Case Study II Web-Based Food Service Application
Food Service Promoting Small Minority Owned Businesses
Background
My client found a niche market that was being overlooked by everyday food ordering applications. Having years of prior start-up experience, she was venturing out to create a community based marketplace that connected diners to a network of home cooks who specialize in preparing authentic, homemade meals that produce a delightful and unique culinary experience delivered to the diner’s doorstep.
It was imperative that this platform clearly differentiated itself from other online ordering apps which serviced brick and mortar restaurants. These chefs are special - they cook from the heart sharing generational recipes.
The go-to-market plan would focus roll-out in Boston and Pittsburgh, providing valuable insights for evolution of the service. As these insights were put into action on the application, roll-out would continue strategically throughout the United States.
Methods
Coordinating with an offshore software development team located in India, working in tandem with the owner I led the project management and user interface design during its development phase. We connected through online meetings on a daily basis to review progress, validate timelines, understand the technical challenges and collaborated to find the solutions.
Given the uniqueness of this app, most design elements were created from the ground up which also made it stand out from other ‘strictly delivery’ apps. I created a design system and style guide that helped to keep the offshore team moving during its development phase, providing clear guidelines that prevented any possible slowdowns due to time differences.
Connecting with the chefs and hearing their experiences, frustrations, and successes helped to strengthen the ‘emotional bond’ between chefs and consumers. Developing a platform for the consumers to provide not just testimonials for public viewing, but meaningful feedback directly to the chefs helped to deepen that connection.
Separate customer journey maps from a consumer and the chef perspectives reduced potential negative impact of having geographically dispersed teams and created a unified product vision.
Success Criteria
Develop an responsive web design that promotes independent bakers and chefs to the general public
Stand out from other online food ordering apps
Focus on the chefs and their unique cuisine offerings
Create a bond between the chef and consumer
Provide consumer with the ability to preorder food even days in advance
Create a supplemental portal app that caters specifically to the chefs, customizing the availability of days, times, and menus they would offer
Many Voices Heard
We were fortunate that my client had datapoints from their previous experience in the food service industry which we were able to harness to inform this multi-platform app
Access to at home cooks provided us with insights into the struggles they face in not only keeping their small businesses profitable, but the day to day issues of scheduling, preparing and delivering delicious, homemade meals
I was able to source one-on-one interviews with people who had previous experience in ordering meals and the challenges they faced
My client had come to the table with a clear and strong focus as to what her desired outcome was to look like and how it would function
Final online usability testing was conducted for the chefs experience and the consumers experience
Key Highlights
Angular, Adaptive Design, Wireframing, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Basecamp, Branding, Design System, Style Guide, Rapid Prototyping, Jira, Agile, Offshore, Project Management