The context
Design at scale means
every decision affects
ten million people.
Quidco wasn't a startup needing a design direction — it was Europe's largest cashback platform with millions of active users who earned real money on their everyday shopping and depended on the product working. The design challenge here wasn't defining something new. It was improving something trusted without breaking it.
Every change had blast radius. Every iteration needed to work for digital natives and for people who'd been using the service since 2008 and had strong expectations about how things should work. That kind of design discipline is different — more careful, more evidence-driven, more respectful of what's already there.
My role was sustained, methodical improvement: iterating the iOS and Android apps feature by feature, building and maintaining the shared design library, and working alongside product managers, engineers, and data analysts to make sure changes were grounded in evidence.
This is the work that doesn't make headlines, but it is the backbone of every successful product design career. I take it seriously.
The work
Continuous improvement of a product
people rely on for real money.
Ongoing improvement of iOS and Android — discovery, cashback activation, conversion funnels, offer layouts. Each change measured and validated before release.
Building and maintaining a shared component library across both platforms. Enabling faster, more consistent shipping across the whole team.
Close collaboration with analytics to understand what was actually happening in the product — not what we assumed was happening.
"Working on a product used by 10 million people teaches you humility. The user base is vast, diverse, and will tell you very quickly — through data — when you've got something wrong."
James Ciclitira — on QuidcoThe outcome
A product worth £101M.
Design was part of how
it got there.
When Moneysupermarket acquired Quidco, it validated the whole product — including the experience. That acquisition price wasn't just about user numbers or technology. It reflected the trust 10 million people had built with the platform over years. Trust like that is the accumulated result of thousands of good design decisions. Not any one feature. Not any one screen. The whole, consistent, reliable experience.
Being part of a team that delivered a product to that outcome is something I carry into every project I take on.
