McDonald’s – Wellbeing App

Helping frontline employees feel supported, valued, and mentally healthy.

ROLE

DURATION

TEAM

Senior UX Designer

14 weeks - 2025

PM, HR manager, dev team, therapist, UX researcher

PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENT

15% drop in resignations, higher satisfaction (3.9→4.2), and 20% connected with therapists across 5 locations.

PROBLEM

McDonald’s frontline employees were experiencing high stress and burnout, which contributed to a growing resignation rate across restaurants.

To support retention and overall wellbeing, McDonald’s decided to invest in a dedicated mental wellbeing experience for employees.

SOLUTION

We designed a mobile-first wellness experience to help employees feel more supported through mental health check-ins, access to mindfulness resources, and the ability to chat with a therapist or counselor. This aimed to reduce burnout and improve retention, starting with five pilot locations.

Black and White Minimalist and Corporate

RESEARCH

To understand the root causes of burnout, I gathered insights from multiple sources across the McDonald’s ecosystem.

Exit interviews and HR surveys,
Anonymous employee feedback
Existing wellbeing tools
Competitor patterns from Starbucks, Amazon Flex, and Walmart Health

RESEARCH INSIGHT

1. Employees don’t have time for complex tools. 

Their breaks are short, and stress is high, the app needed to be fast, simple, and lightweight.

2. Many felt afraid to talk about mental health. 
Trust and privacy were huge themes. The experience needed strong reassurance, warm language, and clear boundaries.

3. Burnout showed up differently. 

Some workers needed emotional support, others needed quick grounding exercises, and others needed access to a professional.

4. Managers needed ways to support teams. 

But without crossing privacy lines.

EMPATHY MAP

Then I created this empathy map to dig deeper into the everyday emotional experience of a frontline McDonald’s employee across their entire shift. It helped me understand where stress peaks, where burnout begins, and which moments offer natural opportunities for support or intervention.

KEY BEHAVIOR

That’s why the 2-minute emotional check-in is an ideal behavioral starting point.

coming soon...