Empowering Fans to Customize, Share, and Earn with Fan Style
A bold personalization feature launched in Taco Bell’s mobile app, Fan Style let users create, name, and share custom menu items earning loyalty points when others purchased them. Designed to deepen engagement through creativity, social sharing, and gamified rewards, it turned everyday orders into shareable fan moments.
My role
Lead product designer • Interaction design • Visual designer • Creative direction
Platforms
Native iOS and Android apps
Year
2025
Research insights and user feedback
User research surfaced the following core themes shaping Fan Style’s design:
1. Frictionless personalization
Users wanted to customize quickly and intuitively. Streamlining the product detail page and reducing taps became essential.
2. Control over visibility
Fans valued clarity between private and public experiences prompting a clear distinction between personal favorites and shared Fan Styles.
3. Motivation through recognition
Participants responded strongly to social validation. Although a planned leaderboard was later constrained legally, the reward element remained central to the feature.
Opportunity
How might we empower fans to personalize and share their Taco Bell creations to boost engagement and business impact?
Goals
1. Seamless customization and sharing
Enable easy creation, naming, and sharing of custom items.
2. Branded share assets
Deliver Taco Bell‑approved visuals optimized for TikTok, Instagram, and other channels.
3. Reward engagement
Connect loyalty tracking to purchases and shared creations.
Iterations
Multiple design cycles refined naming, visuals, and flows. Early “hack”‑themed prototypes evolved into a friendlier, highly branded experience.
As legal and technical constraints emerged, we replaced the contest leaderboard with a curated “Top Fan Styles” page to sustain recognition while protecting the brand.
Usability testing guided refinements to asset options, sharing flows, and moderation workflows. Each iteration moved the product closer to a polished experience fans could proudly share.
Challenges
Balancing creativity with brand safety required a robust moderation system for names, preset style assets, and protected design components.
Product gaps were addressed with visual cues highlighting modified items. Although the leaderboard was fully built, legal constraints shifted the experience toward a safer curated model.
Final designs
Fan Style centered on native app‑optimized “style cards” featuring ingredient tags, deep links for quick personalization, and a “My Styles” library to manage creations. Branded portrait view assets were tailored for major social platforms to ensure a seamless, on‑brand experience.
Outcome
Fan Style transformed customization into a social movement blending creation, recognition, and measurable impact.
1. Strong early engagement
In its July 2025 launch, over 35,000 Fan Styles were created, generating 3,600+ checkouts. The Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito was the top customizable base with fans averaging four customizations per order.
2. Sales lift
Orders featuring a Fan Style averaged 4% higher order value than standard purchases.
3. Cultural buzz
The feature drove organic excitement and earned coverage from outlets like Fast Company and People Magazine.
