Strategic design and experimentation put the customer at the center of the relationship program
How Nubank uses strategic design and experimentation to put the customer at the center of Nunos, its rewards program for everyday activities
In 2013, the history of Brazilian financial services hit a new milestone with the emergence of Nubank - a pioneering digital financial services platform that revolutionized the sector. Until then, using design as a tool to provide an excellent customer experience was unprecedented and is still a challenge for many banks and other companies.
With over 70 million customers in nine years, Nubank remains committed to providing a complete ecosystem of financial services and solutions. However, there was a lack of a way to reward its loyal users who have supported the brand over the years. It was from this thought that the idea of creating a relationship program, called Nunos, arose.
Creating the Nunos loyalty program for Nubank was no easy task. The company was determined to create something unique and impactful in the lives of its customers, standing out from existing loyalty programs on the market.
To meet this expectation, Nubank partnered with Thoughtworks, a global technology consultancy that integrates strategy, design, and software engineering to accelerate digital innovation by connecting businesses to customer needs through design.
Reinventing established loyalty programs was the challenge faced by Nubank in creating the Nunos program. In a collaborative effort between Thoughtworks and the client, the decision was made to focus on the company's differential as a starting point for the conception of Nunos: to simplify people's financial lives and provide control over their money.
The goal was to create a program where the activities that customers already perform in the Nubank app turn into rewards and surprises, without the need to add tasks, helping people learn more about how to better manage their money.
Customer-Centric Design: The experimentation methodology
An idea, even if it is the result of research with real people, is not enough. To create an extraordinary impact on the lives of customers, it is necessary to have a design perspective, capable of bringing the user's vision to the center of decisions, a constant practice in the creation and evolution of its products at Nubank.
To put this into practice in Nubank's new relationship program, Thoughtworks adopted the experimentation methodology through its Creative Lab, going into the field to discover what has a positive impact on the lives of its customers. From storytelling and value proposition to gameplay mechanics and scoring or reward format, everything is put to the test with real people through quantitative and qualitative tests and experiments.
Called test & learning, this agile testing process has the power to accelerate the development of products and services that are effective for those who matter: users.
These learnings are essential to validate everything from major strategic decisions to the small details that make the experience unique. For example, to know if the mechanics of opening chests after completing missions is interesting for customers, it is necessary to test it with real people who will use the digital product.
This approach speeds up the development of effective products and services for those who matter: users.
Using insights to create exceptional digital products
To gather user insights and develop the program, it was necessary to conduct research, develop strategies, and use storytelling techniques. Once it was time to implement the project, it was important to design a visual structure that highlighted Nubank's unique selling point - the proximity of its customers to the company.
By blending playfulness with reality and utilizing strategic discoveries and storytelling as its foundation, it was possible to create an experience that fostered profound connections with users. We maintained the simplicity of use while offering rewards, such as coupons for iFood, cashback, and discounts on streaming, for simply using Nubank on a daily basis.
It was a time to expand the team and co-create together. We designed solutions together, which I call WOW, those that, in addition to fulfilling their practical function, also have a very strong emotional character. The joint work allowed us to reach the best possible solution, and after several tests of the exploratory phase of Nunos, we heard positive feedback from customers.
