AMAZON TREASURE TRUCK

Mobile Purchasing Relaunch in Native App

The Problem: A Pre-Launch That Broke Trust

Treasure Truck was Amazon’s way of bringing a little surprise and delight back into shopping. Customers would receive a spontaneous text with a curated same-day deal (from paddleboards to prime steak) and could purchase through the Amazon app for in-person pickup at local truck stops. But the first launch struggled.

After a misaligned launch announcement, technical limitations, and accessibility issues, the experience didn’t meet customer expectations. I stepped in as the solo Senior UX Designer to audit, realign, and relaunch the experience into something scalable, trusted, and engaging.

The goal was to redesign the mobile purchasing experience to support:

01
Program Value

Clearer program value communication

02
Scalability

Accessible, scalable UX

03
Usability

Confident pickup and purchasing behavior

COMPANY
Amazon
ROLE
Sr. UX Designer
End-to-End UX
TEAM
Sr. Program Manager
Technical Program Manager
7 Software Engineers
STAKEHOLDERS
Sr. Operations Manager
Sr. Sales Manager
Marketing Manager
TYPE
Mobile App Design
eCommerce
Program Launch

Impact at a Glance

90% Faster Sellouts vs. Lightning Deals

Fast Sellouts of in-demand offers, validating urgency and engagement

150% Subscriber Growth in first 30 days

Subscriber surge following the relaunch, indicating restored user trust

2x Higher SMS CTR vs. marketing average

Start of the day notifications had high CTR, compared to Amazon averages

Program Expansion Approved

Strong launch results earned leadership approval to scale.

LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES

Auditing the Existing Purchasing Experience

After a failed program launch, I audited the existing app build to reveal the biggest areas to focus on: improving customer trust, addressing the high technical overhead, and ensuring accessibility was prioritized. This came from conversations with key stakeholders, leadership, as well as my own evaluation of the existing UX.

Challenges

Broken Customer Trust

Establish high-performing sign-up flows to build anticipation and activate audiences in new cities.

High Technical Overhead

Previous designs deviated heavily from Amazon standards

Accessibility Gaps

Existing app failed Amazon mobile accessibility standards

UX Objectives

Transparent Communication

Establish clear, reliable communication and backup processes to rebuild customer trust

Design for Flexibility

Build modular components leveraging standard Amazon libraries for faster iteration, lower tech effort, and scaling

Accessibility Baseline

Simplify functionality without losing quality to meet screen reader best practices immediately

USABILITY TESTING RESULTS

Participants were confused about program and pickup

TESTING THE EXISTING FLOWS

I partnered with a third-party vendor to conduct moderated, task-based remote usability testing. Tasks included: onboarding, purchasing, selecting a pickup location, discussing program and pickup expectations.

PARTICIPANTS DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE BASICS

01

Customers expected delivery

Stop selection was not discoverable

02

Pickup logistics were unclear or absent

03

No Program Comprehension

0/6 participants understood the surprise deal model

No Successful Stop Selection

0/6 found or used the stop selection flow successfully

Confused Pickup Expectations

0/6 felt confident about pickup logistics

Key UX Design Priorities

01
Set Expectations & Build Trust

Clarify the value | Focus early messaging on what makes Treasure Truck unique

Educate in context | Leverage lightweight, in-flow guidance to explain pickup and reduce confusion

02
Reduce Friction & Enable Scale

Streamline the flow | Simplify stop selection and purchase steps for faster, smoother checkout

Design for flexibility | Build modular components for easier scaling across platforms and markets

03
Improve Accessibility

Support all users | Enhanced screen reader support, tap targets, and compliance with Amazon standards

Lighten the UI | Removed visual clutter to make UX more intuitive and accessible

KEY SOLUTION PART 1

Onboarding Flow

CHALLENGE

Drive text alert opt-ins while clearly explaining what Treasure Truck is and how it works

SOLUTION

Show product breadth
Highlighted curated product offerings with rotating imagery to generate excitement

Shift the mindset
Introduced the truck as a twist on Amazon shopping to grab attention early

01

02

Connect value to sign-up
Framed text alerts as the key to unlocking curated surprise deals

03

Set pickup expectations
Reinforced that this is a same-day pickup experience, not delivery

04

BEFORE

Onboarding prioritized permissions before user understanding

AFTER

Reimagined onboarding with clarity, delight, and a strong value hook

KEY SOLUTION PART 2

Purchasing Flow

CHALLENGE

Redesign a custom, pickup-based purchase flow to support clarity, accessibility, and confident decision-making

SOLUTION

Modular design system
Introduced reusable components to simplify future updates

01

Familiar layout patterns
Aligned with user expectations for Amazon product detail pages

02

Integrated stop selection
Combined list and map views for easier, faster decisions

03

Upfront pickup info
Surfaced key logistics early to set expectations and reduce confusion

04

BEFORE

Too Much Friction,
Not Enough Guidance

AFTER

Redesigned for clarity and pickup confidence

AFTER

Purchasing Flow

KEY SOLUTION PART 3

Offer Card Components

CHALLENGE

Create a modular card system that could evolve with the business. The cards needed to support: diverse offer types, quick decision-making, enable business experimentation, and minimize technical lift for faster rollout and iteration.

SOLUTION

Scannable
Prioritized key info such as product, price, pickup details to support fast decisions

01

Modular
Built modules that worked across all cases for business experimentation

02

Lightweight
Used Amazon UI components to speed up dev time and ensure platform consistency

03

OVERVIEW

Simplifying a dense, custom offer detail page

CONTENT STRATEGY

Prioritizing Clarity, Value, and Pickup Logistics

DEFINING MVP

System-first approach, simplified to accelerate MVP rollout

RESULTS

Treasure Truck Relaunched Successfully

By focusing on the 3 UX objectives of transparent communication, flexible design modules, and accessibility best practices, we were able to re-launch Treasure Truck in the Amazon app with an incredible improvement in business metrics, overall usability, program adoption, and qualitative customer feedback.

90%
Faster Sellouts

compared to Lightning Deals baseline

150%
Subscriber Growth

in the first 30 days after launch

2x higher
SmS CTR

compared to average Amazon marketing campaigns

Program Expansion Approved

Strong launch results earned leadership approval to scale

REFLECTIONS & TAKEAWAYS

Balancing Flexibility, Focus, and Fast Results

By stepping into a complex and ambiguous project, I honed my ability to prioritize fast, lead collaboratively, and deliver solutions that scale. Usability testing helped reset assumptions and aligned our roadmap to real user needs.

THIS PROJECT REINFORCED:

The power of modular design systems to scale intelligently

01

The importance of mental model alignment in new customer behaviors

02

That simplicity and trust are powerful levers in driving adoption

03

More Work

Scaling Treasure Truck for Global Expansion

After the success of the mobile launch, I led UX strategy for expanding Treasure Truck across the US and UK, solving for cross-platform engagement and operational complexity at scale.