The Problem
Individuals often encounter a phenomenon known as “choice overload,” where they are presented with an excessive number of options and are apprehensive about making a suboptimal decision. The stress associated with this dilemma increases with the number of people involved in the decision-making process. Each individual has their unique set of priorities and constraints, including budget and time limitations. Consequently, individuals seek to make a decision that satisfies everyone’s preferences while maximizing the value of their selection
The decision-making process of selecting a cuisine while dining out can also be a source of stress for individuals. I would like to explore ways to assist individuals in identifying their food preferences and expanding their culinary experiences while dining out
The Solution
ASAP is a decision-making application that aids users in selecting a dining establishment, addressing the common issue of indecisiveness and choice overload associated with the process. This project aims to alleviate the stress of decision-making and save users’ time by providing a user-friendly platform for selecting a suitable dining option
Process
User Research & Synthesize, Ideation, Sketch, UI Design & Prototype, Usability Test & Synthesize, Redesign
My Role
Sole UX/UI Designer, UX Researcher
Tools
Figma, Miro, InVision, Otter.ai, Zoom
Duration
8 Week Project
Design Process
Research
Screener Survey
I employed a screener survey and leveraged my social media, as well as friends and family, to gather responses. From the 51 responses collected, 76.5% of individuals reported dining out at least once a week, with 21.6% doing so every other day. The results revealed that a significant majority struggled with making a decision on where to dine, with food taste and quality being the primary determining factors.
Participants Characteristics
- Frequent diners who engage in dining out activities at least once every week
- Have previously engaged in communal dining experiences with at least one other individual or a group of people.
- Indicated challenges in making a decision on the choice of restaurant or dining location.
- Has specific criteria or requirements when making a decision on the choice of restaurant or dining location
Interviews
I conducted interviews with 6 participants who met my target demographic. The objective was to understand their challenges in selecting a place to eat and the decision-making process they follow. The findings revealed that participants prefer to consider everyone’s preferences and receive suggestions that match their desires
Key Takeaways
- When making a decision about dining out, individuals prioritize factors such as their food preferences, budget constraints, and location accessibility.
- Individuals expressed a desire for either more collaborative decision-making or clear direction in choosing a dining destination
- A significant number of individuals rely on social media as a source of guidance when making dining decisions.
Affinity Mapping
Through the process of affinity mapping, I analyzed 104 sticky notes and identified 9 key insights from the interviews. These insights include the things to avoid when deciding on a restaurant, general attitudes towards eating out, decision-making preferences, challenges in choosing a restaurant, strategies to simplify the decision-making process, the steps involved in deciding where to eat, emotions and thoughts during the decision-making process, feelings after a decision has been made, and the use of apps/websites to aid in the decision-making process.
Empathy Mapping
After conducting the affinity mapping process following the interviews, I gained a deeper understanding of the participants’ pain points, goals, thoughts, and feelings when deciding on where to eat. This enabled me to categorize the users into two types, namely the foodie and the indecisive one, through empathy mapping
Problem Statements (HMWs)
How Might We ?
Based on the research findings, I developed five How Might We statements to address the pain points and needs of the users. These statements serve as a starting point for ideation and generating potential solutions to assist users in their decision-making process regarding where to eat
- How can we mitigate the challenge of decision-making caused by an overwhelming number of options?
- How can we design a system that motivates users to make a decision that meets their satisfaction?
- How can the decision-making process for choosing a restaurant be facilitated through a collaborative approach?
- How can we enable individuals to confidently identify their preferred food options when making a decision on where to eat?
Ideation
Brainstorming
Using my How Might We statements as a guide, I initiated the ideation process to generate possible solutions for the users. During a 30-minute session, I engaged in quick sketching while providing brief context for each of my ideas. The sketches were primarily centered on enabling users to determine their own preferences, facilitating a shared understanding of others’ preferences, and simplifying the process of narrowing down options.
User Stories
Site Mapping
After ideation, the next step in the design process was to create an application structure diagram. To do this, I reviewed the user stories to ensure that the application would meet their needs. Then, I created a site map to organize content into logical groups, which would help users find the content they need in a way that is intuitive and easy to navigate
User Flows
After finalizing the structure and information architecture, the next step is to design the user flows, which represent the routes that users follow to accomplish a task in the product. Based on the priority of addressing the problem, I have developed three key user flows: initiating a quick poll to determine dining options, posting comments on the community feed, and searching for a place that fits within the user’s budget
Sketching
In order to transform the ideas into tangible designs, I utilized the established user flows to create sketches of all necessary screens. Throughout the sketching process, I ensured that usability and intuitive flows were prioritized by paying attention to basic design elements. As a guiding principle, I constantly asked myself, “What is the intended user action for each screen?” to create designs that align with the user’s objectives. Ultimately, my approach produced screen sketches that effectively balance design and user experience.
