Unity App Mobile Key
Turning six disconnected backend systems into one seamless guest experience.
Client: Hard Rock
Methods:
Technical flows and user journeys
Competitive analysis
Wireframes & prototyping
Stakeholder presentations
Impact
Efficiently aligned workflows across 6 separate teams by creating technical infrastructure flows
Created a seamless mobile check-in experience that eliminated wait times and pain points
Key currently being used on Hollywood Florida property by thousands of users, with plans to expand to more properties
Hard Rock wanted to introduce a mobile key/checkin system for guests at its properties—a functionality that did not exist previously. The goal was to create a seamless, user-friendly experience that allowed guests to check in, verify their identity and access their rooms via their mobile devices.
The Ask
The Challenge
Hard Rock’s new digital check-in experience needed to feel seamless to guests—but behind the scenes, it depended on five loosely connected backend systems, including three external vendor platforms.
To deliver a unified user journey, we first had to make sense of the complexity. I co-led working sessions with each platform team to untangle responsibilities, clarify handoffs, and align everyone around a single, user-first flow.
My Role
I led end-to-end UX design across six platform touchpoints, working cross-functionally with devs, PMs, and partner vendors to streamline the mobile check-in and room key experience.
My focus was simplifying the user flow, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring the guest journey felt unified despite a fragmented tech stack.
The Platforms & Teams Involved
Internal GALE Design Team
Collectively, we organized the teams and the experience, aligning the backend technologies across platforms and bringing the key to life.
Virtual Checkin Platform
This third-party vendor’s system interacted closely with the PMS to facilitate the virtual checkin and checkout of the user.
Hard Rock App
Our development team built the key within the Hard Rock Unity app. This was the primary touch point for the user’s experience and where all of the backend systems had to connect to.
ID Verification System
A popular security vendor provided their SDK that uses facial recognition technology via the phone’s camera to verify the user's identity.
Property Management System
A PMS is where a user’s reservation was stored and managed. From reserving a room, to checking in, to checking out, the PMS keeps track of the user’s status during their stay.
Mobile Key API
The last vendor provided us with the actual digital key functionality that a user could open from their phone to unlock the door’s lock mechanism.
Best way to align teams?
Technical Flow 🤝 User Journey
A Unified Flow
To ensure all 6 teams were aligned within the user’s experience, I created a “Happy Path” document that showed a flow integrating all technical parties and ensuring each platform would communicate effectively with the others at the correct time.
In addition to this, I layered in the user journey, as well to provide extra temporal and emotional context. The user journey helped our design team to align on messaging timing, as well as the overall experience of the user from checkin to checkout.
Edge Case Flows
-
'IRL' User
The user chooses not to participate in the digital key experience, but backend systems will continue to run.
-
Checkin / Checkout Error
Error within virtual checkin/checkout platform that prevents user from completing task.
-
Room Not Ready
User has checked in virtually and verified their ID, but the PMS has not assigned a ready room yet.
-
Late Checkout Request
User contacts front desk to request late checkout, meaning all systems must update to new time parameter.
Then it was time to create
Wireframes
And compile
