Improving the grocery shopper journey
Essential, a free mobile app, is a grocery shopping companion service that allows users to explore product offerings, earn discounts, and plan their visit beforehand digitally.
Project Timeline: 1 week
Role: User Researcher, Visual Designer, Prototype Designer
Tools: Persona Development, Prototype Design, Sketch, Invision
Challenge
Design a simple mobile application that helps users with the common challenges related to grocery shopping experiences.
Goal
Develop an easy-to-use app that makes the grocery shopping experience more seamless, supported, and exciting.
Solution
Use Essential to focus in on moments where it can have the biggest impact on the shopper experience: opportunities to plan in advance, minimize in-store disorientation, foster excitement, and generate continued engagement at home.
Phase 1: Research
In order to evaluate the current shopping experience, I conducted research to identify key pain points in the customer journey. Through a series of interviews, wherein individuals were asked to list touchpoints during the grocery shopping experience and rate each one on a scale of -5 to +5, where 0 represented a neutral response. Using this data, I was able to construct a current-state customer journey with crucial touchpoints laid out. I then pinpointed four moments in which the app could have the biggest impact on the shopper experience, as well as high points on the customer journey to leverage.
In assessing current customers, I conducted research to understand who I was designing for and develop accurate user personas. Through user interviews, four main personas were identified as the target users for this app. All had varying needs and requirements throughout the grocery shopping process but similar goals in the end—to easily and efficiently shop for essentials.
Phase 2: Ideation
Using user research, I determined that users wanted opportunities to plan in advance in order to minimize in-store disorientation, in addition to personalized features that foster excitement and demonstrate customer engagement. I translated these user needs into a design concept: Essential. The app would feature the ability to:
Plan a visit based on store route and peak times
Learn about discounts and save them for in-store use
Snap and save items of interest for future purchase
Learn about healthier alternatives to frequently purchased products
Outline a dynamic checklist that allows the user to enter desired items and their quantities
Build a new meal plan that automatically adds ingredients to the cart
With user feedback from these tests, my design progressed to mid-fidelity wireframes.
Phase 3: Next steps
Regarding future iterations, I would want to expand the Try Something New feature to include more recipe offerings and opportunities for user-generated content. Furthermore, I would want to build out the category filter to allow people to filter for types of meal plans based on dietary restrictions, dislikes, and meal sizes. Recommending unexpected meals will inspire users to view grocery shopping as more than a chore, interweaving spontaneity into life’s most mundane moments.