UX Designer / UI Designer
Figma / Adobe Illustrator / Miro
12 weeks Feb - May 2023
During my time at Academy Xi, I worked on a project called Planted. It was a project driven by my passion for a specific topic. In the program, we had to choose a design challenge, and I chose one that resonated with me. As someone who follows a plant-based diet, I often had difficulty finding new vegan and plant-based restaurants near me.
This got me thinking about creating a platform called Planted, which would help people like me connect with vegan and plant-based eateries. Because this topic meant a lot to me personally, I saw this project as a fun but challenging opportunity to explore new areas and gain valuable insights during the given time of this phase.
As the sole end-to-end UX/UI designer for this individual project, I undertook full responsibility for all design aspects. Working diligently for 12 weeks during phase one of my studies, I devoted myself to crafting the Planted platform into a user-centric and visually appealing solution.
"With the ever-growing market for plant-based foods, more and more people are adopting the plant-based lifestyle. With this growing trend there is also a huge influx of new eateries including; Restaurants, bars, cafes, food-trucks and more, creating an overwhelming feeling amongst the community on where to visit. Users are finding it difficult to locate these eateries via the regular method offered today."
"I find it frustrating there isn't an easy way to discover nearby vegan cafes when I'm out with my friends." - Survey Participant
The user goals for Planted are to discover new plant-based eateries, making it easier to manage their plant-based lifestyle, particularly when dining out with friends and family. The platform aims to provide a convenient and accessible solution for users to explore and connect with vegan and plant-based restaurants, enhancing their overall dining experience.
As part of my design process, I initiated a comprehensive competitor analysis to evaluate existing applications available in the market today.
'Happy Cow,' stands as a popular choice in the market, excelling in eatery discovery. However, it falls short in fostering meaningful connections within the community of like-minded individuals. This is precisely where my product steps in to bridge the gaps in the market.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I conducted a guerrilla survey using SurveyPlanet to gather valuable research insights from the target audience using the convenience of social media community groups. The data highlighted users' strong desire for an app that facilitates discovering new plant-based eateries and forging connections within the plant-based community, revealing a significant gap in the market. Armed with this evidence, I designed the app to cater to these needs, aiming to provide an exceptional user experience for plant-based enthusiasts.
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Following the creation and analysis of affinity and empathy maps, I then sorted and examined the gathered data to develop a unique persona named Mackenzie. This persona played a pivotal role in enabling me to understand and empathies with the end users deeply. By delving into Mackenzie's goals, pain points, and motivations, I gained invaluable insights into the mindset of our target users. This user-centric approach ensured that the subsequent design decisions were aligned with the needs and preferences of the audience, enhancing the overall user experience of the product.
During the Ideation phase, I kick-started the creative process with the help of "How might we" questions. These powerful prompts enabled me to reshape my research insights into exciting opportunity areas.
Three key questions drove my ideation:
Through brainstorming and idea exploration, I delved into potential solutions to address these vital challenges. By challenging conventional thinking, I sought to innovate and design a product that would truly cater to the needs and desires of my target audience.
During the Ideation phase, I employed the Crazy Eights exercise to generate a wide range of ideas quickly. This exercise helped visualise potential directions for my product. Additionally, I created a storyboard to bring my design to life and depict the user's journey. This phase allowed me to witness the transition from paper sketches to digital storyboards, providing a tangible representation of my design's narrative. These activities propelled my ideation process, shaping my design concept into a user-centric and impactful solution.
Additionally, I created a site map to visualise the app's entire structure and navigation. These visuial representation serve as a foundation for further refinement during prototyping.
In the following step, I commenced the development of low-fidelity wireframes. These wireframes played a vital role in bringing clarity to the project and establishing a transparent development process right from the outset. By creating these early-stage wireframes, I laid the groundwork for a well-defined user interface and design direction.
Within the UI design, I've embraced a modern aesthetic characterised by sleek functionality. To infuse a sense of enjoyment and engagement, I've integrated lively pops of color and playful illustrations, creating a user experience that is both visually captivating and enjoyable to interact with
I transformed the low-fidelity prototype into high-fidelity, maintaining a clean and minimal design while adding captivating illustrations and pops of color. This realistic representation allowed for refining the design before moving forward with development. The final design strikes the perfect balance between usability and aesthetics, embodying a modern aesthetic, sleek functionality, and engaging visual elements for an enjoyable and visually captivating experience.
As a personal project, the design solutions had a significant impact in achieving the main goal of creating an easy-to-use app for the plant-based lifestyle. The final design successfully balances usability and aesthetics.
Throughout the project, I led and managed the entire design process, gaining valuable insights into project management and collaboration through active communication with peers and mentors. While the app didn't ship as a final product, potential success metrics include user adoption, engagement, community growth, and user satisfaction.
As the plant-based community continues to grow, there may be opportunities for further research, usability testing and potential re-designs to meet evolving user needs. Continuous monitoring and user feedback are essential to ensure the app remains relevant and aligned with the community's expectations.
