The Starbucks Digital team creates and supports innovative technologies and experiences that enhance customer engagement, empower baristas, and bring the brand to life across every digital touchpoint.
DATE
April 2023 - December 2023
Over the course of 9–10 months, I led approximately 8 research studies, informing both the evolution of current products and the exploration of next-generation gifting solutions.
TEAM
UX Researcher (myself), UX Designers, Product Managers, Group Product Managers, UX Research Manager, UX Design Manager, Director of Product, Creative Studio, Marketing Operations, Director of Marketing, and presented to the CEO.
OVERVIEW
Starbucks aimed to reimagine its digital gifting ecosystem to create a seamless, personalized, and engaging experience for customers. My role overall was to lead UX research initiatives across multiple eGifting projects (Modern Digital Gifting), strategizing the eGifting research roadmap, evaluating existing user experiences, and uncovering opportunities for new features like group gifting and shareable links. These efforts informed both the evolution of current products and the exploration of next-generation gifting solutions.
Below are summaries of the studies and projects I led. I’d be happy to walk you through the research process and share insights on how each was carried out through a presentation deck!
eGifting Portolio Highlights
CHALLENGES
Limited delivery options reduced flexibility and reach, with eGifting initially restricted to email.
Group gifting posed challenges in coordinating multiple recipients and maintaining personalization.
Digital gifting often lacks the emotional warmth and connection associated with physical gift-giving.
OBJECTIVES
Understand customer mental models and identify usability pain points across the eGifting journey.
Explore and validate new gifting concepts, such as expanded delivery options (adding shareable links), group gifting, physical cards in MOP, drink gifting, and star gifting.
Ensure gifting experiences align with customer expectations for emotional connection, ease of use, and brand tone.
KEY IMPACTS
My research across the Shareable Links, Group Gifting, and Future of eGifting initiatives directly influenced product strategy, feature prioritization, and customer experience design, driving measurable business outcomes:
Exceeded revenue forecast by 202% in FW6, contributing to one of the most successful gifting periods to date.
Shaped the product roadmap by identifying which concepts to prioritize, helping the team confidently move forward with high-impact features like “Gift a Drink” while de-risking others such as “Star Gifting” and “Physical Card in MOP”.
Delivered clear insights that informed MVP definitions, streamlined complex user journeys, and aligned teams around what mattered most to customers; from emotional resonance to usability clarity.
Reflections
Across these projects, a recurring challenge was balancing emotional warmth with digital convenience. Many features required navigating user expectations around delivery transparency, personalization, and the perceived value of digital gifts. Another challenge was stakeholder alignment across product, engineering, and operations, especially for concepts like physical gifting through MOP, which introduced service design implications.
I learned the value of layered research, from generative mental model studies to post-launch evaluations, to ensure designs were aligned with real-world behavior. I also saw firsthand how impactful small changes in UX writing could be in reducing friction and anxiety. Collectively, this work helped shape a more thoughtful, diverse gifting ecosystem at Starbucks; one that better reflects how people express care, celebrate, and stay connected.