Gift Finder
Transforming gifting into an inspiring discovery experience.
Transforming gifting into an inspiring discovery experience.
AI Content · Automation · Product Strategy
AI Content·Automation ·Product Strategy
AI Content·Automation·Product Strategy
Role:
Lead Product Designer
Timeframe:
2025/09 ~ 2025/10
Platform:
App·iOS & Android
01
OVERVIEW
Building a Scalable, Automated Gift Discovery Experience
Gift Finder began as a seasonal feature with limited adoption and a heavy reliance on manually created and maintained content. This made it difficult to evolve into a long-term product capability. We set out to reposition it, not simply by improving the interface, but by building a discovery experience that could continuously deliver gifting inspiration and grow with content and data.
I defined the design strategy, information architecture, and user journey, and planned and facilitated a cross-functional brainstorming workshop with Product, Marketing, and Data Engineering.
Together, we built an AI content generation workflow that moved Gift Finder from manual upkeep toward an automated, continuously operated, and scalable product capability, while helping Pinkoi stand out in the gifting space.
Gift Finder began as a seasonal feature with limited adoption and a heavy reliance on manually created and maintained content. This made it difficult to evolve into a long-term product capability. We set out to reposition it, not simply by improving the interface, but by building a discovery experience that could continuously deliver gifting inspiration and grow with content and data.
I defined the design strategy, information architecture, and user journey, and planned and facilitated a cross-functional brainstorming workshop with Product, Marketing, and Data Engineering.
Together, we built an AI content generation workflow that moved Gift Finder from manual upkeep toward an automated, continuously operated, and scalable product capability, while helping Pinkoi stand out in the gifting space.
Gift Finder began as a seasonal feature with limited adoption and a heavy reliance on manually created and maintained content. This made it difficult to evolve into a long-term product capability. We set out to reposition it, not simply by improving the interface, but by building a discovery experience that could continuously deliver gifting inspiration and grow with content and data.
I defined the design strategy, information architecture, and user journey, and planned and facilitated a cross-functional brainstorming workshop with Product, Marketing, and Data Engineering.
Together, we built an AI content generation workflow that moved Gift Finder from manual upkeep toward an automated, continuously operated, and scalable product capability, while helping Pinkoi stand out in the gifting space.
02
CHALLENGE
High Maintenance and Low Adoption Limited Growth
Gift Finder's core challenge was not only low adoption; neither its product value nor its operating model could support long-term growth. Manual content creation limited update speed and scalability, while weak entry points and value communication made it difficult for users to understand how Gift Finder could help them choose the right gift.
Gift Finder's core challenge was not only low adoption; neither its product value nor its operating model could support long-term growth. Manual content creation limited update speed and scalability, while weak entry points and value communication made it difficult for users to understand how Gift Finder could help them choose the right gift.
Gift Finder's core challenge was not only low adoption; neither its product value nor its operating model could support long-term growth. Manual content creation limited update speed and scalability, while weak entry points and value communication made it difficult for users to understand how Gift Finder could help them choose the right gift.
Challenge 01
Challenge 01
0.6% CTR
0.6% CTR
Unclear value led to low adoption
Although the feature appeared on the previous homepage and in search, it lacked contextual guidance and a clear value proposition. Users could see it, but had little reason to explore further.
Challenge 02
Challenge 02
28+
28+
hrs / month
hrs / month
Manual upkeep prevented scale
Maintaining gifting occasions, ideas, and recommendations required more than 28 hours of manual work each month, creating high operating costs and limiting how often the product could be updated or expanded.
03
PROCESS
Using Data and Workshops to Reframe the Product Direction
Using Data and Workshops to Reframe the Product Direction
I designed the workshop structure, research materials, and How Might We prompts, and co-planned and facilitated the cross-functional sessions with the PM. Using historical product data, the user journey, and core pain points, I guided Product, Marketing, Engineering, and Data teams in turning insights into product opportunities and aligning on Gift Finder's direction.
