Building Coca-Cola’s Consumer Data Services Platform
Establishing scalable form behaviour, authentication flows, and front-end experience standards across markets.
About
CDS
Coca-Cola Digital Experiences and Consumer Data
Strategic Context
Coca-Cola needed a unified Consumer Data Services (CDS) platform to support registration, authentication, and consumer engagement across campaigns, loyalty programs, and digital touchpoints.
The challenge was not simply creating forms.
It required designing a secure, scalable, and reusable identity infrastructure that could:
- Serve multiple markets
- Integrate with campaign platforms
- Support regulatory compliance
- Maintain usability and conversion efficiency
Problem Landscape
Fragmented Form Experiences
Each campaign or regional activation implemented its own registration flow, leading to inconsistent UX and duplicated effort.
Inconsistent Validation & Error Patterns
Input behaviour, validation messaging, and feedback logic varied significantly across markets.
Authentication Complexity
Password-based systems created friction, abandonment, and security concerns.
Limited Reusability
Form modules lacked architectural standardization, preventing scalable rollout.
My role as UX Lead
As UX Lead, I was responsible for shaping the front-end UX architecture and establishing the behavioural foundation for the Consumer Data Services platform.
My core responsibilities included:
My core responsibilities included:
- Designing the form input anatomy and behavior standards
- Establishing reusable validation patterns and error handling logic
- Outlining key authentication flows, including passwordless login
- Defining interaction rules for consumer data capture
- Translating identity and security requirements into intuitive UX
- Collaborating closely with front-end engineering for implementation alignment
Integration
The SDK acted as the authentication layer storing and processing UIDs. The SDK could also communicate with other tools through API calls. The SDK could activate any promotion across multiple channels like web (ONE) or Mobile (CCA). The respective promotion can run globally or be gated to specific regions and markets.
Coca-Cola Internal Process Diagram
Form
Anatomy
Design System: Input Anatomy & Behaviour
Establishing Input Architecture
I defined a standardised input anatomy framework including:
- Label positioning logic
- Field validation states
- Inline vs post-submit validation behaviour
- Accessible error messaging hierarchy
- Required vs optional logic standardisation
- Micro-interaction feedback timing
Validation & Interaction Model
Defined behavioural rules for:
- Real-time validation triggers
- Cross-field dependency validation
- Password strength logic (where applicable)
- Accessibility compliance (ARIA roles, etc.)
- Micro-interaction feedback timing
Form
Flows
Authentication Flows
Registration Flow
Designed the full registration architecture:
- Multi-step vs single-step flow evaluation
- Conditional field rendering
- Data validation feedback loops
- Edge-case fallback scenarios
Passwordless Authentication Strategy
Outlined and designed passwordless authentication flows to:
- Reduce friction during registration
- Improve security posture
- Minimize forgotten password cycles
- Simplify cross-device login behaviour
Key considerations included:
- One-time code logic
- Expiry messaging clarity
- Resend pattern safeguards
- Error state hierarchy
- Edge-case handling
Impact
CDS
Platform-Level Impact
- Standardised consumer registration UX across markets
- Reduced duplication of form logic across campaigns
- Improved clarity and predictability in validation behaviour
- Established reusable identity interaction patterns
- Strengthened compliance readiness during GDPR-sensitive period
- Increased collaboration efficiency between design and engineering
