Transforming Mobile App Experience

Transport & Mobility

The Pilot Flying J myRewards Plus™ app plays a critical role in customer retention and engagement by offering fuel rewards, parking reservations, and essential travel services. However, to increase customer acquisition, deepen brand loyalty, and drive higher digital transactions, the app must evolve beyond basic travel utilities.

Client

Pilot Flying J

Services

Visual Design
UI & UX Design

Industry

Travel & Retail

Date

February 2023

The Problem

The Pilot Flying J myRewards Plus™ app plays a critical role in customer retention and engagement by offering fuel rewards, parking reservations, and essential travel services. However, to increase customer acquisition, deepen brand loyalty, and drive higher digital transactions, the app must evolve beyond basic travel utilities.

The Pilot Flying J myRewards Plus™ app plays a critical role in customer retention and engagement by offering fuel rewards, parking reservations, and essential travel services. However, to increase customer acquisition, deepen brand loyalty, and drive higher digital transactions, the app must evolve beyond basic travel utilities.

Fragmented physical + digital journey

Under utilized digital features

Poor differentiation from competitors

Shallow brand engagement

Limited app stickiness

Lack of emotional connection

One size fits all experience

Objective of task

The objective was clear: boost truck driver visits while strengthening customer loyalty.

Increase truck driver visits

Improve customer loyalty

Boost non fuel sales revenues

Boost brand awareness & differentiation

Drive revenue via service & app promotions

Team & My role

Senior Product designer, I worked with 4 other designers, business analysts, a creative director, and tech leads. From the beginning, we focused on finding strategic ideas and building solutions to improve the overall experience for users of the Pilot Flying J app

Senior Product designer, I worked with 4 other designers, business analysts, a creative director, and tech leads. From the beginning, we focused on finding strategic ideas and building solutions to improve the overall experience for users of the Pilot Flying J app

Highlights

Pilot Flying J isn’t just a travel center—it's a trusted partner for millions of drivers on the road. With over 1 million daily customers, 800+ locations, and a growing footprint in EV charging and modernized travel centers, the brand is uniquely positioned as the leader of retail fuel and travel stop.

Pilot Flying J isn’t just a travel center—it's a trusted partner for millions of drivers on the road. With over 1 million daily customers, 800+ locations, and a growing footprint in EV charging and modernized travel centers, the brand is uniquely positioned as the leader of retail fuel and travel stop.

Existing app Flow

The myRewards Plus app helps drivers easily register, manage rewards, plan trips, and make secure payments on the go. From account setup to locating fuel stations and adding funds, the experience is designed to be fast, intuitive, and driver-friendly.

The myRewards Plus app helps drivers easily register, manage rewards, plan trips, and make secure payments on the go. From account setup to locating fuel stations and adding funds, the experience is designed to be fast, intuitive, and driver-friendly.

Stalking the Competitors

Love's Travel Stops is the primary competitor to Pilot Flying J in the travel center industry. Founded in 1964 by Tom and Judy Love in Watonga, Oklahoma, the company operates more than 650 truck stops and travel centers across 42 states.

Love's Travel Stops is the primary competitor to Pilot Flying J in the travel center industry. Founded in 1964 by Tom and Judy Love in Watonga, Oklahoma, the company operates more than 650 truck stops and travel centers across 42 states.

Setting the Stage

To design better experiences, it’s important to first understand the competitive landscape, user expectations, and the challenges they face.

Who really uses the app, and what do they need besides just fuel and showers?

What bugs or frustrations do users face, and how does that stop them from coming back?

How do truckers and travelers choose where to stop—and what makes them stick with one brand?

What digital features are users expecting that we haven’t built yet?

Why do some users like our competitors’ apps more than ours?

What new features or services would make users open the app every day?

How do people use the rewards system now, and what would get them more excited to use it?

What’s stopping people from booking or buying things directly in the app?

How do users feel about the value they get from our app vs. other truck stop or travel apps?

Who are the User's

Through desk research and conversations with drivers, we uncovered critical gaps: the inability to plan fuel stops efficiently, difficulty in tracking expenses, and a lack of real-time parking availability. These inefficiencies not only impacted drivers but also affected our business, as users turned to competitor apps for better solutions.

Through desk research and conversations with drivers, we uncovered critical gaps: the inability to plan fuel stops efficiently, difficulty in tracking expenses, and a lack of real-time parking availability. These inefficiencies not only impacted drivers but also affected our business, as users turned to competitor apps for better solutions.

