Mobile App Opportunities

Brewed for Change: Modernizing the Starbucks Experience

2020

A Fast-Paced Sprint with a Purpose

Animated coffee cup character running with steam and motion lines in the background.

Reimagine Starbucks' mobile experience and product offerings to better reflect the evolving values of sustainability, accessibility, and personalization.

The Ask

While Starbucks is the category leader, consumer loyalty is at risk due to high costs for nondairy options, lack of inclusive offerings, and a mobile app that hasn’t kept pace with user expectations.

The Insight

The Solution

Introduce targeted promotions, inclusive seasonal offerings, and improved app functionality that reward sustainability, affordability, and modern coffee rituals.

Adapting With the Customer

Adapting With the Customer

Our goal: Build deeper cross-category loyalty, engage with customers who enjoy a non-dairy, non-caffeinated or sustainable option, and make the Starbucks app experience feel personal and welcoming to all Starbucks customers.

Two Starbucks cups with lids, one small and one large, against a light background. Text above reads "You had me at oat milk." Text below promotes dairy-free handcrafted drinks every Monday in September.
Close-up of apples and cups of coffee with overlay text 'You're the apple to my chai' and Starbucks logo.

With small, strategic product shifts and thoughtful app promotions, we tap into what matters most to modern customers: ease, value, and intention.

Two smartphones displaying the Starbucks mobile app with different promotional offers. The left screen shows a coffee gift pack and the message "Take the Cafe Home With You," and the right screen features a mug of steaming chai with the message "YOU'RE THE APPLE TO MY CHAI." 
Why This Opportunity MatterS

This project tapped into a largely overlooked behavioral moment, the afternoon lull, revealing that people aren’t just looking for another drink; they’re looking for a calm reset, social connection, and a moment of intentional pause. By positioning ethically sourced, seasonally rotating herbal teas as more than just products, this concept elevates ritual from transaction to experience all while supporting wellness, shared meaning, and habitual return.

Looking ahead, my curiosity lies in exploring how ritual frameworks can scale beyond singular moments — into multi-sensory environments (pop-ups, social spaces, experiential packaging) and into digital touchpoints that reinforce ritual cues throughout the day.