needed for rewards to unlock.
• Flat history list without progress or achievement sense.
• Frequent support tickets for eligibility confusion.
The Process
Discovery via data/support; benchmarked Uber/Airbnb/Dropbox for banners/steppers/shares.
• Mapped flows: entry→share→unlock.
• Brainstormed Coins, scratch lotteries (“Scratch Now!”), “Coin Party!” perks, anti-spam.
• Applied Octalysis drives.
Information Architecture:
Clarified hub layers for action/clarity balance.
• Hero: “Share Invite Code” CTA (Copy/WhatsApp).
• Journey: horizontal tiles (locked/pending/unlocked).
• Rewards: totals, next unlock.
• History: friend statuses (code used/credited).
• T&Cs: action tooltips.
Challenges faced
Mapping the referral journey proved difficult, attaching specific rewards to each step while adding meaningful value required deep flow understanding.
• Complex rules/caps vs instant status clarity.
• Gamification delight without fintech trust erosion.
• Technical tracking limits burying CTAs.
• Anti-spam vs frictionless shares.
Gamification Framework (Octalysis Lens)
I mapped engagement opportunities through Yu‑kai Chou’s Octalysis framework, focusing on:
• Development & Accomplishment: Visible milestones and unlocks.
• Ownership & Possession: Clear dashboard reflecting “my” referrals and coins.
• Social Influence & Relatedness: Making each invite’s impact tangible and trackable.
The Solution
The final design unites everything in a single Refer & Earn Hub acting as both journey and dashboard. A bold hero section leads with “Share Invite Code” CTA and quick Copy Link/WhatsApp options. Below sits a horizontally scrollable milestone rail showing referral states (locked, pending, unlocked) with Zeigarnik nudges. Reward summary displays totals earned, next unlocks, and remaining steps. Referral history lists friends with real-time statuses (code used, card ordered, reward credited). Concise tooltips and T&Cs near actions ensure transparency, while scratch cards and micro-interactions add delight.