Replacing fragmented payment choices with smarter reward decisions at checkout.
ROLE
ROLE
Product Designer
Product Designer
TIMELINE
August - November 2025
Aug - Nov 2025
TEAM
3 Designers
SKILLS
SKILLS
Product Design
UX Research
Prototyping
Product Design, UX
Research, Prototyping
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
The line is moving. My turn is next. And I’m stuck choosing a card.
The line is moving. My turn is next. And I’m stuck choosing a card.
Chase? Amex? Discover? One of them gives 3% here… but I can’t remember which one.
And I wasn’t alone. Every person I interviewed described their own version of this exact moment: a quick, awkward pause where you’re trying to save money, right before you pay.
Chase? Amex? Discover? One of them gives 3% here… but I can’t remember which one.
And I wasn’t alone. Every person I interviewed described their own version of this exact moment: a quick, awkward pause where you’re trying to save money, right before you pay.
"A tiny pause, but a universal frustration."
"A tiny pause, but a universal frustration."
Most people want to make the “smart” choice, but credit card rewards are scattered, changing, and impossible to recall at the counter.
Most people want to make the “smart” choice, but credit card rewards are scattered, changing, and impossible to recall at the counter.
OVERVIEW
People want to save money, but the experience gets in the way.
People want to save money, but the experience gets in the way.
Credit card rewards are designed to help people save, but the experience around them isn’t.
Users bounce between apps, guess at the counter, and lose cashback simply because the information is too scattered.
Credit card rewards are designed to help people save, but the experience around them isn’t.
Users bounce between apps, guess at the counter, and lose cashback simply because the information is too scattered.
Our goal was simple:
Help people know the right card to use, at the right place, without thinking.
Help people know the right card to use, at the right place, without thinking.
PROBLEM
Dining rewards exist. But they’re hidden when you actually need them.
Dining rewards exist. But they’re hidden when you actually need them.
Scattered across too many apps
Each bank has its own rewards layout, buried across different apps.
Dining bonuses change constantly
Category bonuses rotate monthly. Limited-time offers appear and disappear.
Mental math shows up after you’ve paid
Losing cashback simply because they didn’t know which card to use.
Tiny everyday interactions: buying coffee, grabbing lunch, paying for dinner, quietly add up to real money lost. Users could have saved more… but the system makes it too hard.
Tiny everyday interactions: buying coffee, grabbing lunch, paying for dinner, quietly add up to real money lost.
Users could have saved more… but the system makes it too hard.
INSIGHTS
Pain points across the dining rewards journey
Pain points across the dining rewards journey
Everyday purchases add up, but the system makes it too hard to use the right card at the right time.
Everyday purchases add up, but the system makes it too hard to use the right card at the right time.
RESEARCH
Real people, real hesitation.
Real people, real hesitation.
Users in our interviews froze at the exact same moment: wanting to choose the right card, but unable to recall scattered rules in time.
Users in our interviews froze at the exact same moment: wanting to choose the right card, but unable to recall scattered rules in time.
OPPORTUNITY
All dining rewards, unified in one place.
All dining rewards, unified in one place.
People want to use dining rewards, but most can’t remember which card earns the most at which restaurant, because the rules live across 5+ banking apps.
People want to use dining rewards, but most can’t remember which card earns the most at which restaurant, because the rules live across 5+ banking apps.
Made with Jitter.video
This creates a focused opportunity:
Unify dining rewards across banks
Bring Chase, Discover, Capital One, and others into one clear, simple view.
Turn scattered rules
into clarity
Convert rotating categories & limited-time offers into one straightforward answer.
Show the rewards at the right time
Help users make the best choice before they pay, not after.
Small everyday purchases add up. Missing 3–5% cash back across the month quietly turns into real money lost.
Small everyday purchases add up. Missing 3–5% cash back across the month quietly turns into real money lost.
THE SHIFT
From guesswork to clarity
From guesswork to clarity
Even when people want to use the right card, the experience breaks down at the moment of payment. APPetite turns guesswork into clarity, right when it matters most.
Even when people want to use the right card, the experience breaks down at the moment of payment. APPetite turns guesswork into clarity, right when it matters most.
SOLUTION
Appetite • Saving money should feel effortless.
Appetite • Saving money should feel effortless.
Credit card rewards are meant to help people save, but the experience around them isn’t. Users switch between apps, guess at the counter, and lose cashback simply because the information is too scattered.
Credit card rewards are meant to help people save, but the experience around them isn’t. Users switch between apps, guess at the counter, and lose cashback simply because the information is too scattered.
See dining rewards around you, instantly.
Most people don’t know which restaurants offer elevated cashback.
Appetite gives users a live, visual map of dining rewards, right where they’re standing, not buried across different banking apps.
Most people don’t know which restaurants offer elevated cashback.
Appetite gives users a live, visual map of dining rewards, right where they’re standing, not buried across different banking apps.
Open a restaurant and see ONE best answer.
At the moment of payment, simplicity matters most.
APPetite shows a single recommended card, the one that earns the highest cashback, along with any secondary offers and expiration timelines.
At the moment of payment, simplicity matters most.
APPetite shows a single recommended card, the one that earns the highest cashback, along with any secondary offers and expiration timelines.
Secure card connections powered by Plaid.
Connecting cards requires trust.
Your bank details never touch our servers. All authentication happens through Plaid.
All your cards, beautifully organized.
Appetite brings all your cards into one simple view, showing current offers, expiring rewards, and the best cards for dining.
Secure card connections powered by Plaid.
Connecting cards requires trust.
Your bank details never touch our servers. All authentication happens through Plaid.
Know exactly how much you save.
Rewards don’t feel real until you can see them add up.
Users told us they never realized how much cashback they could earn. The savings screen turns invisible money into real, motivating progress.
Rewards don’t feel real until you can see them add up.
Users told us they never realized how much cashback they could earn. The savings screen turns invisible money into real, motivating progress.
NEXT STEPS
Make rewards even easier to use, before users think to ask.
The next version of Appetite would surface rewards earlier, with automatic location-based reminders, clearer expiration alerts, and smarter card suggestions that appear the moment someone walks into a restaurant.
The next version of Appetite would surface rewards earlier, with automatic location-based reminders, clearer expiration alerts, and smarter card suggestions that appear the moment someone walks into a restaurant.
REFLECTION
Designing for real moments, not ideal ones.
People make payment decisions in seconds, often under pressure. Building Appetite taught me the importance of stripping away complexity and giving a single, confident answer right when it's needed.
I assumed users would spend time comparing cards. Instead, they wanted the answer instantly. This forced me to rethink simplification as a feature, not a compromise.
People make payment decisions in seconds, often under pressure. Building Appetite taught me the importance of stripping away complexity and giving a single, confident answer right when it's needed.
I assumed users would spend time comparing cards. Instead, they wanted the answer instantly. This forced me to rethink simplification as a feature, not a compromise.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Debodyuti Biswas
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