Bear House

DESIGN FOR MOBILE APP

To the Moon app shown on iPhone and iPad

OVERVIEW

Bear House Sushi is a conceptual sushi restaurant located in the suburbs of Toronto. Bear House Sushi strives to deliver quality sushi and Japanese food. Bear House Sushi targets customers who enjoy a quick and delicious meal.

MY ROLE

Responsible for research, conceptualization, design, and user testing.

TIMELINE

2 weeks

The Problem Space

Many working adults are too busy and tired to cook at home. They want to maximize their time by being able to order food quickly.

The Solution

Design an app for Bear House Sushi that allows customers to easily order and schedule for pick-up and delivery.

Understanding the User

USER RESEARCH

As part of the user research process, I conducted 20 customer surveys and developed empathy maps to gain a deeper understanding of user needs. Customer surveys were chosen over interviews for several reasons, including larger distribution, time-efficiency, and help ensures consistency in data collection. The research revealed that the primary user group consisted of working adults who face time constraints when it comes to meal preparation.

In addition, the study uncovered that many users preferred to devote their leisure time to hobbies and interests, rather than cooking. Furthermore, some users faced personal challenges that made it challenging to obtain groceries.

KEY PAIN POINTS

Difficult Navigation

If the menu is not organized in a user-friendly way or is difficult to navigate, it can be a frustrating experience for customers who are trying to find and order the dishes they want.

Complicated Ordering Process

If the ordering process is overly complicated or requires too many steps, it can be frustrating for customers who are looking for a quick and easy way to order their food.

Difficulty in Customizing Orders

Many users have dietary restrictions or preferences and need to be able to customize their orders accordingly. If the app doesn't allow for easy customization, it can be a significant barrier to usage.

PERSONAS

Using the data compiled from the initial interviews, I created two personas to help represent the needs of larger groups of users.

Genial Gemma, a user persona for the Bear House Project.

Bear House user persona, Adventurous Alex.

COMPETITIVE AUDIT

A competitive audit of a few competitor’s products provided direction on gaps and opportunities to address with the Bear House Sushi mobile app.

View the full competitive audit here.

IDEATION

The paper wireframes served as a visual aid to incorporate crucial elements into the digital wireframes, addressing user pain points effectively. The home page was designed to provide a seamless ordering experience, allowing users to quickly access their favourite items and popular items alike, which can help users save time when ordering.

Crazy 8 activity that forms 8 different ideas or features to include in the mobile app.

Starting the Design

DIGITAL WIREFRAMES

User feedback and findings from usability studies helped to guide the key features and screen designs within the digital wireframes.

Low-fidelity prototype of To The Moon app, displaying the homepage.

LOW-FIDELITY PROTOTYPES

The homepage offers users a streamlined way to shop by allowing them to quickly add items from their favourites, make necessary modifications, and place them in their shopping cart with just a few clicks.

This time-saving feature also empowers users to adjust quantities and ingredients before checkout, helping them avoid the frustration of making changes later in the checkout process. By providing users with more control over their shopping experience, this feature reduces the likelihood of errors or oversights during checkout.

Bear House Sushi app low fidelity gif of user flow from home screen to checkout page

Redefining the Design

USABILITY STUDY

In the first iteration of the low-fidelity prototype, the 'Add to Order' button would take the user directly to the checkout page, which caused frustration for users who wanted to continue shopping and add additional items to their order.

In response to this feedback, the design was refined to improve the user flow. A notification now appears at the bottom of the screen to confirm that the item has been added to the user's cart, allowing them to continue browsing and adding items without interrupting their experience. This iteration helps to create a smoother and more user-friendly ordering process.

BEFORE USABILITY STUDY

Bear House Sushi app low fidelity home screen

AFTER USABILITY STUDY

Bear House Sushi app high-fidelity model of food item with add to cart notification

To provide users with a more convenient and flexible ordering experience, customers can now schedule their pick-up or delivery orders at a specific date and time that suits their needs. This feature not only saves users time by minimizing their wait times and reducing risk of order mix-ups, but provides a greater control over their schedule.

BEFORE USABILITY STUDY

AFTER USABILITY STUDY

Bear House Sushi app checkout screen with Pick up details pop-up

HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE

The final high-fidelity prototype presented cleaner user flows for ordering, customizations, and checkout, and met users' needs for more flexible pick-up and delivery options, helping them plan their meals more efficiently and minimize wait times.

Bear House Sushi App user flow from home screen to checkout

View Prototype

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS

Icons

Icons were included in several screens in the app to ease navigation for users.

Alt Text

Alt text was added to key images so users who are vision impaired and use screen readers are able to access the app.

Clear Images

Provided clear images of items and ingredients to help all users better understand the item.

Going Forward

IMPACT
The app and responsive website users feel like the Bear House app included features to help meet their needs.
‍
One quote from a user:
"The app made it really easy to quickly order popular and recommended items as well as customizing orders. I would use this app as a go-to for a delicious meal!"

REFLECTION
During the design of the Bear House app, I came to understand the value of feedback. Conducting regular usability studies became crucial in ensuring that the design meets the users' needs. By incorporating feedback from these studies, such as improving the checkout flow as noted by participants, the usability of the app improved significantly.

NEXT STEPS

Additional Usability Study

Conduct another round of usability studies to ensure users’ pain points have been addressed effectively.

Additional User Research

Conduct additional user research to determine any new areas of need.