Buddies by Blue Buffalo Mobile App - 2023
Scaling Pet Parent Loyalty Through Strategic Design Leadership
As the first in-house Design Lead for Blue Buffalo's Buddies app, I inherited a functional but fragmented loyalty platform and transformed it into a comprehensive ecosystem that deepened brand relationships while driving measurable business growth. The challenge wasn't just improving an existing app, it was evolving a contractor-built foundation into a scalable, user-centered experience that could support Blue Buffalo's ambitious growth targets.
When I joined, Buddies served 210,000 active users with solid 4.7-star ratings, but significant untapped potential. Through systematic user research and data analysis, I identified critical friction points: 42% of customers were unaware of QR code rewards, complex redemption flows caused abandonment, and limited social features hindered community building that pet parents craved.
My strategic approach focused on removing barriers between purchase intent and reward realization. I architected and designed the receipt scanning feature that was a complex, multi-step flow that required weeks of planning to balance technical constraints with user simplicity. Using a wizard pattern backed by rigorous usability testing, I achieved 89% completion rates while saving the company hundreds of thousands in manufacturing costs.
Beyond individual features, I established the design systems and team processes that enabled 4x user growth. I built scalable component libraries, implemented data-driven design practices, and created cross-functional collaboration frameworks that aligned design decisions with business objectives. My leadership extended across a team of four designers, fostering a culture of user advocacy while maintaining rapid iteration cycles.
The impact was measurable: from 210K to 810K active users, app ratings climbing to historic highs of 4.9/4.8 stars, and most importantly, deeper engagement patterns that translated directly to increased product loyalty and purchase frequency.
Buddies Mobile App - Learn Feature with Podcasts
Architecting Growth Through Data-Driven Design Strategy
Inheriting a stable platform with 45,000 DAU’s, I identified an ambitious but achievable opportunity: doubling our user base within 12 months through systematic feature innovation and user experience optimization. Rather than pursuing growth through acquisition alone, I focused on creating deeper engagement patterns that would drive organic expansion and retention.
Establishing Design-Data Partnership
The existing analytics infrastructure captured user behavior, but lacked the strategic connection between data insights and design decisions. I spearheaded the integration of design and data teams, advocating for a dedicated Digital Testing & Optimization role that would enable feature-flagged releases and controlled experimentation. This wasn't just about having more data; it was about creating feedback loops that could validate design hypotheses and accelerate learning cycles.
My approach transformed how we viewed and interacted with product development: instead of shipping features and hoping for the best, we implemented systematic A/B testing frameworks that let us measure impact before full rollouts.
This methodology became the foundation for every major design decision, ensuring that our ambitious growth targets were backed by evidence rather than assumption.
User-Centered Intelligence Gathering
I established direct channels with customer support teams, transforming support tickets from reactive problem-solving into proactive design intelligence. By systematically analyzing pain points and user friction, I identified opportunities that our analytics couldn't surface: the emotional and contextual challenges that quantitative data often misses.
This dual approach (quantitative validation through controlled testing and qualitative insights through direct user feedback) created a comprehensive understanding of how design changes could drive meaningful growth. The result was a strategic foundation that enabled confident decision-making and measurable impact across every feature we shipped.
Plan
Meet with Product Owners to discuss, ideate, and estimate new features for the app.
Design
Execute the planned out features within Figma both in low then high fidelity.
Ship
Work with developers to build out and release the designed features to our large user base.
Expanding Our Design System
As Lead Designer on the Buddies mobile app for Blue Buffalo, I was responsible for driving the visual and user experience direction of a loyalty program built specifically for pet owners. My role involved overseeing the end-to-end design process—from concept development through final delivery—ensuring every interaction within the app aligned with Blue Buffalo’s trusted brand and resonated with a community of passionate pet parents. Working closely with product managers, developers, and marketers, I translated user needs and business goals into a cohesive, engaging experience that encouraged repeat engagement and built lasting brand loyalty.
