The F&B sector needed a fast, scalable way to launch branded apps that drive customer retention.

However, existing solutions sat at two extremes: custom builds offered flexiblity but were slow and costly, while template products were fast but overly rigid, limiting brand expression and ability to support different business needs — leaving no viable middle ground.

Rather than designing for scale from the outset, I adopted a pilot-led approach, grounding the foundation in a real client.

While a single client cannot represent the entire market, starting here allowed me to:

• Prioritise real operational needs over assumptions
• Design for messy, real-world data instead of idealised scenarios
• Uncover hidden technical constraints, particularly around core API integrations
• Validate core functions and establish a robust baseline before scaling

Paradise Group, a Singapore-based F&B company with a global multi-brand portfolio, served as our pilot client.

We were engaged to redesign and launch their membership app within a four-month MVP timeline, while supporting their transition to a new CRM system.

The existing app held a 1.7 App Store rating, signalling poor user experience. To understand where it was breaking down, I reviewed user feedback and evaluated the interface using heuristic principles.

This surfaced recurring issues that directly impact usability and member engagement:

• Low sign-up motivation due to unclear membership value
• A long and confusing sign-up process
• Login friction from forgotten credentials
• Poor information hierarchy across the app

The issues converged on three core areas — membership visibility, onboarding, and login — which shape how users understand, join, and access membership. Given their fundamental role across membership apps, these areas were prioritised to establish a scalable foundation.

We were engaged to redesign and launch their membership app within a four-month MVP timeline, while supporting their transition to a new CRM system.

Guests were expected to sign up without understanding the value of membership, while existing members struggled to access key information and benefits due to poor information hierarchy.

I introduced a membership benefits page accessible to both guests and members to communicate membership value upfront, while redesigning the member landing page to surface key information — tier, balances, and QR code access.

Collecting member data helps businesses understand customer needs and drive decisions. However, requiring extensive information upfront during sign-up creates unnecessary friction.

I lowered the barriers to entry by cutting initial fields from 13 to 1, and captured remaining details through a streamlined two-step flow — balancing conversion and data needs.

Members frequently forgot their username and password, creating friction at a critical point of access. This was compounded by the lack of self-service recovery and no clear access point to customer support.

I reduced reliance on memory and support by shifting away from credential-based login and introducing OTP-based authentication, which also enabled mobile number verification. A dedicated support button was also added, providing a clear fallback when needed.

This approach remained effective even under imperfect data conditions. Designing an additional verification flow on top of OTP login for Paradise Group, enabled existing members to access their accounts despite unverified contact data and unavailable legacy credentials.

The redesigned app launched on schedule, replacing a system that no longer met user needs.

• Improved App Store rating from 1.7 to 4.2
• Reached #4 in the Food & Drinks category shortly after launch
• Enabled the estimated 150,000 active members to access their existing accounts in the new system despite legacy data challenges
• Achieved a smooth transition with minimal dependency on customer support

These outcomes validated that the key design decisions established through the pilot were effective under real-world constraints and could be scaled across future apps.

Following the pilot, the focus shifted towards turning the validated foundation into a reusable system that reduces redesign and redevelopment effort for new apps, while supporting variation across brands.

Scaling the product required deciding what should remain consistent and what should adapt across brands. These decisions were evaluated based on the value of customisation against the effort required to design, build, and maintain it. High-complexity areas remained standardised, while flexibility was introduced where it created value for each brand.

I established a baseline app structure and core feature set as a starting point for future implementations, allowing new apps to be built from an existing foundation rather than designed from scratch. This reduced effort while maintaining a consistent user experience.

Flows such as login and checkout were kept consistent due to their tight coupling with backend systems, APIs, and complex logic. Customising these would introduce significant engineering and design overhead, so they were treated as fixed patterns across all apps.

Beyond the baseline, I enabled flexibility in feature selection, navigation, and layout. This allowed each brand to prioritise what drives their business — whether that’s promotions, food ordering, or wallet top-up — while building on a shared structure.

I created a white-label design system using Tokens Studio, defining reusable tokens and components that adapted across brands through different styling configurations — maintaining consistency while reducing per-brand design and development effort.

The modular white-label framework shifted app launches from designing each app from scratch to adapting a reusable product foundation.

This shift compressed design timelines by 75% — from two months to two weeks — while streamlining development and future enhancements.

The framework’s adaptability was proven through subsequent projects for Zouk and The BIG Group, demonstrating how a single shared structure could support distinct brand identities and business needs.