OVERVIEW
The idea of this app stemmed from a parent’s need to easily find healthy, allergy-friendly restaurants in southeastern Wisconsin.
Create an app that allows users to search for restaurants by dietary restrictions and foster relationships with restaurants in the community that use locally-sourced ingredients.
SO, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
The challenge was there. After googling, yelping, and downloading competitor apps, there was no easy way to find local dining options for users with allergies and specific food preferences.
​
​
MY ROLE
​
I was asked to create an MVP for a restaurant-finding app called “Smart Eats”. Responsibilities include:
-
Content + Research
-
Problem Solving
-
User Flows
-
User Testing
-
Future Branding + Content Development
​
TARGET AUDIENCE
-
Have a smartphone
-
Have dietary restrictions
-
Go out to eat
THE SOLUTION​
DIETARY RESTRICTIONS
How might we be able to determine which restaurants to eat at if you have dietary restrictions?
Filter by an allergen.
LOCALLY SOURCED
How might we use the app to determine which restaurants use locally sourced/organic ingredients?
Filter by cuisine type, organic, locally sourced.
SHARE/PROMOTE
How might we share experiences with the community?
Ability to leave and share allergy-specific reviews for restaurants.
RESEARCH
Americans on average eat out 5.9 times per week.
One in three consumers said that their eating habits have become healthier over the past year.
50% of restaurant guests said that the quality of food is a factor that influences whether or not they return to a restaurant.
Food allergies lead to adverse reactions from your immune system when consuming certain foods. They affect about 10% of adults and 8% of children worldwide, and some may lead to life-threatening reactions.
"How can I find a restaurant that will accommodate my daughter’s peanut allergies?"
"How can we support ethical restaurants within our community?"
"Where can I find a meal that’s healthy and locally sourced?"
"How can we share our experiences with friends and family?"
USER PERSONA 1: PATTY
A busy parent who has children with food allergies. Follows a restrictive diet, makes healthy food choices. Rarely enjoys a night out to eat with the family.
PAIN POINTS
-
Difficult to find a healthy place to eat
-
Always worried about cross-contamination and allergic reactions
OBJECTIVE
-
Find restaurants that are healthy and offer allergy-friendly menus and accommodations
“If we could find a place, we could share the knowledge with others to promote the establishment. There are so many people with food allergies.”
USER PERSONA 2: JONAH
An environmentally-conscious, athletic millennial who wants to eat locally sourced vegan meals.
PAIN POINTS
-
Hard to find healthy vegan options
OBJECTIVE
-
Would like to find an establishment that uses local food sources
-
Doesn’t want to support national chains, doesn’t feel it supports the community
“I’d love to eat at a restaurant that offers more than just “meat and potatoes.” Living in Wisconsin, it’s hard to find locally sourced vegan options that are actually healthy.”
STORYBOARD
PATTY is a mother who wants to take her children out for a birthday dinner. Here is her experience with Smart Eats.
Patty wants to take her children out to eat for their birthday. She opens the Smart Eats app.
She’s able to filter by food restrictions and specify kid-friendly.
Filter results show a promising option 2 miles away. Reviews are positive for peanut allergy accommodations.
Patty feels at ease knowing they are going to an allergy-conscious restaurant.
She is able to enjoy her dining experience with the kids, a great birthday dinner!
Patty leaves a positive review and is able to spread the news to friends with allergies and feels good promoting a local restaurant.
During in-person testing, five scenarios were given to the user with specific tasks to complete. Feedback was given for sketched and digital wireframes.
USER TESTING: SKETCHES
-
Narrowed down which layouts were more user friendly
-
The confirmed flow of the app
USER FEEDBACK #1
Explore navigation options for the restaurant details frame.
UX UPDATES
-
Updated to universal nav bar across all frames.
-
A/B testing to determine navigation success, click rate, and preference
OLD: 95% click rate
NEW: 100% click rate
NEW: 5/5 favored this design -
Easier to navigate back to home
(100% positive feedback from A/B testing) -
Incorporated info from sub-nav into wireframe layout
USER FEEDBACK #2
Simplify the review process.
UX UPDATES
-
Removed reply box for allergens on screen B. (rating on previous screen A)
-
Reduced (2) reply boxes to (1) on screen B.
USER FEEDBACK #3
Add a separate section for the cuisine filter
UX UPDATES
-
Moved “cuisine type” selection to the dashboard for easy access
-
Updated bottom nav bar
ENHANCEMENT
Additional feedback indicated the following needed to be enhanced in the final prototype:
​
-
Apply a new navigation bar throughout the app (confirmed through A/B testing)
-
Include the “confirmation” screen after leaving a review
-
Explore layout options for the “cuisine type” scroll panel on the dashboard
BRANDING
An exciting, food-inspired color pallet was developed to accompany a strong, clean Montserrat font.
COLOR PALLET
TYPOGRAPHY
It was eye-opening to learn about the pains and frustrations of finding allergy-safe and healthy dining options in our community. I’m excited to see how this app comes to fruition to make people’s lives easier and highlight restaurants in the community that strive to make a difference.
