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For this project, my Maryland Institute College of Arts’ Master of Professional Studies in UX Design program classmates and I were each directed to focus on a gas station chain of our choice and find opportunities for improvement based on any existing pain points or needs. From the initial background provided, there were many different aspects and approaches possible due to the multitude of available experiences - such as food ordering or touch-less payments - that differed regionally across the United States.
As there are many gas station chains in the surrounding Houston, Texas metropolitan area, there were many options to choose from. Most chains had numerous locations and competition is fierce. It is also not uncommon to find gas stations positioned in close proximity to each other - even across the street - which could even be of the same brand. With little in the way of differentiation between the many gas companies, I chose to focus specifically on the available rewards programs, that each provided, as a means to find new opportunities.
After a brief review of several rewards programs, I ultimately chose ExxonMobil's Reward+ program to proceed.
ExxonMobil, more formally known as The Exxon Mobil Corporation, headquartered in Irving, Texas is a multinational oil and gas company with one of the largest brand presences in the area. Their mobile application, first released in November 2019, has an already polished experience with several key features that allowed for the opportunity to bring about further refinements and enhancements.
As the project time was limited to six weeks, with expected deliverables at key milestones, some processes were shortened to allow for the continuation of each stage of the project at the expected times.
I started with five initial discovery interviews, facilitated remotely with Zoom, to gain a broad and general understanding of how users perceive reward programs and gas station brands.
Based on the interviews with those individuals, recruited through an existing network of friends and acquaintances, convenience and gas prices were mentioned as key factors in determining which gas station to choose. Awareness of individual loyalty programs, as well as use thereof by the interviewees, varied greatly as there are many regional gas station chains and grocery store gas pump options. Additionally, it was indicated that some loyalty programs might influence the selection of a gas station if it doesn’t increase driving time significantly.
In order to better understand the existing mobile application and the interrelated experience of filling up a car with gas, I ventured to a nearby ExxonMobil gas station to record the process from beginning to end - making note of the key interaction points between the mobile app and gas station kiosk.
Following the initial discovery, I developed a UX brief and initial project plan incorporating the following assumptions while aiming to gain further validation during follow up user research and testing.
Ultimately, after researching the features and benefits of various reward programs, it became clear that the lack of differentiation among the various gas station chains also included its methods of rewarding and enticing users.
With my initial discovery research completed, I was able to more specifically define the challenge statement that would guide my work:
With numerous gas station choices in the region - many with loyalty programs - it can be difficult for any one chain or application to differentiate itself from the others. By focusing on key areas of the Exxon Mobil Rewards+ app to improve visibility of gas station prices at the nearest or most convenient station, enhance touchless payment options for both gas and convenience item purchases, and proactively promote specials or deals to encourage additional purchases, the app could gain more awareness and use, therefore encouraging greater use of its loyalty program.
Based on my initial discovery interviews, I created two provisional personas. First, the convenience-focused user has limited to no brand affiliation and will select a gas station that is near to key locations such as home, work, or other significant places that fall within the driving path to another destination. Their primary focus is getting in and out quickly. Loyalty programs or apps seem to have minimal effect on their choices; however, they might be willing to try one if it makes their experience faster or more efficient.
The second, budget-focused user, tends to be more cost-conscious and may use one or more loyalty apps or programs, depending on the awareness of them. In some cases, while there may be some brand affinity present, choices of a loyalty program may be circumstantial and related to actions they already undertake, such as shopping at a grocery store that also has gas pumps. While being more conscious of gas pricing, it is still balanced by a certain degree of convenience and internal cost-benefit analysis. For example, the budget focused user will not necessarily drive miles out of the way for a minor gas price discount.
To achieve the project goals, it became clear that users will need to make use of existing and/or new application features that facilitate a convenient and fast experience at an ExxonMobil station as well as gain - or perceive to gain - a financial benefit. As competitor gas stations are everywhere, the efficiency of the experience should be perceived to outweigh any potential benefit of stopping at a competitor that might be closer to the user.
The existing ExxonMobil loyalty program also provides a benefit in regards to reinforcing the financial aspects as well as potentially building brand affinity. As such, further enhancements to the app should present loyalty program signup options that are quick to complete and are at times that are convenient for the user. Additional promotions or other incentives that will further encourage their use may also be beneficial.
Generally, users within the geographic region seem to focus on the cheapest alternative out of the available gas station options in an area. However, this action depends on the perceived time gained or lost in that selection.
From my interviews, it was also discovered that when using loyalty programs, not all users are familiar with, and use, the available gas station chain mobile apps. Often, their physical program cards are the primary means of making use of those programs. As such, I assumed that many users of the ExxonMobil Rewards+ loyalty program may be unfamiliar with the available mobile application and its features.
Awareness of loyalty programs from Exxon Mobil or its competitors is not universal within the region and, therefore, the benefits of those programs are not necessarily widely understood. In situations where there is awareness of these types of programs, they tend to be not well differentiated from one another.
Furthermore, as a heavy traffic metropolitan area, speed and convenience are very important to users in their selection of a gas station, and delays at those stations, even minor, can negatively affect the experience.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there are also concerns about using their physical credit cards at gas station pumps. This overall concern is worsened due to preexisting fears of card skimming, in which a user's credit card number is remotely scanned by a nearby individual.
In order to consider and evaluate new features, or enhancements to existing ones, I created three primary user scenarios to guide my subsequent work.