A major focus of my work was expanding and refining the app’s design system. I led the development of a scalable system of components, styles, and interaction patterns that brought consistency across the app while supporting rapid iteration. This included defining a comprehensive color palette, type hierarchy, iconography, and reusable components that could flexibly support features like rewards, pet profiles, health tracking, and in-app education. The system not only improved visual coherence but also streamlined developer handoff and empowered the design team to work more efficiently.
I worked on systematically cataloging user complaints, technical debt, and inconsistencies across the existing app. I mapped these against user journey touchpoints and business impact to create a prioritization matrix. High-impact, low-effort wins like improving button states and error messaging came first, building team confidence while addressing user pain points.
I balanced design debt with new features using a 60-40 split, ensuring we were always improving the foundation while delivering business value through new capabilities.
Beyond the visual polish, I championed accessibility and intuitive navigation throughout the app’s evolution. Through user feedback and usability testing, we identified friction points and optimized flows to simplify onboarding, reward redemption, and pet management. As the team scaled, I mentored junior designers and collaborated with cross-functional leads to ensure that every new feature was thoughtfully integrated into the existing ecosystem—both visually and functionally. The result was a robust, user-centered app experience that delivered real value to customers while deepening their connection to the Blue Buffalo brand.
Collaboration Breeds Innovation
One of the most rewarding aspects of my role was the close collaboration I had with our product managers. I genuinely enjoy working alongside product teams—brainstorming features, aligning on user needs, and helping shape the roadmap through a design lens. Our collaboration was built on mutual trust and a shared commitment to creating meaningful experiences for our users. From early ideation sessions to feature prioritization and testing strategies, we worked hand-in-hand to ensure every design decision supported both user satisfaction and business goals.
Leveraging data given to us from the Performance and Optimization team, we would work hand-in-hand to develop new helpful features within the app that both delighted users and meet business needs and objectives to ultimately retain and engage a new user base.
I’ve always found that great design thrives when it’s rooted in strategic partnership. Working with product managers allowed me to better understand the "why" behind features and uncover opportunities where design could elevate the experience or solve a deeper problem. Whether we were refining MVP requirements or iterating post-launch, I approached each conversation as a creative problem-solver who could bring both empathy for the user and clarity to the product vision. These collaborations not only strengthened the outcome of our work but also made the entire process more fulfilling.
Multiple agile ceremonies that included Kickoffs, Estimations, and Refinements, along with frequent collabs allowed us to iterate and perfect the designs before handoffs to the front and back-end teams. This would ultimately provide our Pet Parents with intuitive and helpful features that they desperately desired.
Working through complex flows and user interactions.
One of the largest projects I worked on at my time with BLUE was Receipt Scanning. The business was looking for a way to make it easier for users to gain reward points by proving their purchase of a dog or cat product. The app already had QR code scans enabled but this was very costly from. a business standpoint and we found that 42% of our customers weren’t actually aware of the QR code insert within their product.
Therefore, we devised a new way to let them scan their receipts and in turn, earn points to be redeemed within our mobile app. They could use these points to get gift cards, treats, toys and more! However, this proved to be very complex and required weeks of planning and brainstorming before even wire-framing or building out screens.
We partnered with a vendor named Microblink to simplify the scanning process and rely on them to validate products on the receipt to then reward points to the user. After cementing this piece, I could then design out every screen from the initial entry point all the way to the success screen. I chose a wizard approach to make the multi-step process feel less cumbersome and allow the Pet Parent to easily understand the options for redemption.
The wizard pattern wasn't my first instinct—we initially prototyped a single-screen approach and a modal overlay system. The complexity emerged from error handling and user education. Receipts have massive variation in format, quality, and Blue Buffalo product placement, so users needed contextual guidance at each step. We tested three approaches with 50 users each: single-screen had 34% task abandonment, modal overlay confused users about progress, but the wizard achieved 89% completion rate.
