Conceptual UX Case Study - Foodie
It is important to highlight that our role in this project has been to conceptualize and document the workflow and user needs. With this research in hand, the next step will be up to the UI team, who will be responsible for materializing these ideas into the visual interface of the application, ensuring that the principles and conclusions we have reached are reflected in the final design.
In this way, our project not only provides a robust conceptual solution but also lays the groundwork for an interface design that is intuitive, attractive, and aligned with user needs.
Challenge: Research and conceptualize a solution that inspires users to fight food waste by connecting them with local businesses to save surplus food.
Outcomes: Definition of user personas and needs, user stories, journey maps, problem statements and hypothesis declaration, competitive audit, site maps, user flows.
Role: UX Designer
Tools: Figma
THE CURRENT SITUATION
Although we cannot completely eliminate food waste, we can contribute to minimizing it.
Food waste is a global problem that often goes unnoticed. According to WWF, 40% of the food we produce worldwide is wasted, amounting to 2.5 billion tons of food. This means that every second, 80,000 kg of food is wasted globally. Although these surpluses are not necessarily waste, they too often end up being discarded. This is where we come in: our goal is to maximize the use of surplus food to significantly reduce food waste while offering users the opportunity to save money by purchasing quality products at reduced prices.
What can we do?
We face a key challenge: to conceptualize a solution that not only inspires users to fight food waste, but also effectively connects them with local businesses to rescue surplus food.
How will we do it?
After thorough research, we clearly defined our users' needs and frustrations by creating user personas and journey maps. These tools were crucial in identifying the key problems users face when interacting with our solution and in formulating hypotheses on how our app can solve these problems. Additionally, we conducted a competitive audit that allowed us to visualize the opportunities and weaknesses in the market, which was essential for positioning our value proposition.
THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE SET FOR OURSELVES
Our mission is to understand the challenges users face and provide an accessible and efficient solution. Each interaction with the app should be an opportunity to enhance their experience while simultaneously reducing food waste.
To ensure our application perfectly aligns with the needs and expectations of our users, we have developed several detailed user personas. This process has been based on our project’s value proposition and the target audience profile for whom our app is designed.
Vicente is a young man who values efficiency and practicality in his daily life. With a busy schedule between his studies and work, he is always looking for ways to optimize his time and maximize his resources. He is drawn to tech solutions that allow him to save without complications, reflecting his pragmatic approach to life.
Elvira is a person committed to sustainability, living her ecological values daily. With a changing work schedule, she strives to find ways to reduce her environmental impact. Her lifestyle reflects a constant dedication to making conscious and responsible decisions in all aspects.
We have identified user needs and behaviors, allowing us to create personalized and effective user stories.
After creating the user personas, we were able to develop several user stories that help us understand them better and will be invaluable later on to ensure we are addressing and solving the key problems they may face when interacting with our product.
ELVIRA
As a person with unpredictable schedules, I want to receive notifications about nearby food surpluses to take advantage of opportunities while I'm out of the house.
As someone on a limited budget, I want to find food deals to save money and support local businesses that reduce waste.
As someone committed to sustainability, I want access to recipes that help me make better use of ingredients.
As a sustainability advocate, I want to collaborate with local businesses to rescue food and reduce waste in my community.
As a student, I want to find offers and discounts on food, so I can save on my meals.
As a person with a very busy schedule, I would like to find ways to save time when acquiring food.
As a student with limited time, I want a quick way to locate restaurants and stores that offer food discounts at the end of the day.
As a person with a very busy schedule, I want access to a favorites list where I can save the places and offers that interest me the most.
As an urbanite, I would like the app to show me the most affordable food options close to my location.
VICENTE
To better understand our users, we must empathize with them and imagine how they navigate the app, what motivates them, and where they encounter difficulties.
Through Journey Maps, we uncover those key moments where we can make their experience smoother and more rewarding, solving problems before they turn into frustrations.
In the first case, we see how the user feels frustration when the app loads slowly and doesn’t display product availability properly. This presents an opportunity to improve by making the interface faster and more reliable, adding real-time stock control, and ensuring secure payments, which will boost user confidence and satisfaction.