Commercial Drivers

Frequent

Commercial

Long Haul

Recreational Travellers

Seasonal

Leisure

Extended Stays

4 Wheeler's

Local

Frequent

Short stay

Stories from the Road

Mark - Long haul

I'm frustrated by the inconsistent parking availability, after 10+ hours on the road, not knowing if ill finf a spafe spoit sis stressfull

Alicia - Safety concerned

As a woman, I don’t always feel safe stopping late at night. I wish I could see reviews or safety ratings for each rest stop.

Raj Deep- Non native

“I struggle with understanding regulations and don’t always get clear info about weigh stations or tolls in the app.”

Mike- Health conscious

“I need healthy food options but most places just have fried stuff or vending machines. Planning my meals is a nightmare.”

Linda - Budget conscious

As someone who budgets every trip, I want to track how much I’ve saved using rewards and coupons, so I can manage expenses better.

Emotional Journey Mapping

This journey map illustrates a day in the life of a truck driver, highlighting his motivations, habits, and challenges on the road. It captures key touchpoints like fueling, rest stops, and communication with family, while mapping emotional highs and lows

This journey map illustrates a day in the life of a truck driver, highlighting his motivations, habits, and challenges on the road. It captures key touchpoints like fueling, rest stops, and communication with family, while mapping emotional highs and lows

Pain points, needs & possibility

Truck drivers, RV travelers, and everyday commuters each had distinct needs on the road—whether it was reliable fueling, rest stops, or family-friendly amenities. Pain points like long wait times, confusing navigation in busy travel centers, and lack of tailored digital support made their journeys stressful.

Truck drivers, RV travelers, and everyday commuters each had distinct needs on the road—whether it was reliable fueling, rest stops, or family-friendly amenities. Pain points like long wait times, confusing navigation in busy travel centers, and lack of tailored digital support made their journeys stressful.

Mapping Ideas

Fueling

diesel prices, loyalty programs, pump availability

Parking

availability, safety, overnight parking

Offers & discounts

Get notified of active fuel promotions.

Payment

contactless, fleet cards,wallets

Community

Find nearby truckers or friends during the trip

Foods

Pre-order grab and go-meals for fast pickups

Loyalty Programs

discounts & points redemptions.

Realtime updates

Get alerts on delays,rest stop congestion or detours.

Manage bookings

Manage bookings , rewards & receipts in one app interface.

SCAMPER

SCAMPER is a structured ideation method that uses seven lenses—Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to use, Eliminate, and Reverse—to find solution which might be more usefull rather than feature rich product.

SCAMPER is a structured ideation method that uses seven lenses—Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to use, Eliminate, and Reverse—to find solution which might be more usefull rather than feature rich product.

Information Architecture

Where everything lives in the information architecture-features in the bottom nav (Home, Trip, Rewards), while pushing secondary settings into More.

Final Design

Over the span of one month, we immersed ourselves in the trucking culture and the Pilot Flying J ecosystem. We leveraged a wide range of AI-powered tools to accelerate idea generation, conduct secondary research, and simulate user scenarios. This allowed us to bridge knowledge gaps and create a foundation for user-centric design decisions.

Over the span of one month, we immersed ourselves in the trucking culture and the Pilot Flying J ecosystem. We leveraged a wide range of AI-powered tools to accelerate idea generation, conduct secondary research, and simulate user scenarios. This allowed us to bridge knowledge gaps and create a foundation for user-centric design decisions.

Pilot Pay

A seamless way to manage your money on the go. Quickly access your available balance, add funds, or split bills with friends. Use your QR code for fast payments, and explore extra benefits like health insurance or gift cards—all in one convenient place.

A seamless way to manage your money on the go. Quickly access your available balance, add funds, or split bills with friends. Use your QR code for fast payments, and explore extra benefits like health insurance or gift cards—all in one convenient place.

Key Takeaways

Over the span of one month, we immersed ourselves in the trucking culture and the Pilot Flying J ecosystem. We leveraged a wide range of AI-powered tools to accelerate idea generation, conduct secondary research, and simulate user scenarios.

Documentating the process and creating structure

A defined documentation about the research process and auditing the existing design system is very crucial

Importance of realworld interactions to gain insights

Real-world interactions are invaluable for gaining deep insights. But during COVID, we had to shift to online sessions and mobile calls, which meant some of the finer details were inevitably missed.

Contextual design matters

Truck stops aren’t just “stations”—they’re micro-ecosystems where time, safety, and efficiency are critical. UX decisions had to respect that environment

Omnichannel Experience

Physical and digital touchpoints had to align—mobile apps, kiosks, and in-store experiences needed to feel connected. otherwise working on silo on one specific touchpoint is of no use.