I designed the workshop structure, research materials, and How Might We prompts, and co-planned and facilitated the cross-functional sessions with the PM. Using historical product data, the user journey, and core pain points, I guided Product, Marketing, Engineering, and Data teams in turning insights into product opportunities and aligning on Gift Finder's direction.
I designed the workshop structure, research materials, and How Might We prompts, and co-planned and facilitated the cross-functional sessions with the PM. Using historical product data, the user journey, and core pain points, I guided Product, Marketing, Engineering, and Data teams in turning insights into product opportunities and aligning on Gift Finder's direction.
Awareness
Discover
Compare
Order
Give
Persona 1. Inspiration Seeker
#UnsureWhatToGive #OftenShopsLastMinute
Persona 2. Efficiency Seeker
#ClearGoal #TheFasterTheBetter
Persona 3. Thoughtful Giver
#GiftsMoreOften #LovesCreatingSurprises
Across gifting profiles, the strongest needs emerged during inspiration seeking and option comparison—making these the highest-priority opportunities for Gift Finder.
Across gifting profiles, the strongest needs emerged during inspiration seeking and option comparison—making these the highest-priority opportunities for Gift Finder.
Three Signals from Business Data and Gifting Research
Three Signals from Business Data and Gifting Research
Three Signals from Business Data and Gifting Research
01 FREQUENCY
Users give gifts at least once or twice a year
Users give gifts at least once or twice a year
Gifting needs extend beyond major holidays to birthdays, anniversaries, and everyday relationship moments.
02 PAIN POINT
Lack of inspiration and information is the main barrier
Lack of inspiration and information is the main barrier
Users do not need more products; they need a faster way to find directions that fit the recipient, occasion, and budget.
03 BUSINESS INSIGHT
03 BUSINESS
Gifting is strongly associated with major holidays,
leaving everyday occasions underdeveloped
Gifting centers on major holidays, while everyday occasions remain underdeveloped
Expanding everyday gifting occasions could help Gift Finder capture demand outside seasonal peaks.
How Might We?
Turning Journey Pain Points into How Might We Prompts
Turning Journey Pain Points into How Might We Prompts
01 Awareness
How might we
become the first tool users think of when they need a gift?
02 Discover
How might we
help users find inspiration quickly when they do not know what to give?
03 Compare
How might we
help users make choices with greater confidence?
04 Order
How might we
reduce uncertainty throughout the gifting journey?
05 Give
How might we
help gift givers understand the recipient's reaction?
Brainstorming
Turning User Pain Points into Product Concepts
Turning User Pain Points into Product Concepts
We broke the end-to-end gifting journey into five key stages and developed How Might We prompts for each. These prompts became the starting point for the cross-functional workshop, turning user pain points into concrete product opportunities.
We broke the end-to-end gifting journey into five key stages and developed How Might We prompts for each. These prompts became the starting point for the cross-functional workshop, turning user pain points into concrete product opportunities.
04
STRATEGY
Converging on Four Product Strategies
Converging on Four Product Strategies
Through research, journey mapping, and a cross-functional workshop, we converged on four core strategies that shaped the subsequent Gift Finder experience and system design.
Through research, journey mapping, and a cross-functional workshop, we converged on four core strategies that shaped the subsequent Gift Finder experience and system design.
01
Build a Sustainable Content System
Build a Sustainable Content System
Connect existing Gift Guides and marketing content to reduce manual upkeep and create a foundation for automated content expansion.
Connect existing Gift Guides and marketing content to reduce manual upkeep and create a foundation for automated content expansion.
02
Redesign the Gift Discovery Journey
Redesign the Gift Discovery Journey
Reorganize discovery around occasions, recipients, and budget to support both inspiration seeking and efficient task completion.
Reorganize discovery around occasions, recipients, and budget to support both inspiration seeking and efficient task completion.