Wireframes
Design
Mood Board
Brand Platform
Mission
My image selections were centered on conveying the reliable and trustworthy image associated with the ASAP brand, as well as its commitment to providing products that have a positive impact on consumers’ daily lives. To draw inspiration for the user interface, I opted for imagery that exuded a sense of practicality with a clean and minimalist appearance.
The brand’s objective is to assist individuals in overcoming a frequent challenge encountered in their daily lives. Specifically, the brand aims to alleviate the stress associated with deciding on a dining destination. The product’s name, ASAP, was carefully chosen to symbolize speed and efficiency. Ultimately, the brand strives to enhance the daily lives of its consumers by simplifying decision-making processes and promoting convenience
Our mission is to alleviate the stress associated with decision-making and enhance the overall dining experience by saving valuable time and effort.
Style Guide
As I commenced the implementation of the mood board into the app’s UI design, I aimed to create a style guide that reflected minimalism, utilizing primary colors that harmonized seamlessly with each other and conveyed a clean, contemporary aesthetic. A violet-blue hue was strategically chosen as the primary color to highlight the established brand attributes, complemented by softer accent colors to add visual interest. In terms of typography, the predominant font choice was Roboto, meticulously selected for its readability and sleek appearance to ensure an optimal user experience
High Fidelity Screens
Following several iterations, I successfully created the high-fidelity screens for the app. Throughout the design process, my primary objective was to achieve a minimalistic, visually pleasing aesthetic that would be easy on the eyes. The design is intentionally kept clean to ensure that images are the main focus of the screens. Consistency was a top priority, and I referred back to the style guide numerous times to maintain coherence across all screens. Additionally, I routinely checked the color contrast to ensure that the design was as accessible as possible to all users
Test
Prototyping
Usability Testing
After completing the screen designs, I proceeded to build a prototype using InVision, enabling me to bring the ASAP app to life and showcase all the key features. As part of the quality assurance process, I personally tested the prototype several times to ensure that it was fully functional and ready for usability testing
With the app development process complete, I conducted a series of 5 moderated usability tests using the prototype to assess its efficacy. The primary objective was to evaluate the user’s ability to navigate through each task seamlessly and identify any potential pain points they may encounter during the process.
Test Objectives
- Obtain user feedback on the initial impressions of specific screens.
- Identify potential usability issues in critical user flows.
- Gain insights into the cognitive processes of users throughout the testing phase.
- Detect any accessibility-related concerns.
Test Questions
- Is the process of initiating a quick poll accomplished successfully by users?
- Is the task of adding a comment on the community page executed successfully by users?
- Is the task of successfully filtering search results by price achieved by users?
- What is the participants’ feedback on the organization of the UI on the home screen?
- What are the participants’ overall perceptions of the user interface design for each screen?
- How do users perceive the overall level of difficulty and usability of the tasks?
Test Report
The usability test report provided a structured approach to collate and analyze the feedback shared by participants. Based on their recommendations, I prioritized the issues that required immediate attention to improve the user experience and usability of the app. I referred to the chart to redesign screens, starting with the critical problems first
Testing Results
The results indicated that users perceived ASAP as moderately easy to navigate. The usability tests enabled me to identify critical issues that require immediate attention. Three major priority issues were identified, along with several minor issues, which I needed to address to enhance the user experience.
Redesign
Issue 1
The login page illustration gave users an impression that did not align with the app’s intended purpose. They perceived it as a social media app instead of a food or dining-related application. This lack of context and relevant visual cues caused confusion among users.
Solution
I updated the illustration on the login page to incorporate food imagery, thereby providing clearer context and reinforcing the app’s purpose related to food and dining.
Issue 2
During usability testing, it was noted that some users experienced confusion regarding the distinction between quick and custom polls on the poll screen. Specifically, the concept of a quick poll was not clearly communicated to users. One participant suggested that the description should include more information about the options available for setting up a quick poll, in order to improve clarity.
Solution
I revised the descriptions to provide additional clarity on the options available for setting up a quick poll.
Issue 3
During testing, it was found that some users experienced confusion when attempting to filter search results by price, often mistakenly selecting the hamburger icon due to its prominence, which resulted in difficulty completing the task.
Solution
I eliminated the hamburger icon to prevent it from being a distraction and allow users to complete the filtering task successfully
Final UI
Conclusion
I derived a sense of satisfaction from working on the project as it addressed a relatable issue faced by me and my peers. The experience of designing a user-friendly app was enjoyable, and I appreciated the opportunity to bring the design to life. While designing the UI was my favorite aspect of the project, I also found observing participants during usability tests intriguing.
Upon reflection, there are areas of the app that can be enhanced, and given additional time, I would focus on expanding its features. Incorporating a feature that enables users to share a restaurant with friends and enhancing the level of interaction within the community page would be valuable. Moreover, introducing more visual elements, such as illustrations, would be advantageous. Another aspect of the app that I would like to explore further is the filtering options within the search page. In essence, the project provided an opportunity to enhance my design skills, broaden my knowledge in UX research, and further refine my abilities in UI design.