McWonder: Where Meals Meet Discovery
McWonder: Where Meals Meet Discovery
McWonder: Where Meals Meet Discovery
Reimagining the Happy Meal experience through play, discovery, and rewards.
Reimagining the Happy Meal experience through play, discovery, and rewards.
Reimagining the Happy Meal experience through play, discovery, and rewards.
Travel the McDonald’s world through weekly challenges and unlock benefits!
Unlocks every Friday at 6 AM CST
Welcome To McWonder
Play Now
Explore Later
5000 pts
Travel the McDonald’s world through weekly challenges and unlock benefits!
Unlocks every Friday at 6 AM CST
Welcome To McWonder
Play Now
Explore Later
5000 pts
Travel the McDonald’s world through weekly challenges and unlock benefits!
Unlocks every Friday at 6 AM CST
Welcome To McWonder
Play Now
Explore Later
5000 pts
Project Overview
Project Overview
Project Overview
Role
Role
Role
Timeline
Timeline
Timeline
Team
Team
Team
Tools
Tools
Tools
Product Design Co-Lead
Product Design Co-Lead
Product Design Co-Lead
10 week sprint
10 week sprint
10 week sprint
3 Designers
2 Researchers
3 Designers
2 Researchers
3 Designers
2 Researchers
Our Team
Our Team
Our Team
Visit to Hamburger University
Visit to Hamburger University
Visit to Hamburger University
Presenting to McDonald’s VPs
Presenting to McDonald’s VPs
Presenting to McDonald’s VPs
Ideation
FINDING THE MAGIC
McDonald’s already possessed novelty — it just wasn’t being surfaced in the everyday experience.
Looking beyond the routine family visit, we found that McDonald’s already had a world of built-in magic: distinctive locations, global menu items, iconic rituals, and collectible experiences.
Our visit to headquarters and references like McAtlas helped us see that the opportunity was not to invent novelty from scratch, but to make the brand’s existing wonder easier for families to discover together.
Global menu @ HQ
McAtlas book: McDonald’s global foods & locations
McDonald’s locations world map
Discover
Discover
Discover
Across 15 participants, we looked for moments where the visit felt convenient, stressful, predictable, or playful.
Across 15 participants, we looked for moments where the visit felt convenient, stressful, predictable, or playful.
In-store observations
In-store observations
In-store observations
3rd grader activity
3rd grader activity
3rd grader activity
Parent interviews
Parent interviews
Parent interviews
USER RESEARCH
USER RESEARCH
USER RESEARCH
We studied what parents manage, what kids remember, and where the McDonald’s visit becomes more than a meal.
We studied what parents manage, what kids remember, and where the McDonald’s visit becomes more than a meal.
We studied what parents manage, what kids remember, and where the McDonald’s visit becomes more than a meal.
KEY INSIGHTS
KEY INSIGHTS
Families came for convenience, but the opportunity was creating kid-centered anticipation without adding effort for parents.
Families came for convenience, but the opportunity was creating kid-centered anticipation without adding effort for parents.
Convenience attracts families, but doesn’t create anticipation.
Convenience attracts families, but doesn’t create anticipation.
“I wouldn't go to a McDonald’s unless there was a fun experience for my kid.” - Jane, mother of 3
“I wouldn't go to a McDonald’s unless there was a fun experience for my kid.” - Jane, mother of 3
The ordering moment is high-friction for parents.
The ordering moment is high-friction for parents.
“Going in to order and actually sitting down sometimes can be chaotic.” - Brad, father of 1
“Going in to order and actually sitting down sometimes can be chaotic.” - Brad, father of 1
Parents want low-effort yet meaningful engagement for their kids.
Parents want low-effort yet meaningful engagement for their kids.
"I try not to let my kids have too much screen time, unless it's educational." - Alice, mother of 2
"I try not to let my kids have too much screen time, unless it's educational." - Alice, mother of 2
Collecting drives interest and repeat engagement.
Collecting drives interest and repeat engagement.
"I collected all the McDonald's themed toys except the Golden Happy Meal! Can I have yours?" - Marie, age 8
"I collected all the McDonald's themed toys except the Golden Happy Meal! Can I have yours?" - Marie, age 8
We did in fact give Marie our Golden Happy Meal!
We did in fact give Marie our Golden Happy Meal!
Define
Define
REFRAMING THE OPPORTUNITY
REFRAMING THE OPPORTUNITY
How might we make a routine McDonald’s visit feel special?
How might we make a routine McDonald’s visit feel special?
McDonald’s was already a convenient and trusted family staple, but its predictability made visits feel more routine than exciting. The challenge was creating kid-centered anticipation without disrupting the ease parents relied on.
McDonald’s was already a convenient and trusted family staple, but its predictability made visits feel more routine than exciting. The challenge was creating kid-centered anticipation without disrupting the ease parents relied on.
The McDonald’s visit needed to balance:
The McDonald’s visit needed to balance:
Convenience
Convenience
Experience
Experience
Parental Control
Parental Control
Kid’s Agency
Kid’s Agency
Routine
Routine
Novelty
Novelty
Instant Gratification
Instant Gratification
Lasting Anticipation
Lasting Anticipation
So we knew we wanted to design for:
So we knew we wanted to design for:
Lightweight Engagement
Lightweight Engagement
Add moments of interaction without slowing down the core experience
Add moments of interaction without slowing down the core experience
Create interactions that encourage collaboration between parent and child
Create interactions that encourage collaboration between parent and child
Shared Discovery
Shared Discovery
Leverage global variation to keep the experience fresh over time
Leverage global variation to keep the experience fresh over time
Scalable Novelty
Scalable Novelty
Outcome
STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK
McDonald’s stakeholders validated both our strategic insight and the engagement model behind McWonder.
