CVS Photo App – Native Mobile Experience Redesign
Responsive white-labeled retail app to native mobile
Project Goal
Business: Replace an outdated white-labeled web experience with a native iOS app to drive engagement, downloads, and in-store traffic.
User: Create a calm, intuitive mobile experience that makes photo printing feel personal and enjoyable—especially for casual photographers, travelers, and parents.
Problem
The existing mobile experience is a minimally responsive implementation of a Shutterfly-powered site. It is dense, cluttered, and difficult to navigate due to omnichannel product ownership and marketing conflicts. The experience felt like walking into a store’s clearance aisle: overwhelming and impersonal. Common complaints brought up how hard it was to find something specific or unique. This led to high drop-off rates, low engagement, and limited brand loyalty.
ChallengesFragmented stakeholder input and unclear decision-making hierarchy
Two junior designers requiring ongoing mentorship and design direction
Minimal access to real users for testing
Confusion caused by multiple internal CVS teams touching the product
No direct line to product analytics or success metrics
Old, Shutterfly-powered experience
My Approach
I led a redesign effort that focused on mobile-native interaction patterns, personalization through AI, and scalable architecture.
Clean Mobile UI: Created an intuitive interface with mobile-first design patterns and modern card layouts.
Scalable Navigation: Introduced a consistent framework to handle deeply nested product categories across various photo products.
Personalized Discovery: Proposed the use of on-device photos (with user consent) to generate personalized promos instead of generic, outdated templates.
Engagement System: Proposed a tiered rewards model to encourage return visits. Daily engagement could unlock points, badges, or exclusive features.
AI Features:
"Main Character" tool: Enabled users to generate stylized versions of their own photos using GenAI tools (like DALL·E, Midjourney) and apply them to photo products.
Conversational Shopping Assistant: Helped users explore gift ideas based on mood, recipient, or occasion.
Accessible Prompting: Designed a simple system for prompt selection with tap-to-use styles and smart defaults to remove friction for non-technical users.
Collaboration & Leadership
• Mentored junior designers daily with direct feedback, design reviews, and growth opportunities.
• Took on operational overhead so they could focus on quality and creativity.
• Encouraged them to own their work and present directly to stakeholders.
• Worked alongside engineering early—even without a development plan—to ensure feasibility.
Outcome & Reception
Although the project didn’t reach development (a common reality in consulting), the interactive prototype and vision received strong executive approval. Stakeholders were particularly excited by the potential of AI-powered features and the proposed structure for future product scaling.
The prototype was used internally to rally other teams and is under consideration as a foundation for the next phase of CVS's digital photo strategy.
Prototype samples
Links will open a recording in a new window
Introduction and customization
Themed landing page
Quick photo print experience
Reward-based repeat use example
Brief AI chatbot interaction
Unique AI-enhanced photo product concept
Augmented Reality photo wall experience
What I learned
This project taught me how to build toward vision even when product execution isn't guaranteed. I learned to:
- Balance feasibility with inspiration
- Anticipate how personalization and AI can be used responsibly
- Communicate value to non-design stakeholders
- Design a framework that invites evolution, not just a single solution
“I designed this not for the MVP, but for the moment they’re ready to scale.”
If you'd like to learn more or ask me some questions please reach out.