03
Improve Discoverability and Value Communication
Improve Discoverability and Value Communication
Redesign homepage and search entry points with clearer context and value communication to make Gift Finder easier to discover.
Redesign homepage and search entry points with clearer context and value communication to make Gift Finder easier to discover.
04
Build an AI Content Generation Workflow
Build an AI Content Generation Workflow
Partner with Data Engineering to automate the creation of gifting ideas and recommendation criteria.
Partner with Data Engineering to automate the creation of gifting ideas and recommendation criteria.
05
AI AUTOMATION
Building an Automated AI Workflow
Building an Automated AI Workflow
The workflow builds on existing marketing content and preserves the team's curation perspective, while AI expands gifting ideas, copy, and product-selection criteria. I defined the AI copy framework and quality standards, and partnered with a Data Engineer to develop prompts and skills and continuously refine the generation rules. This maintained Pinkoi's brand voice and natural, varied language while significantly reducing manual upkeep.
The workflow builds on existing marketing content and preserves the team's curation perspective, while AI expands gifting ideas, copy, and product-selection criteria. I defined the AI copy framework and quality standards, and partnered with a Data Engineer to develop prompts and skills and continuously refine the generation rules. This maintained Pinkoi's brand voice and natural, varied language while significantly reducing manual upkeep.
The workflow builds on existing marketing content and preserves the team's curation perspective, while AI expands gifting ideas, copy, and product-selection criteria. I defined the AI copy framework and quality standards, and partnered with a Data Engineer to develop prompts and skills and continuously refine the generation rules. This maintained Pinkoi's brand voice and natural, varied language while significantly reducing manual upkeep.
01 Human Curation
Existing curation and brand perspective
Existing curation and brand perspective
Preserve validated themes, content, and curation logic
Preserve validated themes, content, and curation logic
02 AI Processing
Turn gifting concepts into selection criteria
Turn gifting concepts into selection criteria
Generate copy with AI and translate it into system-ready logic
Generate copy with AI and translate it into system-ready logic
03 System Output
Connect inspiration directly to products
Connect inspiration directly to products
Recommend products by criteria and continuously optimize ranking based on performance
Recommend products by criteria and continuously optimize ranking based on performance
Connect human curation, AI expansion, and system validation into a sustainable content workflow.
Connect human curation, AI expansion, and system validation into a sustainable content workflow.
Connect human curation, AI expansion, and system validation into a sustainable content workflow.
06
DESIGN STRATEGY
Supporting Both Inspiration and Fast Decisions
Supporting Both Inspiration and Fast Decisions
The workshop surfaced two primary gifting behaviors: inspiration-led exploration and goal-oriented task completion. Combining these personas with an AI-generated content structure, I iterated on content organization and interactions to create an experience that supports both open-ended inspiration and fast decision-making.
The workshop surfaced two primary gifting behaviors: inspiration-led exploration and goal-oriented task completion. Combining these personas with an AI-generated content structure, I iterated on content organization and interactions to create an experience that supports both open-ended inspiration and fast decision-making.
The workshop surfaced two primary gifting behaviors: inspiration-led exploration and goal-oriented task completion. Combining these personas with an AI-generated content structure, I iterated on content organization and interactions to create an experience that supports both open-ended inspiration and fast decision-making.
01 Start with the gifting occasion
01 Start with the gifting occasion
01 Start with the gifting occasion
Let users begin with birthdays, holidays, or relationships instead of confronting a large product catalog.
Let users begin with birthdays, holidays, or relationships instead of confronting a large product catalog.
02 Make the recipient optional
02 Make the recipient optional
02 Make the recipient optional
Use recipient filters to narrow options quickly without forcing every user through setup first.
Use recipient filters to narrow options quickly without forcing every user through setup first.
03 Turn vague needs into concrete ideas
03 Turn vague needs into concrete ideas
03 Turn vague needs into concrete ideas
Translate abstract gifting needs into understandable, explorable themes and product directions.