In the second case, we observe how the user feels uncertainty when inviting a friend due to unclear promotions and technical difficulties in sending the link. This gives us the opportunity to simplify the process, clarify the benefits, and ensure the discount is applied correctly, enhancing confidence and satisfaction.
Thanks to the Journey Maps, we have discovered that users value speed and simplicity in navigation and may experience frustration due to unclear information. This understanding allows us to adjust the experience to better align with their expectations of trust and efficiency.
With the user stories and journey maps in front of us, we can better identify the needs that our design must address.
By analyzing the goals and frustrations of the user personas, as well as the journey maps and their pain points, we are able to interpret and understand the main needs of the user and their underlying reasons. In other words, we can understand what the user needs and why they need it.
Elvira is a person with a strong sense of sustainability and economy who needs an accessible and convenient way to contribute to sustainability because she finds current options too expensive or difficult to access, which frustrates her and limits her ability to reduce her environmental impact.
From this problem statement, we can understand the following:
There is a need to develop a tool that offers sustainable solutions in an accessible and affordable way.
It is important that the app be intuitive and not complicate the purchasing process.
Vicente is a student with little time who seeks quick, prepared meals, prioritizing affordable and quality options while moving between his commitments.
From this problem statement, we can understand the following:
Vicente values the convenience of picking up pre-cooked meals, which saves him time in his daily routine.
The app must offer a simple solution for Vicente to easily find and purchase food on his way home or to work.
It's crucial that the food is ready for pick-up at a time that suits him best.
Vicente and Elvira are budget-conscious users who need access to affordable food options because their budgets are tight. For them, it is essential to be able to buy food without spending a large portion of their income, so they can allocate their limited funds to other equally important expenses.
From this problem statement, we can understand the following:
A portion of our users do not have a lot of financial freedom.
Discounts are very important and will be sought after and used.
Users will be looking for offers where the quality-quantity/price ratio is favorable.
A strong value proposition allows us to focus development on what truly matters.
With this approach in mind, we conducted a brainstorming session to define a series of features, functionalities, and benefits that our app offers. Next, we analyzed the list and retained the functionalities that truly provide value to the user, rather than just being a cool feature that no one asked for.
FROM RESEARCH TO SOLUTION
Organizing the problems and solutions allows us to clearly see the challenges and how to address them effectively.
Once the research is complete, we can begin to shape it. By organizing and categorizing the information, we can clearly identify the challenges our users face and how the app can offer effective solutions. With a deep understanding of their needs and expectations, we can design an experience that not only addresses their creative problems but also provides significant value in every interaction.
With the understanding we've gained from our previous research and analysis, we are in an ideal position to formulate a series of key hypotheses.
These hypotheses are based on the challenges and needs we've identified and will guide us in creating solutions that truly resonate with our users.
We are committed to consistent navigation.
Now is the ideal time to develop the sitemap because we have gathered and analyzed all the necessary information about our users' needs, researched our competition, and have a clear understanding of the app's key functionalities.
With the Sitemap, we have created a clear structure that optimizes the implementation of essential functionalities, ensuring that development progresses smoothly and focuses on what truly matters.
Every interaction should be a direct and obstacle-free path to the user's goal.
Throughout the development of the User Flows, we focused on minimizing the steps required to complete a task, thereby facilitating the user's interaction with the app and improving the accessibility of key functionalities. This approach not only helps reduce potential frustrations but also maximizes the app's effectiveness in meeting users' expectations.
User Flow for Saving a Box
User Flow for Canceling a Box
User Flow for Customer Support and Claims
CONCLUSIONS
The development of this project has allowed us to deepen our understanding of the needs and challenges users face concerning food waste and their access to sustainable and affordable options. Throughout the process, we have successfully identified the main pain points and proposed solutions that are not only feasible but also provide significant value to both users and local businesses.
Our research has culminated in the creation of detailed User Personas, User Stories, Journey Maps, and User Flows, which have served to establish a solid foundation on which the final user experience will be built. These elements have been designed with our users' expectations and behaviors in mind, ensuring that every interaction with the application is intuitive, efficient, and satisfying.
Although our part of the project has focused on research and conceptualization, we have left a clea
and well-documented path for the UI team to continue with the visual design and interface implementation. The proposed solutions not only address the identified problems but are also aligned with best practices in user experience design, ensuring that the final product will meet both the users' expectations and the project's objectives.