“There’s a ton of curiosity particularly with Gen Z and into Gen Alpha about the different menu items and what the unique global locations look like, so there is definitely a real insight here that is interesting. We like to talk about things that only McDonald’s can do, and I feel like this is one of those ideas.”
Senior Director of Global Brand & Content
“I thought you did a good job pulling in multiple gamification levers — there were streaks, point generation, and sweepstakes — all the things that help people come back.”
Senior Director of Product Management (Engagement)
Design
INTRODUCING OUR SOLUTION MCWONDER
McWonder turns McDonald’s existing “wonders of the world” into a collectible gamified discovery experience for families.
Inspired by GeoGuessr, McWonder invites families to guess a country using clues from a McDonald’s location, a regional menu item, and a fun fact. Each correct guess unlocks a new country on the map, giving kids something to discover, complete, and collect over time.
Weekly Geo-guesser Game
Each purchased meal unlocks a weekly challenge, with clues from a unique restaurant, regional menu item, and cultural fact that help users guess the country and add it to their world map.
HOW IT WORKS
Points & Rewards System
Points from correct guesses unlock real rewards, from collectible patches to free food, and streaks with bonus multipliers turn one-time play into a habit.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Building on McDonald’s Brand Equity
The visual system extends familiar McDonald’s colors and iconography into a playful world of travel, collecting, and discovery.
#FFB700
#DB1017
#90CDFF
#FFBC0D
#DB0F16
#75090C
#3379F5
#88469F
#E8E8E8
#292929
Iconography
3
Animations
Nami the Nugget guides users through the game experience and bringing fun through motion design.
WHAT I LEARNED
Designing for delight
McWonder taught me that a good experience needs to be enjoyable as well as usable. Looking back, the biggest lessons came from designing for play within an established brand and for an audience of both kids and parents.
Mix Research Methods
Combining different research methods gave us a fuller picture of the problem.
The strongest concepts met real user needs while supporting brand values.
User Needs & Client Values
Diversity Strengthens Ideas
Our team's varied backgrounds helped us design more unique ideas.
Annual Giveaway
Each year, players have a shot at turning their virtual journey into a real one. Everyone who plays is entered into a raffle, and winners are flown to the unique McDonald's location of their choice.
Play, Discover, Collect
Every new location a user unlocks gets added to their personal map, bringing with it a taste of the local culture, regional menu items, and the stories behind the place.
Ideation
FINDING THE MAGIC
McDonald’s already possessed novelty — it just wasn’t being surfaced in the everyday experience.
Looking beyond the routine family visit, we found that McDonald’s already had a world of built-in magic: distinctive locations, global menu items, iconic rituals, and collectible experiences.
Our visit to headquarters and references like McAtlas helped us see that the opportunity was not to invent novelty from scratch, but to make the brand’s existing wonder easier for families to discover together.
Global menu @ HQ
McAtlas book: McDonald’s global foods & locations
McDonald’s locations world map
DESIGN SYSTEM
Building on McDonald’s Brand Equity
The visual system extends familiar McDonald’s colors and iconography into a playful world of travel, collecting, and discovery.
#FFB700
#DB1017
#90CDFF
#FFBC0D
#DB0F16
#75090C
#3379F5
#88469F
#E8E8E8
#292929
Iconography
3
Animations
Nami the Nugget guides users through the game experience and bringing fun through motion design.
Outcome
STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK
McDonald’s stakeholders validated both our strategic insight and the engagement model behind McWonder.
“There’s a ton of curiosity particularly with Gen Z and into Gen Alpha about the different menu items and what the unique global locations look like, so there is definitely a real insight here that is interesting. We like to talk about things that only McDonald’s can do, and I feel like this is one of those ideas.”
Senior Director of Global Brand & Content
“I thought you did a good job pulling in multiple gamification levers — there were streaks, point generation, and sweepstakes — all the things that help people come back.”
Senior Director of Product Management (Engagement)
WHAT I LEARNED
Designing for delight
McWonder taught me that a good experience needs to be enjoyable as well as usable. Looking back, the biggest lessons came from designing for play within an established brand and for an audience of both kids and parents.
Mix Research Methods
Combining different research methods gave us a fuller picture of the problem.
The strongest concepts met real user needs while supporting brand values.
User Needs & Client Values
Diversity Strengthens Ideas
Our team's varied backgrounds helped us design more unique ideas.
Design
INTRODUCING OUR SOLUTION MCWONDER
McWonder turns McDonald’s existing “wonders of the world” into a collectible gamified discovery experience for families.
Inspired by GeoGuessr, McWonder invites families to guess a country using clues from a McDonald’s location, a regional menu item, and a fun fact. Each correct guess unlocks a new country on the map, giving kids something to discover, complete, and collect over time.
Weekly Geo-guesser Game
Each purchased meal unlocks a weekly challenge, with clues from a unique restaurant, regional menu item, and cultural fact that help users guess the country and add it to their world map.
HOW IT WORKS
Points & Rewards System
Points from correct guesses unlock real rewards, from collectible patches to free food, and streaks with bonus multipliers turn one-time play into a habit.
Annual Giveaway
Each year, players have a shot at turning their virtual journey into a real one. Everyone who plays is entered into a raffle, and winners are flown to the unique McDonald's location of their choice.
Play, Discover, Collect
Every new location a user unlocks gets added to their personal map, bringing with it a taste of the local culture, regional menu items, and the stories behind the place.