Piñata

Piñata lets renters earn rewards, save on everyday expenses and build credit for paying their rent on time.

An early version of their product was up and running, and while Piñata’s design was functional, it was also incoherent. Low engagement was a problem, with most people only opening the app once or twice a month.

Their request to Humbleteam: increase usability and ensure that people have a positive reason to return more frequently.

Our first priority was to improve the visual design and the user experience. Creating a flexible and lightweight UI kit, we had the necessary components we needed at an early stage.

Putting it to use with a rapid iteration cycle, churning through countless ideas and sketches with feedback from stakeholders and thorough usability testing. Our team reached out to more than 500 customers, providing me with data to solve the problems users encountered with the core experience. This allowed me to further narrow the focus on engagement.

For example, Piñata is all about rewarding its customers. However, with an unclear hierarchy and irrelevant offers, the rewards section didn’t bring much value. To tackle this, we came up with weekly prizes like exclusive deals, Piñata Cash, and physical gifts — we’ve even had a set of succulents for a while. The rewards users now see are a selection of well-known brands like Amazon, Postmates, and Starbucks.

After Piñata launched its new app, the company saw a more than 600% growth in new renters, nearly 300% growth in new property management company partners and 1,100% growth in revenue between January 2021 and January 2022. Hike from almost 40,000 MAU to over 220,000 MAU in the same year. Increase in time people spent in-app.