Case study — Deconstructing the Dunkin’ app

redeem in one path. IA study

An information architecture study of a coffee run, one module at a time. I took the Dunkin’ app apart into modules and atoms, found where redeeming a reward breaks down, and redesigned it as a single path from Home to checkout.

Play The Prototype See The Deck

Role

Solo, UX & information architecture

Course

Information Architecture

Methods

Module map, atomic wireframes, gap analysis

Deliverables

Analysis deck, hi-fi Figma prototype

Redesigned Dunkin’ app rewards screens

Tools used

What I used, start to finish.

Figma

Atomic wireframes & prototype

Claude

Analysis & writing support

01 — Core purpose

why the app exists

The Dunkin’ app exists to make your daily coffee
run faster and more rewarding.

Every part of the analysis was measured against those two words: faster and more rewarding.

Faster

Order ahead, skip the wait

Every user can order through the app and pick up without waiting in line. Speed is the promise.

More rewarding

Dunkin’ Rewards

Members earn points on every purchase toward free food and drinks, plus members-only offers.

02 — Module map

seven modules across three screens

I mapped the three screens every order passes through, then named the modules on each one.

Screen

Home

Dunkin’ app Home screen today

Module 01

Points progress tracker

Progress toward your next free reward

Module 02

Boosted Status card

Visits toward faster point earning

Module 03

Recent order card

Your last order, one tap to reorder

Screen

Store finder

Dunkin’ app store finder today

Module 04

Search & filters

Find a store and filter by service

Module 05

Store list

Tabs, store cards and pickup panel

Screen

Menu

Dunkin’ app menu today

Module 06

Store info bar

Your store, with a Change button

Module 07

Our Picks carousel

Seasonal pick cards that scroll

03 — Atomic wireframes

seven modules, broken into atoms

Each module was rebuilt as a grayscale wireframe, with every atom labelled and the module outlined, side by side with the real screen.

Breaking the app down this far is what made the problems visible: the same idea showing up under different names, and pieces that didn’t lead anywhere.

Points progress tracker as a labelled atomic wireframe
Module 01, Points progress tracker: ten atoms, from milestone dots to the Choose Rewards button.

Atoms per module

01

Points progress tracker

10 atoms

02

Boosted Status card

6 atoms

03

Recent order card

7 atoms

04

Search & filters

9 atoms

05

Store list

15 atoms

06

Store info bar

4 atoms

07

Our Picks carousel

7 atoms

04 — Gap analysis

redeeming a reward takes a detour

I screen-recorded myself using 300 points on a donut in today’s app.

Points are converted on one screen, the donut has to be found again in the menu, and the reward only shows up at checkout.

Screen recording of today’s redeem flow
Screen recording of today’s flow.

78 sec

start to receipt

9 screens

to redeem one donut

  1. 1

    Choose Rewards

    A list sorted by points. You tap Convert before choosing anything to eat.

  2. 2

    Pop-up

    The reward goes to “Offers… Rewards”, a label that’s cut off.

  3. 3

    Home

    “Redeem your rewards” is really your bag.

  4. 4

    Menu

    Nothing shows which items the reward covers.

  5. 5

    Store map

    You stop mid-order to hunt for a store.

  6. 6

    Checkout

    The reward sits below the upsells and a promo code.

  7. 7

    Receipt

    Points can’t be shown yet, and ads come first.

Points are spent at step 1, but you don’t see the
reward working until step 6.

Labeling

Seven names for one thing

Choose Rewards, Convert, Converting, Offers…Rewards, Redeem your rewards, Available offers & rewards, Free Donut Reward.

Organization

Rewards have no home

A converted reward lives under Offers. The Home section called “Redeem your rewards” opens your bag.

Navigation

Convert, then hunt

Converting doesn’t lead anywhere. You have to find an eligible item yourself, and the menu doesn’t help.

Feedback

No confirmation until the end

You only learn the reward worked at checkout, and the receipt can’t tell you what’s left.

05 — Proposal

redeem in one path

Pick the reward first. Every step after that is about getting it to you.

Instead of converting points into a voucher and hunting for an item, you choose the actual drink or food up front, and the reward follows you to checkout.

  1. 1

    Home tracker

    Tap a tier to see what it gets you, then Redeem.

  2. 2

    Choose reward

    Pick the item. No converting.

  3. 3

    Customize*

    Size, dairy and flavor in one place.

  4. 4

    Pick store

    Same store finder, plus what you’re redeeming.

