FoodFriends project
Product Overview
FoodFriends is a mobile app that enables people to make friends and share food in their area by hosting potluck parties. The app has map, chat, and scheduling features to facilitate these meetups.
My Role
Lead UX designer designing the FoodFriends app from conception to delivery.
Duties include (but not limited to): Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, information architecture, interaction design, motion design, typography, iconography, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
The Problem
FoodFriends has had difficulty with user retention after signup, and initial feedback suggests that the app is not intuitive enough. FoodFriends must decide to improve the onboarding process, add a tutorial, or create a simpler homepage.
The Goal
FoodFriends’ stakeholders have tasked me with selecting a method to improve these issues as well as with designing and delivering the new screens. Also, will look into implementation of artificial intelligence as a tool to make the app experience more intuitive.
User Research
I conducted interviews and created user journey and empathy maps to understand the users I’m
designing for and their needs. I asked user questions about what they like and dislike about social networking and event signup apps. Analyzed user data to determine what problems they're having with core tasks: app navigation, virtual social interaction and experience, event registration and ticketing experience. Used the results from this research study to inform our improvements to the app’s design.
A primary user group was food aficionados, who confirmed my assumption that there is a void in the market for people to connect online through their mutual love of food. Research also showed that users may not be satisfied with the quality and quantity of events centered around food available through other networking apps.
Focus on User Persona: Keith
Problem statement:
Keith is a college professor that just moved to Philadelphia, PA. He needs an effective app to help him connect with new friends via potluck parties because he doesn’t know many people.
User Journey Map:
Mapping Keith’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for
food lovers looking to network to have access to the FoodFriends app.
User Empathy Map:
I created an empathy map for Keith after interviewing him about his experience with social networking apps and networking in general. The data that we gained from this process definitely informed and guided how our iterations of the FoodFriends app can help someone like Keith.
Ideation/ Wireframes/ Lo-Fi & Hi-Fi Prototypes
Paper and digital wireframes were created to work out preliminary ideas for proper user flows. Then low fidelity prototypes were built into high-fidelity prototypes as we get closer to the finalized product.
Paper Wireframes:
Drafting several iterations of the homescreen of the app on paper helped to hone in on user pain points before transferring elements over to digital wireframes. For the home screen, I prioritized a clean and simple layout to help users find their choice of potluck easily. Also, included buttons on the bottom for featured functions.
Digital Wireframes:
Digital wireframes were based on screen designs from initial paper wireframes, using feedback and findings from user research and stakeholder input to inform refinements.
Lo-Fi Prototype:
Using the digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected was navigating the onboarding process with a new account to viewing events on a custom homepage.
Hi-Fi Prototype:
The high-fidelity prototype presented a cleaner user interface for onboarding, browsing for events, creating, managing and scheduling potlucks, and communicating with other app users.
Final Thoughts:
We've succeeded in creating the blueprint for an app that helps to bring users together through their mutual love of food. We streamlined and simplified the onboarding process and the homepage to make it a better and more efficient experience for the user. It makes the process even more efficient and smooth with A.I. assistance, which learns users’ preferences over time. People are looking for better ways to network and connect in real life, especially since the COVID pandemic changed the world in 2020. Providing a quality app to meet these needs, like FoodFriends, definitely impacts our society in a positive way.
