Creating an NFT Launchpad

McNugget Digital Collectible

2024

Overview

During the month of June, McDonald's ran a McNuggets campaign, seizing the chance to unveil their next Digital Collectible - the exclusive limited collection of 3,000 NFTs featuring their beloved menu item, McNuggets! Crafted by the local creative agency, Tell Your Children, this Digital Collectible offered a unique opportunity for users to join the expanding circle of holders, especially those who missed out on minting the Grimace Digital Collectible. The NFT launchpad functioned within the web app browser on the McDonald's Singapore app.

  • 1 UI/UX Designer & Product Designer • 1 3D Designer • 2 Software Engineers

  • Research • Sitemap • Wireframe • Product Design • UI • Prototype • Usability Testing

  • Notion • Figma • Google Forms • 1:1 interviews • Focus Groups • Mobile Research

  • 1. McDonald's Homepage

  • 2. Read & Accept T&Cs

  • 3. Homepage

  • 4. Connect Digital Wallet

  • 5. Mint

  • 6. Preparing to Mint

  • 7. Requesting McNugget

  • 8. Minted

  • 9. Confirmation Page

  • 10. My Collection

The Opportunity

With the NFT market projected to reach an impressive revenue of US$2,378.0 million by 2024 and exhibit steady growth, with a projected total of US$3,369.0 million by 2028, there is a great opportunity for McDonald's to explore this burgeoning market. Additionally, the NFT market's average revenue per user is estimated to be US$162.1 in 2024, highlighting the potential for individual customer engagement. The expected number of NFT market users is projected to reach 16.35 million by 2028, creating a vast potential audience for McDonald's to captivate and connect with in this digital arena.

The Challenge

While many McDonald's customers enjoy McNuggets, there was a concern regarding whether the McNugget can truly be a PFP that users would generate as much positive feedback as the Grimace Digital Collectible did. It was also deliberated on what the roadmap would look like for a second Digital Collectible.

While the decision ultimately lied with McDonald’s on the character used for the PFP and utility, what was in our control was the minting mechanics. We needed to further develop the minting process based on the first Digital Collectible launch and address any issues that were experienced by holders to ensure a smoother and seamless minting process.

Findings:

  1. 5% of holders were experiencing issues not being able to view their Digital Collectible in the McDonald’s app due to the recent McDonald’s ID system change.

  2. 80% of NFT holders found that the Grimace Digital Collectibles mint was smooth and seamless, indicating that our initial minting process was effective.

  3. 15% of the participants in the focus group indicated that they were interested in the implementation of a loyalty or point system as a means to showcase their status and receive rewards.

User research

Research

How can the process of claiming Digital Collectibles be streamlined for non-web3 users and effectively solve the mapping issues that existing users were facing?

Features

The next phase involved conceptualizing the product’s components.

Utilizing user stories derived from the focus group results, I prioritized them using the MoSCow prioritization approach.

Phase 1: I prioritized the 'Must-Haves' and 'Should-Haves' user stories. The 'Must-Haves' concentrated on vital information needed for assessing and choosing a digital wallet provider, while the 'Should-Haves' revolved around features that could improve the user experience.

Phase 2: This would focus on the 'Could-Haves' meant for exploration in a subsequent product development phase. It would cover extra features that piqued the interest of users during the research. These include opportunities like being rewarded with exclusive perks, only available for McNugget holders.

Based on the 'Must-Haves' and 'Should-Haves' user stories, I have translated them into detailed features and content for the app, outlining the user flow. Drawing inspiration from digital wallet apps like Coinbase, I integrated essential features and content to enhance user experience and streamline the app functionality.

Sitemap

Finally, a sitemap was created with a structure comprising five sections: Homepage, Collectibles, Perks Page, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.

Design Principles &
Design System

Once the features were defined, the next step involved mapping out the app's visual presentation.

  1. The primary aim was to ensure that the product was user-friendly and practical.

  2. Drawing inspiration from McDonald’s clean design for its trusted and easy-to-navigate interface, the design also integrated playful elements to cultivate a welcoming and amicable look and feel. Please refer to Grimace Digital Collectibles case study here for the re-used design principles and design system.

Following the Grimace Digital Collectible, we wanted to ensure that both collections correlated. The title also had to reflect the app’s core function of gather and safeguarding NFTs, giving the rise to the name of the collection.

User App Experience

Drawing from my site map, structured into five sections, and utilizing my design systems, I developed high-fidelity designs in Figma. To quickly visualize and iterate the app's look and flow, I first sketched low-fidelity designs on paper. Please feel free to request these initial designs if needed.

1. Notification: Existing users of the McDonald’s app will receive a notification on their mobile devices from the McDonald’s once the minting goes live as well as the Telegram broadcast channel. Upon receiving the alert, users can access the McDonald’s app and will notice the McNugget Digital Collectibles button on the homepage.

2. Action: Upon landing on the homepage, users are directed to select "Mint Now" which will then require them to either sign in or create a digital wallet.

3. Once the digital wallet is connected, they will proceed to tap the "Mint Now" button, which will initiate the minting process.

4. Once the NFT is minted, users have the ability to view Grimace's traits. Their collectibles can also be accessed through the menu.

5. To access the complete collection, users can utilize the menu to find their way to the 'Discover Collectibles' section.

6. To ensure transparency for users, they can conveniently access the privacy policy and terms of use via the menu.

Prototype

Measurement

In the concluding phase of my project, I established criteria to gauge the extent to which the launch pad has effectively delivered a smooth user experience. The main measure of success is determined by the time taken to fully mint the collection, with app usage efficiency serving as the secondary metric of success.

Before initiating the launch of the launchpad, I carried out a usability test internally with McDonald’s Crews, to gather feedback on the prototype and pinpoint any noteworthy improvements.

User App Experience

1. Time spent on the app:

Highly Satisfied

Users found minting their NFTs to be a speedy process, taking only 2-3 minutes for successful completion, which left them highly satisfied. This marked a notable enhancement from the usual 15-20 minutes that users spent navigating through the minting procedure.

2. Information on the app:

Satisfactory

The provided content includes essential details for users to begin the minting process effectively. A key factor in enhancing user experience was the inclusion of a tutorial provided on the Telegram announcement channel.

Users expressed satisfaction with the clarity of information provided, noting that this step is often ambiguously addressed on alternative launchpads.

3. App experience:

Easy to navigate

Users typically rated their experience as 7 out of 10. Although most did not give a perfect score, they considered the user experience to be simple and easy to navigate. A few users even drew parallels to using the McDonald’s app, suggesting they anticipated a similar level of familiarity.

4. Design:

Familiar

Users appreciated the launchpad design because it integrates seamlessly with the layout of the McDonald's app.

Takeaways

The process of claiming Digital Collectibles aims to be user-friendly, even though Web3Auth was removed as one of the options for connecting their digital wallet. This approach enables non-Web3 users to access the utility and benefits of Digital Collectibles effortlessly.

Moving forward, the emphasis should be on enhancing the app's backend systems to ensure that the launchpad can sustain users attempting to mint during high peak periods (public mint). This will prepare our team for spike periods and ensure that the launchpad can accommodate their entire user base. While minting an NFT is never 100% guaranteed a success, the time that the blockchain requires to approve a request can take anywhere from a few seconds, to a few minutes, or even hours. To effectively ensure that users are aware that their NFT has been successfully minted or have failed, is to ensure that the backend request does not time out after x period of time. This dedication to continual improvement is key to the app's lasting success and keeping users satisfied in the long run.

Let’s Connect

amanda.tn@gmail.com