  5. 5

    Checkout

    The reward shows on the item. Points come off here.

  6. 6

    Done

    Points used, points left, next reward.

*Skipped when there’s nothing to customize (hash browns, iced loaf slice, Stuffed Bagel Minis).

The new redeem flow, screen by screen
The new flow end to end: Home tracker → choose your reward → customize → pick a store → checkout.
Today

Points spent before you’ve chosen food.

Convert first, then find an eligible item yourself.

Redesign

Points spent when you place the order.

Nothing is final until checkout, so changing your mind costs nothing.

Rewards you can see

New Home tracker

Rewards you can see

  1. 1

    Boosted folded in, Badges gone

    Boosted Status becomes a chip in the tracker, with an info button for the rules. Badges didn’t help anyone redeem, so that card is gone.

  2. 2

    Tap any tier to preview it

    Inspired by the Starbucks app: the bar keeps Dunkin’s look, but every milestone opens a panel showing what that tier gets you.

  3. 3

    Ready or locked, at a glance

    Ready tiers say so. Locked tiers show how many points, and roughly how many dollars, you still need.

  4. 4

    Redeem right from Home

    One button starts the new flow. No trip to a separate rewards list.

Choose your reward

Pick the reward, not a voucher

  1. 1

    Only what you can get

    The tabs list just the tiers your points cover, with the one you tapped already selected.

  2. 2

    Choose the actual item

    Pick the drink or food right here. There’s no separate convert step.

  3. 3

    See what’s left

    The sheet shows the points you’ll have after this reward.

  4. 4

    Nothing is final yet

    “Points are only used when you place your order.” Today, converting spends them right away.

  5. 5

    Redeem in store instead

    For people already at the counter: opens Scan / Pay with the reward attached.

Pick the reward, not a voucher
One screen for how you like it

Customize

One screen for how you like it

  1. 1

    One job per screen

    The sheet picks the reward; this screen sets how you like it.

  2. 2

    Choices you can see

    Size, dairy and flavor are tappable chips with the current pick highlighted, not hidden dropdowns.

  3. 3

    A running summary

    The bar at the bottom spells out your drink before you move on.

  4. 4

    Skip it when there’s nothing to choose

    Rewards with no options go straight to picking a store.

Store & checkout

The reward follows you

  1. 1

    The store finder stays familiar

    Same map, list and Walk-In panel as today, plus a “Redeeming” chip so you never lose track of the reward.

  2. 2

    The reward sits on the item

    Checkout shows the actual drink as FREE, tagged “Coffee & Tea reward applied · 600 pts”.

  3. 3

    Adding more is optional

    You can still add something else, but the reward isn’t buried in a cart you have to build first.

  4. 4

    Points left, before you pay

    The points box shows what you’ll have after this order, right above Place Order.

The reward follows you
Close the loop

Done

Close the loop

  1. 1

    The receipt confirms it

    It shows the reward, the points left and names your next reward. Promos come after, not before.

  2. 2

    In store, same reward

    “Redeem in store instead” opens Scan / Pay with the reward already attached to your code.

  3. 3

    Points come off at the counter

    Nothing is spent until the cashier scans, so changing your mind costs nothing.

06 — New modules

five new modules, same method

The redesign was broken down the same way as the original, so every new piece is defined down to its atoms.

Rewards tracker broken into labelled atoms
New module 1, Rewards tracker: points, Boosted status and every tier in one card.

New module 1

Rewards tracker

Points, Boosted status and every tier in one card.

New module 2

Reward picker sheet

Pick the tier, pick the item, see what’s left.

New module 3

Customize panel

Size, dairy and flavor as visible chips, with a running summary.

New module 4

Reward line item

The reward rides to checkout as a free item.

New module 5

Points recap

What you redeemed, what’s left and what’s next.

07 — Why it works

back to the core purpose

Faster and more rewarding, the two promises from the start, now hold all the way through redeeming.

78 sec · 9 screens

Today: redeeming one donut, from my screen recording

6 screens

Redesign: Home to receipt

1 path

No convert step, no menu hunt

Faster

Redeeming starts on Home and ends at checkout. No convert step, no menu hunt, and items with nothing to customize skip a screen.

Clearer

One word, “reward”, everywhere. The tracker shows what each tier gets, and checkout shows the reward on the item it covers.

More rewarding

Points left and your next reward stay visible from the sheet to the receipt. Boosted progress lives right in the tracker.