Translate abstract gifting needs into understandable, explorable themes and product directions.
04 Connect inspiration directly to products
04 Connect inspiration directly to products
04 Connect inspiration directly to products
Each idea leads directly to relevant products, helping users move quickly from interest to comparison and purchase.
Each idea leads directly to relevant products, helping users move quickly from interest to comparison and purchase.
07
OUTCOME
Impact
Impact
During launch, Gift Finder generated 27,913 sessions with an overall engagement rate of 89.4%. More than 70% of sessions continued to product pages, with users also wishlisting and adding items to cart—showing that Gift Finder supported deeper product discovery, not just content exposure.
Automated AI content generation and product selection also reduced manual upkeep, moving Gift Finder from a one-off campaign toward a sustainable product capability.
During launch, Gift Finder generated 27,913 sessions with an overall engagement rate of 89.4%. More than 70% of sessions continued to product pages, with users also wishlisting and adding items to cart—showing that Gift Finder supported deeper product discovery, not just content exposure.
Automated AI content generation and product selection also reduced manual upkeep, moving Gift Finder from a one-off campaign toward a sustainable product capability.
During launch, Gift Finder generated 27,913 sessions with an overall engagement rate of 89.4%. More than 70% of sessions continued to product pages, with users also wishlisting and adding items to cart—showing that Gift Finder supported deeper product discovery, not just content exposure.
Automated AI content generation and product selection also reduced manual upkeep, moving Gift Finder from a one-off campaign toward a sustainable product capability.
PRODUCT IMPACT
89.4%
Overall engagement rate
71.4%
Product view rate
18.1%
Wishlist rate
13.9%
Add-to-cart rate
08
FINAL DESIGN
Start with the Occasion, Let Inspiration Follow
Start with the Occasion, Let Inspiration Follow
A progressive journey built around occasions, recipients, and inspiration packs helps users move from "I don't know what to give" to the right product with ease.
A progressive journey built around occasions, recipients, and inspiration packs helps users move from "I don't know what to give" to the right product with ease.
09
TAKEAWAYS
Turning a One-Off Campaign into a Sustainable Product Capability
01
Content Discovery Can Drive Purchase Decisions
Content Discovery Can Drive Purchase Decisions
Gift Finder did more than generate exposure: 71.4% of sessions continued to product pages, 18.1% added items to a wishlist, and 13.9% added to cart. This showed that gifting content could move users from inspiration into active consideration.
Gift Finder did more than generate exposure: 71.4% of sessions continued to product pages, 18.1% added items to a wishlist, and 13.9% added to cart. This showed that gifting content could move users from inspiration into active consideration.
02
From Manual Upkeep to a Continuously Improving System
From Manual Upkeep to a Continuously Improving System
By connecting human curation, AI expansion, and system recommendations, content no longer depended on one-off maintenance. Performance across impressions, engagement, and add-to-cart behavior revealed which gifting themes resonated at different times, informing future curation and ranking.
The data also showed meaningful differences across content. Some themes in the Popular Gift Rankings drove stronger add-to-cart behavior, while birthday-related content produced varying depths of exploration—giving content operations a clearer evidence base.
By connecting human curation, AI expansion, and system recommendations, content no longer depended on one-off maintenance. Performance across impressions, engagement, and add-to-cart behavior revealed which gifting themes resonated at different times, informing future curation and ranking.
The data also showed meaningful differences across content. Some themes in the Popular Gift Rankings drove stronger add-to-cart behavior, while birthday-related content produced varying depths of exploration—giving content operations a clearer evidence base.
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Contact
Let's build the right thing together.
I'm open to opportunities where design can shape product direction, solve meaningful problems, and create real impact. If that sounds like your team, I'd love to hear from you.
Contact
Let's build the right thing together.
I'm open to opportunities where design can shape product direction, solve meaningful problems, and create real impact. If that sounds like your team, I'd love to hear from you.