Product design
Blackbird
Blackbird is a loyalty and payments platform for restaurants, built on blockchain but designed for everyday diners. Its core products include a tap-to-earn terminal that works independently of POS systems, loyalty rewards tied to visits, and membership programs like Breakfast Club and Blackbird Club. With no app required, diners simply tap their phone to check in, earn perks, and unlock exclusive offers. For restaurants, Blackbird drives repeat visits and lowers processing fees—creating a modern, hospitality-first alternative to traditional payment systems.
Blackbird is a loyalty and payments platform for restaurants, built on blockchain but designed for everyday diners. Its core products include a tap-to-earn terminal that works independently of POS systems, loyalty rewards tied to visits, and membership programs like Breakfast Club and Blackbird Club. With no app required, diners simply tap their phone to check in, earn perks, and unlock exclusive offers. For restaurants, Blackbird drives repeat visits and lowers processing fees—creating a modern, hospitality-first alternative to traditional payment systems.
Process
We kicked off the project with deep qualitative research—interviewing small and independent restaurant owners, operators, and staff to understand their day-to-day pain points. These conversations surfaced key friction areas: high POS fees, limited visibility into guest behavior, and a lack of control over loyalty tools.
In parallel, we ran a competitive analysis across restaurant loyalty apps, payment processors, and crypto-integrated services. This helped us map industry norms, uncover gaps, and benchmark usability patterns.
Blackbird’s loyalty offering centers on two membership programs: Breakfast Club (daily morning drinks at partner cafés) and Blackbird Club (exclusive perks across the network). We redesigned these experiences to be intuitive and rewarding from the first tap. Our work included: Streamlined sign-up and onboarding flows Clear presentation of perks and membership tiers Lightweight web interfaces for tap confirmations and perk redemptions Thoughtful use of language, animation, and feedback to reinforce delight The goal: make crypto-powered rewards feel effortless, human, and inviting—especially for diners who don't know (or care) that it's on-chain.
On the restaurant side, we revamped the dashboard restaurants use to manage guest activity. Based on early research, we prioritized: Check-in tracking and loyalty history Performance insights: repeat visits, membership-driven traffic Easy reward setup: no need to configure complex POS logic A UI that feels modern but familiar—usable even during a lunch rush This tool became the operational backbone for restaurant partners—designed to be flexible enough for chains, yet lightweight enough for a small café.
Our collaboration with Blackbird supported more than just a redesign, it helped lay the foundation for national scale. As Blackbird expanded from the East Coast to the West. By centering real diner and operator needs, we helped transform a complex blockchain product into something that feels simple, warm, and rewarding, whether you’re grabbing coffee in Brooklyn or checking in for dinner in LA.
Li and Studio Salt gets startups and the founder struggles because they asked good questions about the problem we were attacking and then quickly turned around a design helped us reach our first big enterprise client.
Aaron Ware
@EarnWhere
Li and Studio Salt is awesome to work with and is a top tier design studio. Extremely happy with the work they has produced! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Bauman
@ste_bau
Li and Studio Salt did an amazing job on the UI design for Shipto.me. They were super professional, quick, and really understood exactly what I was looking for. They went above and beyond my expectations—I was so impressed, I hired Studio Salt again for another project!
Alex B
Co-founder of ShipToMe
Working with Studio Salt was a pleasure for us. They really cared about our satisfaction and delivered materials that made our team super happy. I'd work with them again for new projects.
Gülcan Yayla
Co-founder & CEO of Rise In
Studio Salt team exceeded all my expectations. They took my vision and turned it into a beautiful, functional website with flawless execution. As a startup founder, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring my ideas to life.
Peter Heimerdinger
Founder & CEO of Heimify
Highly recommend for reliable, expert designs! Li & team consistently meets deadlines and maintains utmost professionalism in every project. She truly knows what she’s doing.
Alexis Papageorgiou
@papa_gorgeous
Before, our site didn't look professional and had a high bounce rate. Since the redesign we finally started getting Leads via our website. Thank you!
Janu Lingeswaran
Founder of Feather Flow
Studio Salt elevated our brand with a sophisticated new logo and refined newsletter design. Their eye for detail and collaborative approach made the process seamless, delivering outstanding results that transformed our publication's visual identity.
Marketing Brief
@mktbriefing
Studio Salt designer is incredibly talented and creative. I hired them to design the landing page and they delivered outstanding results! They were going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of design work.
Aditya Saxena
Founder of pmfm.ai
I thoroughly enjoyed working with your team, and will look for what to work together again in the future!
Sanket Patel
Founder of Ingredicheck
Amazing work! I'm working to implement your design...your design is much more clear than where I started!
Michael Breazeale
Founder of Spark Cashflow
Working with Studio Salt has been a pleasure, they are fast and efficient! Li consistently stays ahead of industry trends and provides insightful guidance that elevates the final product.
Zane Greuning
@zanevangreuning
Li and Studio Salt made an awesome design for my landing page and completly overhauled my onboarding. It really drove conversions and kickstarted PhotoQuest! I'm really excited to continue to work with Li and her team.
