CIBC Rewards
Introducing the new CIBC design, boosting conversions by 217% & reducing delivery times by 25%
TL;DR
CIBC’s app and desktop were out of sync. One felt modern, the other felt like 2006. Customers noticed. So we rebuilt the experience from the ground up, with one design language, one UX, and one bold goal: Make banking feel frictionless.
My Role
Design Director: Led product vision, design review & execution, stakeholder communication
Team Size
22 Humans (Design, Research, Content, Ops)
Tools Used
Figma, Jira, Confluence, Adobe CC, UserTesting.com, Medallia, Tableau
The Problem
Imagine trying to pay your credit card bill on your phone, then hopping to your laptop to do something else — and getting completely lost. That was CIBC. The mobile app and web experience were designed by different teams, on different timelines, with zero alignment. It wasn’t just confusing, it broke trust.
The Solution
This wasn’t just a redesign, it was a full platform reset. We weren’t interested in surface-level tweaks. The focus was clarity, consistency, and control across every screen and touchpoint.
First, we scrapped the legacy patterns that confused users and rebuilt the navigation from the ground up, anchored in real user research, not internal assumptions. We mapped key flows, prioritized high-frequency tasks, and restructured the app around what people actually needed. We conducted one-click tests to determine navigation structure and we explored Destination vs Action based schemas – ultimately deciding for Destination structure.
Next, I led the development of True North, a unified design system that gave 30+ teams a shared language, set of components, and rules of engagement. It did more than improve consistency—it changed how teams worked. With 100% adoption across the enterprise, we accelerated design velocity by 25%, cut dev costs by 33%, and ensured full WCAG compliance. From typography to interaction, the system empowered teams to build faster, better, and at scale.
This wasn’t just a design update—it was a cultural shift. As design lead, I’m proud to have helped shape a platform that not only meets modern expectations, but sets a new standard for accessible, personalized digital banking in Canada.
Results & impact
User feedback indicated that the new layout felt intuitive as it mirrors patterns seen in other top banking apps.
Increased engagement post-homepage redesign, with key content impressions growing from 10.4M to 33.7M per month.
Transaction efficiency gains, such as a 1.92pp increase in everyday mobile transactions and a 12-month high for eTransfers at 58.8% usage rate.
Self-service containment improvements, including a 5% rise in credit card management interactions (e.g., card locking and lost card reporting).
Enhanced chatbot adoption, with usage in the first three months post-launch equaling the total volume seen in the preceding seven months.
Sales conversion improvements, with click-through rates for redesigned “Ghost Account” features increasing by 217%.
Enhanced accessibility by placing high-usage features within the natural thumb zone.
Improved client engagement through intuitive design and increased personalization.
Driven higher conversion rates, especially in key financial transactions and product discovery.
Positioned CIBC competitively, as many leading banks had already adopted this pattern.
Continue browsing most recent work.