Simplifying
Complex Data
for Loyalty
How a UX designer untangled six interconnected data
systems inside Capillary's loyalty platform — making
powerful AI-driven insights accessible to every user,
at every level of technical ability.
ROLE
UX Research
FOCUS
Data Exploration
PLATFORM
CDP+ · Loyalty+
SCOPE
End-to-end research
500+
LOYALTY PROGRAMMES
30+
COUNTRIES
1ok+
TKNS/MINUTE
20%
TOP LINE GROWTH
04 — KEY INSIGHTS
What I found when I looked closely
5
CRITICAL FINDINGS
01
Stakeholder Interviews
CDP+, Loyalty+, and LDS surfaces operated independently. Users had to mentally piece together a narrative across disconnected modules — a task most gave up on entirely.
02
Marketers ≠ data scientists
Advanced features — SQL analytics, Scala queries, propensity models — were inaccessible to the programme managers who needed them most but lacked technical expertise.
03
The Nudge Framework went unnoticed
Despite being a flagship AI feature, users consistently missed Nudge recommendations. Buried in sub-navigation with no ambient or persistent presence in the interface.
04
Real-time data didn't feel real-time
The platform processes 10M+ transactions per minute, but dashboards refreshed on polling intervals — breaking the immediacy that fast-moving decision-makers needed.
05
LDS was powerful but untrusted
The proprietary Loyalty Delivered Sales metric had only 19% adoption. Its calculation was opaque — users couldn't understand or validate it, so they simply ignored it.
06 — THE UX APPROACH
From complexity to clarity: four design transformations
BEFORE
Disconnected dashboards across CDP+, Loyalty+, and LDS — no unified narrative layer connecting them for the user
BEFORE
Advanced AI features equally visible to all users — creating decision paralysis and cognitive overwhelm for non-technical staff
BEFORE
Nudge AI recommendations buried in sub-navigation — completely invisible, ignored, and never acted upon by users
BEFORE
LDS methodology completely opaque — users couldn't understand or validate the calculation so they simply ignored it
AFTER
Unified Loyalty Intelligence view with a single storytelling layer bridging all six data dimensions in one place
AFTER
Progressive disclosure: actionable summary for marketers first, full analytical depth on demand for data scientists
AFTER
AI guidance surfaces as an ambient daily companion — the first element a programme manager sees each session
AFTER
Transparent calculation with explainer tooltips, comparison scenarios, and methodology walkthroughs at every level
09 — CLOSING THOUGHT
Data tells
a story
Design makes
it legible.
The work at Capillary wasn't about adding features — it was about removing the distance between data and understanding. Every design decision was made in service of one goal: make the intelligence already inside this platform visible to the humans who need it.
DESINGED FOR
Where loyalty data meets
human understanding
DATA SIMPLIFICATION
TRUST BY DESIGN
PROGRESSIVE DISCLOSURE
ONMICHANNEL CDP
LOYALTY + PLATFORM
AI SURFACING
Work
About
Contact
Resume
Edwin Fernandez
05 — DATA INSIGHT
Feature adoption revelas
where the design problem lives
The most powerful features had the lowest adoption. This wasn't a training issue — it was a design legibility problem. The data existed; the path to it didn't.
88 %
CDA PROFILE
ADOPTION
19 %
LDS REPORTS
ADOPTION
5×
GAP BETWEEN
BEST & WORST
CDP Profiles
88%
Loyalty Txns
82%
Campaign Mgmt
71%
Nudge FW
38%
aiRA / ML
29%
LDS Reports
19%
07 — DESIGN SOLUTIONS
Three solutions that unlocked the data
UNIFY
Loyalty Intelligence Dashboard
A single-pane view unifying transactional data, engagement signals, campaign performance, and LDS impact. AI-written plain-language summaries replace raw metric tables —
giving every user a coherent picture without analytical
expertise.
↑ Connected 6 previously siloed data sources into one coherent narrative
UNIFY
Nudge-First Interface Redesign
Moved the Nudge Framework from a buried submenu to a persistent daily recommendations panel. AI suggestions are now the first element a programme manager encounters each session — transforming the most underused feature into the most visible.
↑ Connected 6 previously siloed data sources into one coherent narrative
TRUST
LDS Transparency System
Redesigned LDS reports with a layered explainer system: progressive disclosure, contextual tooltips, comparison scenarios, and methodology walkthroughs — turning the most strategic metric from an opaque output into a trusted decision tool.
↑ Transformed LDS from an ignored number into an understood business tool
08 — SIMPLIFICATON FRAMEWORK
A repeatable pattern for
tamingdata complexity
The most powerful features had the lowest adoption. This wasn't a training issue — it was a design legibility problem. The data existed; the path to it didn't.
