Mobile app
Pool Munchies
Mobile ordering app with fast delivery to your lounge chair
Role
Product Designer
Category
Food & Beverages, Shopping
When
Sept. 2022 - Nov. 2022
PROJECT GOALS
The goal of this case study is to:
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A Simple and seamless way to order food through the Pool Munchies mobile ordering app.
Customers will know the time of their delivery
2
USER RESEARCH
Market Research
The Challenge
People of all ages did not have access to food at the poolside or in the surrounding areas. The target audience was faced with spending limited time at the pool because they were forced to leave the poolside when they became hungry.
The Problem
Pool Munchies, a poolside snack bar, faces various challenges affecting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency:
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Mobile Ordering Complexity: The current mobile ordering system isn't easy to use, causing frustration and potential delays.
Menu Visibility and Accessibility: The physical menu isn't visible from all pool areas, inconveniencing customers who must walk over to see it.
Order Tracking Uncertainty: Customers can't track their orders, leading to uncertainty and potential dissatisfaction.
Pain Points
1
Time
Customers do not want to leave the pool to buy food, they want to order food by the poolside.
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Navigation
How many clicks does the user take to complete the user flow
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Accessibility
Most platforms are not equipped with assistive technologies.
Competitive analysis
Three apps were analyzed, two of which are direct competitors and one indirect. The menu experience along with the mobile ordering process was compared.
Very user friendly, the online app allows users to search the menu
The menu has photos of all the food items on the order online menu
Offers visual accessibility
Navigation gets lost once you enter the online order menu
Overall design is very overwhelming with heavy text
No options to mobile order, just a menu preview.
USER SURVEY
A quick survey was conducted among people who are pool goers
What are the most important key factors when ordering from a mobile food app?
20 participants
User feedback
And implementing a feedback mechanism to allows Pool Munchies to gather insights from customers to make improvements to its services.
There is a growing need for mobile ordering food apps near pool areas, with the option to deliver food to your seat.
Primary insights
There were a few changes made during the process. In the first version, the user had no option to favorite their food items. Food items had no ingredients and allergen options. After experimenting, I then came up with a better version that fits the needs of the users.
IDEATE
UI DESIGN IDEATION PROCESS
Previous design
New design
Alignment and grid
I picked an 8-point grid for the project and set the margins for within groups at 8 and 16, with margins between groups at 24, 32 and 48.
USABILITY
Prototype validation
The prototype was validated by 3 users. Each was given a prototype dedicated to the category; products and product detail views. We wanted to be sure users understand that there are more products within categories and that each product also has a dedicated page.
This was tested in person. I introduced the users to the app and asked them questions. The questions were dedicated to finding out whether the category and product tabs were easy enough to understand.
85% of users (4 out of 5) were able to complete the checkout process. The users were able to easily add items to their carts. One user didn’t know they needed to visit the product detail page to add the item to the cart.
Study results
Prototype update concept
Because of time constraints, I wasn't able to run a second usability study on the updated prototype, however, the users were satisfied with this feature which claimed to be successful.
Accessibility check
The app has been evaluated for contrast to match the AA standards of WCAG. I checked every frame with the contrast checker tool “A11y-color contrast checker” and also with the WebAIM tool by hand.
One specific example I would like to share is the add-to-order button. My initial choice of color proved to not be fully accessible. In the final version, the text color was modified to match AA standards.
Added a favorites button on the top right corner
Changed the call-to-action buttons to the correct action buttons
Added the nutritional information at the bottom of the page
Real-world Problem Solved: Pool Munchies addresses the inconvenience of ordering snacks at a poolside snack bar, streamlining the process and enhancing the overall user experience
Improved User Lives: By offering a seamless ordering experience, real-time order tracking, and simplified payment options, Pool Munchies makes customers' lives better by saving them time and reducing frustration.
This directly connects to the original problem statement by addressing the following:
Outcomes
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Project summary
During the project, I managed to evaluate the market research, do a user survey, create a set of low-fidelity wireframes, and create them into high-fidelity UI designs. I then connected them to a working prototype. After creating the poolside mobile ordering app, I have learned that the process of developing an app is not as simple as it may seem. Pool Munchies is the first mobile app I’ve developed. I have realized the amount of effort, time, and resources it takes to deliver a reliable app that can meet users' needs and expectations. If I could do it again, I would conduct more usability studies to gather more feedback to improve the app. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and have learned valuable lessons about the UX/UI design process.
