J—W

J—W

J—W

Transforming On-Property Check-In with a Mobile Experience

As Design Director, I led the redesign of MGM Resorts’ check-in experience—reimagining how guests are welcomed on-property by enabling staff to serve them directly from the queue. Working across product, engineering, and operations, I defined a more flexible, guest-centered approach while contributing hands-on to key workflows and interaction design. The result was a faster, more efficient experience that improved both guest satisfaction and employee effectiveness.

The Opportunity


Check-in is one of the most critical—and often most frustrating—moments in the hospitality experience.



At MGM properties, traditional desk-based workflows created: long lines during peak periods, limited flexibility for staff, friction in guest lookup and verification, inconsistent service experiences.



This wasn’t just a UX issue—it was an operational bottleneck impacting both guest perception and staff efficiency. There was an opportunity to rethink check-in as a dynamic, mobile-first service experience, rather than a fixed, desk-bound process. 



My Role


I led design for the experience end-to-end, aligning stakeholders around a new vision for on-property service while ensuring the solution worked in real-world conditions.



My role spanned:


  • Defining experience principles centered on speed, flexibility, and service

  • Partnering with product, engineering, and operations leadership

  • Contributing hands-on to interaction design, workflows, and usability

  • Guiding design quality across the product


This balance allowed me to shape the strategy while ensuring the final experience was practical, intuitive, and performant.





Approach


We shifted from a static, location-based model to a flexible, guest-centered interaction.


  • Enabled hosts to move freely and engage guests in line

  • Designed for quick, contextual interactions rather than long sessions

  • Focused on reducing perceived wait time, not just actual time






Optimizing for Speed in Real-World Conditions


This experience needed to perform under pressure.


  • Streamlined workflows to minimize steps and decision points

  • Designed large touch targets and clear hierarchy for fast interaction

  • Reduced cognitive load for staff operating in busy environments





Expanding Guest Search & Flexibility


One of the biggest friction points was finding the right guest quickly.


  • Improved search capabilities across multiple data inputs

  • Reduced dependency on exact matches or rigid inputs

  • Enabled faster access to guest information and reservations





Designing for Employees, Not Just Guests


This was as much an employee experience as a guest experience.


  • Simplified workflows to reduce training time

  • Designed for confidence and clarity under pressure

  • Improved overall usability and efficiency for staff


Outcome


The redesigned experience delivered meaningful improvements across both guest and staff experiences:


  • 2–3x faster check-in times

  • Reduced average check-in from 6–8 minutes to under 3 minutes

  • Increased flexibility and efficiency for on-property staff

  • Improved guest satisfaction at a critical first-touch moment


Beyond performance gains, this work helped shift how MGM approaches service design—moving toward more flexible, human-centered experiences that bridge digital and physical touchpoints.


This project demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform not just an interface—but an entire service model—improving speed, efficiency, and the quality of human interaction at scale.