Don't simplify by hiding — preserve all data, layer its presentation
Lead with narrative, not numbers — AI translates metrics into meaning
Make AI ambient, not optional — embed intelligence into the default path
Build trust through transparency — show your working, always
RAW DATA LAYER
10M+ txns/min · CDP events · ML outputs
AGGREGATION LAYER
Unified profiles · Loyalty metrics · Campaign results
INSIGHT LAYER
Plain-language summaries · Trend detection · Alerts
ACTION LAYER
Nudge recommendations · One-click decision triggers
01 — THE CHALLENGE
Capillary's platform was
powerful but unreadable
Capillary Technologies powers 500+ loyalty programmes
across 30+ countries. Its CDP+ and Loyalty+ platform
generates vast amounts of customer, transactional,
and engagement data every second — but this data was
scattered across disconnected modules, siloed by system,
and not designed for human understanding.
"We have the data. We just can't see it."
— PROGRAMME MANAGER, ENTERPRISE CLIENT
PAIN POINT 01
Data lives in silos, not stories
CDP+, Loyalty+, and LDS operated as isolated systems. Users had to mentally connect fragmented dashboards to build any picture of programme health — a task most gave up on.
PAIN POINT 02
Technical barrier to AI insights
Advanced predictive features — SQL analytics, Scala queries, propensity models — were inaccessible to the non-technical marketing professionals who needed them most.
PAIN POINT 03
Lowest adoption for most powerful features
Nudge Framework adoption sat at 38%. LDS Reports — the most strategically valuable metric — had only 19% adoption. The more valuable the feature, the less it was used.
02 — DATA LANDSCAPE
Six dimensions of data. One platform.
Customer Identity
CDP+
360° profiles unified from POS, app, web, social. Deduplication and merge logic across every channel interaction.
Transactional Data
LOYALTY+
Points earned/redeemed, tier changes, basket-level purchase history. 10M+ transactions per minute in real-time.
Engagement Signals
ENGAGEMENT LAYER
Non-transactional signals: store check-ins, social shares, reviews, referrals, gamification, leaderboard interactions.
Campaign Performance
NUDGE FRAMEWORK
Real-time campaign effectiveness, offer uptake, and AI-generated Nudge recommendations for next-best actions.
Predictive & ML
NUDGE FRAMEWORK
Real-time campaign effectiveness, offer uptake, and AI-generated Nudge recommendations for next-best actions.
Financial Impact
LDS METHODOLOGY
Loyalty Delivered Sales — Capillary's proprietary methodology measuring incremental revenue attributed to the programme.
03 — RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
How I mapped the data universe.
A structured four-step approach to understand what data existed, how it flowed, and where it broke down
After platform audit,I catalogued 6 coredata categories
1
Platform Audit
Heuristic evaluation of CDP+, Loyalty+, and the Analytics Dashboard. Catalogued every data point, metric, and visualisation exposed to users.
→ 60+ data touchpoints mapped
2
Stakeholder Interviews
Spoke with marketing managers, programme analysts, and C-suite sponsors. Identified which data was valued vs. which was
invisible.
→ 12 interviews conducted
3
Data Journey Mapping
Traced a single customer event from CDP → Loyalty → Nudge → LDS. Found 7 critical hand-off gaps where data became
invisible.
→ End-to-end flow documented
4
Opportunity Synthesis
Clustered findings via affinity mapping. Prioritised by user impact × business value × feasibility to define a clear design
direction.
→ 3 priority areas identified
60+
DATA TOUCHPOINTS
MAPPED
12
STAKE HOLDER
INTERVIEW
7
CRITICAL HANDOFF
GAPS FOUND
3
PRIORITY DESIGN
OPPORTUNITIES
08 — OUTCOMES & IMPACT
Connecting the dots changed how teams use data
500+
LOYALTY PROGRAMMES
ON THE PLATFORM
20%
TOP LINE GROWTH
UNLOCKED VIA LDS
4.1
FORESTER SCORE OUT OF 5
-HIGHEST OF ANY PROVIDERS
10+
INDUSTRY VERTICALS
SERVED GLOBALLY
Unified narrative layer
6 previously siloed data sources connected through a single storytelling interface, eliminating context-switching for programme managers.
Progressive disclosure framework
Non-technical users get summary insights; power users retain full SQL/Scala access — same platform, layered cognitive entry points.
AI made ambient, not optional
Nudge recommendations repositioned as a persistent daily companion — increasing AI-driven action without disrupting existing workflows.
LDS trust & adoption
Transparent methodology explainer transformed Capillary's most strategic metric from an opaque output into an understood and trusted business tool.