Tim Hortons logo featuring the word 'Tims' inside a red maple leaf.

Tim Hortons Philippines Digital Ordering and Loyalty App

Designing Tim Hortons Philippines' first loyalty system, turning daily coffee runs into XP-based progress, rewards, and repeat purchases.

Research
Loyalty
Localized
My Role
UI/UX Designer · UX Researcher · Cross-team Collaborator
Team
Designers · PM · Developers · QA
Timeline
Nov 2020 – Jan 2021
Deliverables
Wireframes · Mockups · Interactive Prototypes · CSS Handoff · Flow Testing

Experience the app

google play store badge
Overview

The Challenge: One Truth For Guests And Staff

When Tim Hortons entered the Philippines, it lacked a loyalty system.Users couldn’t earn points, track progress, or order ahead, unlike Starbucks Rewards and McDonald’s App.The team needed a simple digital membership that felt rewarding and encouraged repeat orders.

Key pain points

  • No order ahead. Queues at peak hours.
  • No digital membership, points, or rewards.
  • No order history or saved preferences for quick reorders.
  • No saved address or payment method for delivery or curbside.
No loyalty program to stay competitive
No fast reorders from order history
No membership tiers to drive retention

Key Insight: Progress Keeps People Coming Back

Our research and local testing showed that visible progress and small celebrations drive loyalty. Users loved seeing how close they were to the next tier, just like leveling up in a game.

Core insight

XP tiers and milestone rewards turn everyday coffee purchases into motivation loops.

Early brainstorming on how XP, tiers, and progression could work
Paper with three hand-drawn UI wireframes labeled Home, Notification, and Member, showing interface layouts with text boxes, buttons, and placeholders.
Wireframing the flow of the loyalty related pages
Earn points and redeem them for coupons
Game reward UI 03 used as reference for Tim Hortons loyalty designGame reward UI 02 used as reference for Tim Hortons loyalty designGame reward UI 01 used as reference for Tim Hortons loyalty design
Studying gaming UI patterns to learn how progress, streaks, and rewards motivate users.

The Solution: XP Tiers, Instant Rewards, and One-Tap Reorders

We turned loyalty into a simple game of progress, easy to join and rewarding to repeat.

Features we designed:

  • XP-based membership: visible tiers, annual reset for fresh motivation.
  • Coupons & birthday rewards: instant redemption through push notifications.
  • Saved history & payments: reorder favorites in one tap.
  • QR code collect: earn or redeem points at stores with a quick scan.
Tim Hortons mobile app screen showing Silver membership with 550 points, 2 rewards available, order options for curbside pickup and delivery, and a promotion for a $1.49 10-pack Timbits deal.
Home page showing XP tier, points, and member status.
Mobile app screen showing 2802 reward points with 4 available rewards including brewed coffee and cinnamon raisin bagel from Tim Hortons.
Coupons page with instant-redeem rewards.
Personalized offer pop-up.
Referral screen with arm wrestling icon, invitation to join and referral code K08J6 with copy option and a red Share the Joy button.
Referral page displaying shareable invite code.

Impact & Reflection: Loyalty That Feels Rewarding, Not Routine

At launch, Tim Hortons PH shipped the loyalty foundation: rewards and coupons, referral, saved history and payments, QR earn and redeem, and one tap reorders. The tier ladder we designed was intentionally deferred for a later phase. The groundwork, including UI and data model, is ready to activate when the business is.

User impact:

  • Faster and more consistent reorders.
  • Clear earn and redeem flow through QR and coupons.
  • Timely notifications such as birthday and offer reminders that bring people back.
  • Referral rewards both sides and prompts referrers to invite more friends.

Business impact:

  • Improved retention and repeat order frequency.
  • Less counter congestion through pre orders.
  • New analytics from redemptions, referrals, and in app surveys.
  • Reusable loyalty foundation speeds launches for campaigns and brands.
Tim Hortons PH app listing showing 3.5 star rating from 188 reviews, over 100,000 downloads, and Everyone content rating.
Google Play downloads surpassed 100K+
Three hands holding smartphones displaying a coffee shop app with rewards and a 20% birthday discount, donuts and coffee cups in the background.
Live app showcasing loyalty features.

What I learned:

  • Prioritize what helps customers now. Plan the rest for later phases.
  • Design modularly. Tiers can be turned on later without rebuilding
  • Keep it simple. Visible progress and quick reorders matter most.