GoodFood
Mobile Web App
ROLE Research, interaction design, visual design, and copywriting
CHALLENGE Identify a customer need and then design and develop that into an MVP for product launch.
PROBLEM Gluten-free dining is on the rise but finding suitable restaurants is challenging despite existing apps.
SOLUTION A mobile web app that provides users with all the necessary information, allows them to search using various devices, and doesn't require any downloads.
The Problem
Gluten-free dieting is a trend that’s been gaining traction these last few years. Restaurants have adjusted to cater to these customers, but finding these restaurants often requires a lot of effort. Existing apps don't fully solve the problem for gluten-free users.
To find a solution to this problem, I jumped straight into the world of all things gluten-free.
RESEARCH
The Fad That’s Here To Stay
What I found searching through the literature is what I assumed: Whether it’s for health reasons or dietary/lifestyle choice, the world will apparently continue to embrace the gluten-free trend for years to come.
46.1% of people worldwide follow a gluten-free diet.
It’s estimated that 30% of all Americans avoid gluten.
By 2032, the gluten free market is projected to be valued at $14Billion.
So who are these people that’ll drive this growth in the future? What issues are they facing when dining out? How do they find a place to eat at from the start? I walked away from my interviews with 3 key insights.
People had low expectations
Living a gluten free life comes with a lot of compromises when eating out. Basically it was accepted that you, as a GF diner, might go hungry when not at home. Gluten free diners weren’t looking for something to eat while dining out. They were looking for anything to eat.
Sticking with the tried and true
No one I interviewed had any preconceptions that they would be trying an new foods any time soon. When someone found a place to eat at they made it one of their go-to places for future meals.
Many devices, one job
Searching for gluten-free dining starts on one device and may continue on another, like starting on a laptop at home and switching to a phone on the go.
As you can probably guess, eating out for a gluten-free diner can be stressful. Off of this, I came up with the following “How might we…?” question.
“How might we make gluten-free diners feel safe when searching for a restaurant to eat at in order for them to be confident in the food choices they’ve made?”
Armed with this new question, I created a persona in search of answers.
THE PERSONA
I Just Don’t Want To Get Sick
This was literally the answer I got when I asked everyone what were they looking for when searching for a restaurant. This was surprising but it shouldn’t have been for me. I understood because I’ve been dealing with this issue for a little while now.
My wife, like Justin, has health problems caused by gluten in her food. Worried about her safety, I would always be the one to start the search with her following right behind.
We would start by using Google maps and then explore different menus in search of gluten-free options. I started using not only food delivery apps like Seamless and Uber Eats, but also other apps like Travelocity. I believed that any search tool with food filters would be useful regardless.
I also remembered that users frequently switch devices during their searches. My wife for example is fond of her iPad Pro and iPhone while I would vacillate between my iPhone, Macbook Pro, and iMac.
I did take a look at some current marketplace apps and most of them, more or less, were positively reviewed. All of them, however, could not provide participants with a seamless way to find what they were looking for.
What did that look like?
It looked like my choice for an MVP.
MINIMAL VIABLE PRODUCT
Mobile Web App
A mobile website would provide gluten free users what they (and pretty much everyone else as well) were used to: speed and the freedom to switch between devices.
I quickly designed the site with only one user flow in mind which was for someone to try and find a nearby restaurant that provided them with gluten-free options.
The homepage displays key info: allergens, menu labels, and GF reviews. Users enter location, then view search results with further allergen and menu details.
Adding separate maps for each restaurant was a pleasant surprise for users. No more searching through a cluttered map with numbered restaurants. From there a user would then choose a restaurant to learn more about.
The new feature highlights gluten-free menu items, eliminating the need to sift through menus or rely on customer photos for information.
I went with a mobile website app - as opposed to an iOS/Android app - as my minimal viable product for 3 main reasons:
Deployment
Deployment through a website would reach a lot more people than through a dedicated mobile app. It would also take less time to create and rely on only whether or not a user had access to Wi-Fi.
Updatability
Implementing changes would also be much easier. Results from testing could be implemented same day as opposed to having to recode and app.
Cost
A mobile website is a lot cheaper overall than creating an app which could run upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. With a mobile site, testing a could conceivably cost someone a monthly fee to Squarespace.
GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY
Key Metrics
They key metrics would be determined by the click-through-rate which determined by how many people either signed up for the service and/or made a reservation at the restaurant. My hypothesis is that gluten-free diners will find that this solution more than fulfills their needs based off of my initial tests with my interview participants.
Next steps would be actually designing and deploying a site and then running some usability tests with real users. From those results I’d then begin my iterations followed by more testing.
Personal Takeaways
This first time using Lean/Agile approach I was skeptical initially in my Project Management Course. As a UX designer, less research time worried me. But as class progressed, I saw the benefit of lean/agile method. Build, measure, learn, repeat. No more time or money wasted. Excited to apply it to real world projects.