The Food Finder Mobile APP
A conceptual project featuring research, directed storytelling, wire framing, prototyping and usability testing for the food delivery industry.
Project Overview
Client
Food Finder is a fictional app that delivers cooked meals to people in the Twin Cities. Look-a-like competitors include UberEats, Bite Squad and Post Mates. Meals are picked up by Food Finder drivers and delivered to user’s homes. The company launched in 2017 and is currently only available in the Twin Cities Market.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Problem
Since launch, Food Finders has yet to find a reliable user base in the the market. While business rivals saw their user rate skyrocket in the age of COVID-19, Food Finder did not. A research study was commissioned to understand users in the market and how to best serve them. The client wants a full redesign of the app.
Solution
My research revealed there were people in the target market that were not using a food delivery app in the age of COVID-19 because they felt overwhelmed by the options in delivery. They wanted delivery, but never knew which dish was “best” or what to order. These users were people whom were very interested in guided meal selections, a role that was usually filled by a server in a restaurant. As a result of this discovery, a prototype was created with a smaller selection in a more guided experience.
Photo by Jessie McCall on Unsplash
“Now that I live in the metro, there are way more choices than back home, I don’t know where to start.”
— Research Subject 2
The Project
Research
The start of this project consisted of directed storytelling interviews of 3 different users. The goal was to uncover memorable experiences with other delivery apps and discover insights about what was missing from those experiences. I interviewed 3 people in the target market over zoom. After combing through their answers, I was able to uncover the following insights.
Uncovered Insights
Current delivery apps are too complicated and confusing
Users missed guidance on what to order at a restaurant, a role usually filled by a server.
Users never knew “what to order,” particularly when it came to styles of food they were unfamiliar with.
Users wanted to try new foods, but uncomfortable the ambiguity on current delivery applications.
looking for something new
From those insights, I turned their answers into 3 different Personas.
These 3 personas all had the same thing in common, they all wanted to try new foods and needed help in selecting meals to be delivered. The solution to this problem was to build a more focused recommendation system into the app. I used these personas to build out a Goal Statement.
Goal Statement
Our User is a single adult in their 30’s,
who wants to explore different styles of food with professional recommendations.
Wireframes
The next phase was to wireframe out some concepts for the redesign. Keeping both my goal statement and personas in mind, I created these low fidelity wireframes. My personas needed to try something new, and wanted professional recommendations for those things.
Behind the Choices
My personas wanted professional guidance, that meant I couldn’t simply included a user review or rating (think Yelp) on the dishes. Additionally, they were overwhelmed by the choices on the other delivery apps, which meant I needed to kept things simple. As a result, I drew out some concepts where the presentation of the information and options were simple, clean and straightforward. Each different style of food had only a limited number of dishes to order.
Food Style Selector
This page was designed as a solution to help users discover different styles of food. Large photos and simple descriptions about that style guide the user to something new.
Recommendation Page.
This page was designed to focus the user’s attention on recommendations for that particular style of food. This was designed as a solution to help users with professional recommendations. The dishes are clearly featured with a photo and brief details.
Dish Details Page
This page contains all the information the user would need before placing their order. Nutritional information, allergy warnings, fun facts and even beverage pairings all appear here.
Site Map
The goal of my site map was to design an experience that was simple and straightforward. I didn’t want the user to feel overwhelmed and at point along their journey.
Prototype
After revising some of my navigation, it was time to digitize my sketches and build the prototype. When building the prototype, I wanted to fill in the details from my drawings and highlight the navigation. It was important to the users to make sure the professional recommendation page was clear and easy to understand.
Food Style Selector
Updated copy and imagery shows how simple it is to discover a style of food you haven’t experienced before.
Recommendation Page
This section is a clear and focused callout to the recommended dishes. Information like diets and price are easy to find.
Experience the prototype for yourself. Try ordering the “Crab Cake Pasta” under the “Southern Italian Cuisine style.”
Dish Details Page
Updated copy shows the full range of information available on the dish details page.
Usability Test
The final phase was to test the concept and usability for users in our target market. I interviewed 3 different subjects over zoom. First, I asked the users about the food style selector page. After recording their answers, I asked them to use the prototype to try to order “Crab Cake Pasta.”
A user testing the prototype
Results
There were both positive results as well as opportunities for new additions to the app. The new prototype was quite helpful in showcasing new food styles for our users to discover as well as providing clear and easy to understand professional recommendations. I was pleased to have addressed both these points from my Goal Statement. However, the last round of testing revealed that users wanted even more customization for ordering. For example, users wanted to modify their dish with personal preferences like asking the chef to put the onions on the side.
Conclusion
If this were a real project and not conceptual, I would use my new information from the latest round of testing to build out a new Goal Statement and new wireframes. I would then follow the same path as described above. Once the Usability test revealed the desired results, I would take that to the client. So far, the results that were found were very easy to implement in a real world setting.