Thomas Schuehly
@tschuehly
Oh my god! This is so great. I think my eyes just had a micro orgasm. That would be a cool marketing slogan for you :D
Pete
Founder of the SEO Wizard
This is super cool, and super professional. I think you have nailed the brief, in terms of similar to VC sites.
Laurie Owen
@imlaurieowen
Next case study
Let’s work together!
Blackbird is a loyalty and payments platform for restaurants, built on blockchain but designed for everyday diners. Its core products include a tap-to-earn terminal that works independently of POS systems, loyalty rewards tied to visits, and membership programs like Breakfast Club and Blackbird Club. With no app required, diners simply tap their phone to check in, earn perks, and unlock exclusive offers. For restaurants, Blackbird drives repeat visits and lowers processing fees—creating a modern, hospitality-first alternative to traditional payment systems.
Process
We kicked off the project with deep qualitative research—interviewing small and independent restaurant owners, operators, and staff to understand their day-to-day pain points. These conversations surfaced key friction areas: high POS fees, limited visibility into guest behavior, and a lack of control over loyalty tools.
In parallel, we ran a competitive analysis across restaurant loyalty apps, payment processors, and crypto-integrated services. This helped us map industry norms, uncover gaps, and benchmark usability patterns.
Blackbird’s loyalty offering centers on two membership programs: Breakfast Club (daily morning drinks at partner cafés) and Blackbird Club (exclusive perks across the network). We redesigned these experiences to be intuitive and rewarding from the first tap. Our work included: Streamlined sign-up and onboarding flows Clear presentation of perks and membership tiers Lightweight web interfaces for tap confirmations and perk redemptions Thoughtful use of language, animation, and feedback to reinforce delight The goal: make crypto-powered rewards feel effortless, human, and inviting—especially for diners who don't know (or care) that it's on-chain.
On the restaurant side, we revamped the dashboard restaurants use to manage guest activity. Based on early research, we prioritized: Check-in tracking and loyalty history Performance insights: repeat visits, membership-driven traffic Easy reward setup: no need to configure complex POS logic A UI that feels modern but familiar—usable even during a lunch rush This tool became the operational backbone for restaurant partners—designed to be flexible enough for chains, yet lightweight enough for a small café.
Our collaboration with Blackbird supported more than just a redesign, it helped lay the foundation for national scale. As Blackbird expanded from the East Coast to the West. By centering real diner and operator needs, we helped transform a complex blockchain product into something that feels simple, warm, and rewarding, whether you’re grabbing coffee in Brooklyn or checking in for dinner in LA.
Li and Studio Salt gets startups and the founder struggles because they asked good questions about the problem we were attacking and then quickly turned around a design helped us reach our first big enterprise client.
Aaron Ware
@EarnWhere
Li and Studio Salt is awesome to work with and is a top tier design studio. Extremely happy with the work they has produced! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Bauman
@ste_bau
Li and Studio Salt did an amazing job on the UI design for Shipto.me. They were super professional, quick, and really understood exactly what I was looking for. They went above and beyond my expectations—I was so impressed, I hired Studio Salt again for another project!
Alex B
Co-founder of ShipToMe
Working with Studio Salt was a pleasure for us. They really cared about our satisfaction and delivered materials that made our team super happy. I'd work with them again for new projects.
Gülcan Yayla
Co-founder & CEO of Rise In
Studio Salt team exceeded all my expectations. They took my vision and turned it into a beautiful, functional website with flawless execution. As a startup founder, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring my ideas to life.
Peter Heimerdinger
Founder & CEO of Heimify
Highly recommend for reliable, expert designs! Li & team consistently meets deadlines and maintains utmost professionalism in every project. She truly knows what she’s doing.
Alexis Papageorgiou
@papa_gorgeous
Before, our site didn't look professional and had a high bounce rate. Since the redesign we finally started getting Leads via our website. Thank you!
Janu Lingeswaran
Founder of Feather Flow
Studio Salt elevated our brand with a sophisticated new logo and refined newsletter design. Their eye for detail and collaborative approach made the process seamless, delivering outstanding results that transformed our publication's visual identity.
Marketing Brief
@mktbriefing
Studio Salt designer is incredibly talented and creative. I hired them to design the landing page and they delivered outstanding results! They were going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of design work.
Aditya Saxena
Founder of pmfm.ai
I thoroughly enjoyed working with your team, and will look for what to work together again in the future!
Sanket Patel
Founder of Ingredicheck
Amazing work! I'm working to implement your design...your design is much more clear than where I started!
Michael Breazeale
Founder of Spark Cashflow
Working with Studio Salt has been a pleasure, they are fast and efficient! Li consistently stays ahead of industry trends and provides insightful guidance that elevates the final product.
Zane Greuning
@zanevangreuning
Li and Studio Salt made an awesome design for my landing page and completly overhauled my onboarding. It really drove conversions and kickstarted PhotoQuest! I'm really excited to continue to work with Li and her team.
Thomas Schuehly
@tschuehly
Oh my god! This is so great. I think my eyes just had a micro orgasm. That would be a cool marketing slogan for you :D
Pete
Founder of the SEO Wizard
This is super cool, and super professional. I think you have nailed the brief, in terms of similar to VC sites.