We implemented feature-specific attribution tracking that went beyond vanity metrics. The receipt scanning feature I designed showed direct causation—users who completed their first receipt scan had 73% higher 30-day retention than those who only used QR codes. We measured this through cohort analysis comparing pre and post-feature launch periods, controlling for marketing spend.
Post-launch data showed users who completed receipt scanning were 2.3x more likely to become monthly active users, validating the investment in UX complexity.
My Leadership Role
My team consisted of two junior UX designers, a UX copywriter, and an illustrator/animator. I was also in charge of providing guidance to a web designer for the BLUE Buffalo website.
I held weekly meetings with the team to give updates, share work, give guidance and often just build camaraderie. It was extremely important to me to ensure my team’s concerns were being heard and that they could operate in a fun and fulfilling environment and workspace.
I implemented a sort of “design governance at scale”. A three-tier system of component library, design reviews, and cross-functional checkpoints. Every component in our Figma system required approval from two designers before entering production, preventing individual bias from creating inconsistencies. We established design-engineering pairing sessions where my team worked directly with developers during implementation, catching drift before it reached users.
My management style centered on mentorship, open communication, and continuous feedback. I held regular design critiques, one-on-one check-ins, and team workshops to encourage knowledge-sharing and push our work forward collectively. I also partnered closely with product and engineering leads to ensure our design team was integrated into cross-functional planning from the start.
Seeing my team evolve, take creative risks, and confidently own features from concept to launch was one of the most rewarding parts of my role. My goal was always to balance creative vision with practical execution, helping each team member do their best work while aligning with the broader goals of the Buddies app and the Blue Buffalo brand.
DESIGNERS, UNITE!
We implemented design sprints where the entire team would collectively tackle complex flows, ensuring our junior designers learned from senior thinking while maintaining consistency. The result was a 40% reduction in design-related customer support tickets despite 4x user growth.
App Reviews
When I began working on the Buddies app in February of 2022, the reviews and ratings were at a solid 4.7 in the App Store and a 4.6 in the Play Store. Since we listened to Pet Parents and prioritized desired features they they were asking for, the app now sits at a 4.9 and a 4.8, both the highest ratings ever for the app in both stores!
“This app is so much fun. It is also very convenient to log all of my pets vet appointments, vaccines, and medication so I can keep track of everything. - Apple App Store User
“This app is so much fun. It is also very convenient to log all of my pets vet appointments, vaccines, and medication so I can keep track of everything. - Apple App Store User
"There are also helpful articles. You can earn and redeem points for free merchandise ranging from treats, toys, welcome kits and cases of food. The app is very user friendly. absolutely recommend." - Google Play Store User
"There are also helpful articles. You can earn and redeem points for free merchandise ranging from treats, toys, welcome kits and cases of food. The app is very user friendly. absolutely recommend." - Google Play Store User
“What I especially love, other than knowing that both dogs are now eating good quality dog food, is scanning barcodes & earning points to redeem for special treats! This is so fun!” - Apple App Store User
“What I especially love, other than knowing that both dogs are now eating good quality dog food, is scanning barcodes & earning points to redeem for special treats! This is so fun!” - Apple App Store User
"I’ve had so much fun with this app since I’ve just adopted a new puppy and also have another dog and 2 cats. This app also has lots of useful information about animals that I’ve enjoyed reading." - Apple App Store User
"I’ve had so much fun with this app since I’ve just adopted a new puppy and also have another dog and 2 cats. This app also has lots of useful information about animals that I’ve enjoyed reading." - Apple App Store User
My Team’s Impact
Back in February of 2022, when I started, Buddies had 210,000 Active users and at our peak in August 2023, we saw 710,000 Active Users. At this time we marketed our new Receipt scanning feature along with the ability to “Build a Bundle” of exclusive BLUE products only found in our app.