Laurie Owen
@imlaurieowen
Next case study
Let’s work together!
Blackbird is a loyalty and payments platform for restaurants, built on blockchain but designed for everyday diners. Its core products include a tap-to-earn terminal that works independently of POS systems, loyalty rewards tied to visits, and membership programs like Breakfast Club and Blackbird Club. With no app required, diners simply tap their phone to check in, earn perks, and unlock exclusive offers. For restaurants, Blackbird drives repeat visits and lowers processing fees—creating a modern, hospitality-first alternative to traditional payment systems.
Process
We kicked off the project with deep qualitative research—interviewing small and independent restaurant owners, operators, and staff to understand their day-to-day pain points. These conversations surfaced key friction areas: high POS fees, limited visibility into guest behavior, and a lack of control over loyalty tools.
In parallel, we ran a competitive analysis across restaurant loyalty apps, payment processors, and crypto-integrated services. This helped us map industry norms, uncover gaps, and benchmark usability patterns.
Blackbird’s loyalty offering centers on two membership programs: Breakfast Club (daily morning drinks at partner cafés) and Blackbird Club (exclusive perks across the network). We redesigned these experiences to be intuitive and rewarding from the first tap. Our work included: Streamlined sign-up and onboarding flows Clear presentation of perks and membership tiers Lightweight web interfaces for tap confirmations and perk redemptions Thoughtful use of language, animation, and feedback to reinforce delight The goal: make crypto-powered rewards feel effortless, human, and inviting—especially for diners who don't know (or care) that it's on-chain.
On the restaurant side, we revamped the dashboard restaurants use to manage guest activity. Based on early research, we prioritized: Check-in tracking and loyalty history Performance insights: repeat visits, membership-driven traffic Easy reward setup: no need to configure complex POS logic A UI that feels modern but familiar—usable even during a lunch rush This tool became the operational backbone for restaurant partners—designed to be flexible enough for chains, yet lightweight enough for a small café.
Our collaboration with Blackbird supported more than just a redesign, it helped lay the foundation for national scale. As Blackbird expanded from the East Coast to the West. By centering real diner and operator needs, we helped transform a complex blockchain product into something that feels simple, warm, and rewarding, whether you’re grabbing coffee in Brooklyn or checking in for dinner in LA.
Li and Studio Salt gets startups and the founder struggles because they asked good questions about the problem we were attacking and then quickly turned around a design helped us reach our first big enterprise client.
Aaron Ware
@EarnWhere
Li and Studio Salt is awesome to work with and is a top tier design studio. Extremely happy with the work they has produced! You will not be disappointed.
Steve Bauman
@ste_bau
Li and Studio Salt did an amazing job on the UI design for Shipto.me. They were super professional, quick, and really understood exactly what I was looking for. They went above and beyond my expectations—I was so impressed, I hired Studio Salt again for another project!
Alex B
Co-founder of ShipToMe
Working with Studio Salt was a pleasure for us. They really cared about our satisfaction and delivered materials that made our team super happy. I'd work with them again for new projects.
Gülcan Yayla
Co-founder & CEO of Rise In
Studio Salt team exceeded all my expectations. They took my vision and turned it into a beautiful, functional website with flawless execution. As a startup founder, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to bring my ideas to life.
Peter Heimerdinger
Founder & CEO of Heimify
Highly recommend for reliable, expert designs! Li & team consistently meets deadlines and maintains utmost professionalism in every project. She truly knows what she’s doing.
Alexis Papageorgiou
@papa_gorgeous
Before, our site didn't look professional and had a high bounce rate. Since the redesign we finally started getting Leads via our website. Thank you!
Janu Lingeswaran
Founder of Feather Flow
Studio Salt elevated our brand with a sophisticated new logo and refined newsletter design. Their eye for detail and collaborative approach made the process seamless, delivering outstanding results that transformed our publication's visual identity.
Marketing Brief
@mktbriefing
Studio Salt designer is incredibly talented and creative. I hired them to design the landing page and they delivered outstanding results! They were going above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone in need of design work.
Aditya Saxena
Founder of pmfm.ai
I thoroughly enjoyed working with your team, and will look for what to work together again in the future!
Sanket Patel
Founder of Ingredicheck
Amazing work! I'm working to implement your design...your design is much more clear than where I started!
Michael Breazeale
Founder of Spark Cashflow
Working with Studio Salt has been a pleasure, they are fast and efficient! Li consistently stays ahead of industry trends and provides insightful guidance that elevates the final product.
Zane Greuning
@zanevangreuning
Li and Studio Salt made an awesome design for my landing page and completly overhauled my onboarding. It really drove conversions and kickstarted PhotoQuest! I'm really excited to continue to work with Li and her team.
Thomas Schuehly
@tschuehly
Oh my god! This is so great. I think my eyes just had a micro orgasm. That would be a cool marketing slogan for you :D
Pete
Founder of the SEO Wizard
This is super cool, and super professional. I think you have nailed the brief, in terms of similar to VC sites.
Laurie Owen
@imlaurieowen
Next case study
Let’s work together!