Timeline
Platform
Role
Tools Used
Diving into this project was prompted by a persistent concern: the alarming amount of good food going to waste. For a while, it has been bothering me, leading to the envisioning of a solution. Enter Sharetastic, an app/website where people can seamlessly share surplus food, complete with details like expiry dates and allergies. Here's what I've designed as a remedy to this ongoing problem: a platform that fosters trust, prevents waste, and ensures that good food reaches those who need it the most.
The lack of an efficient system hinders surplus food redistribution, leading to food waste and worsening food insecurity. Urgently needed is a streamlined platform for surplus food donors to connect with those in need, creating a safe and trustworthy space for seamless sharing and pickup coordination.
With the declining popularity of Grō's plants, the challenge lies in enabling customers to find the most suitable plants while also allowing them to monitor the plants' condition.
💡 To combat food waste and insecurity, streamline donations, engage communities, and implement waste reduction.
User Goals
• Effortlessly upload surplus food donations on Sharetastic
• Connect with community members, volunteers, and philanthropists to coordinate pickup details for donated items
• Monitor the status and impact of their donations through the Sharetastic platform
Business Goals
• Boost the volume of surplus food donations via the Sharetastic platform
• Improve user engagement and foster active participation in combating food waste and hunger
• Position Sharetastic as a trustworthy and dependable platform for food donation and redistribution
• Expand Sharetastic's influence in addressing food waste and food insecurity
I'll be adopting the Waterfall methodology (while the waterfall method is not typically associated with UX design, it can be adapted to incorporate UX activities within the project lifecycle). This approach emphasizes a structured and linear workflow, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of each stage before moving forward. Additionally, I'll be implementing a Mobile-First approach, prioritizing design for mobile devices to ensure optimal user experiences on smaller screens.
How Might We, User Personas, User Journey Map
In the first step for Sharetastic, I asked 'How Might We' questions to dig into what users really need. This phase is about figuring out the practical details – like how we build trust, handle logistics, and make sure Sharetastic is a solution people want to use. It's not just data collection; it's about making sure our app tackles food waste and connects with users in a straightforward way.
Meet Sarah and Mark, the driving force behind Sharetastic. Sarah, a city-based tech professional, is all about social causes and reducing food waste. Mark, a suburban bakery owner, believes in the power of community and wants to address local food insecurity. These personas shape our design, ensuring Sharetastic meets the unique needs of individuals like Sarah and businesses like Mark's bakery.
After developing user personas, I dived into a user journey map to grasp the real moments of what users express, feel, and engage in when navigating Sharetastic. This visual guide is pivotal in decoding the user experience, offering an in-depth understanding of their needs and emotions throughout the surplus food donation journey. Sarah's story vividly illustrates the challenges she faces, underscoring the importance of Sharetastic in simplifying her path to making a positive impact – making the journey not just efficient but emotionally rewarding.
User Flow, Information Architecture, Wireframing, High Fidelity Designs
User flow with Sharetastic unfolds effortlessly in an 8-step user flow captured in a comic strip. From realizing surplus food before a trip to confirming donations and arranging pickups, the Sharetastic app streamlines the process, ensuring impactful food donations reach those in need through various channels.
To enhance user experience, I carefully crafted the information architecture for Sharetastic. This layout provides a straightforward map of how screens and pages are organized, ensuring an easy flow as users move through the app.
Utilizing Whimsical, I designed wireframes for both mobile and desktop versions of Sharetastic. These simplified outlines map out key elements and interactions, ensuring a user-friendly experience.
Design Guide, Design Hand-offs, Prototyping
I created a logo and design guide for Sharetastic, providing developers with technical specifications and general branding details. This ensures a unified visual identity across platforms, guiding precise implementation and maintaining a strong brand presence.
I've crafted mobile view screens for Sharetastic, applying the established branding and design guide. These visuals provide a clear user flow and serve as a tangible guide for developers to seamlessly implement the design vision into the mobile app experience.
In addition, I've also crafted a desktop version for Sharetastic, extending the user-friendly experience to larger screens. Aligned with the established branding and guide, this design ensures seamless interaction across various browser sizes.
Design Guide, Design Hand-offs, Prototyping
Usability Testing
Conducting usability testing for Sharetastic, I engaged with 30 individuals, specifically targeting Millennials. This approach hones in on a demographic known for its interest in social causes and sustainability. Leveraging Maze's Survey tool, the testing delved into user interactions, preferences, and overall satisfaction.
Based on the results, a significant portion of participants (73.33%) actively volunteered in person, indicating a strong background in traditional community-driven food donations. While a notable percentage (16.67%) has not participated yet, highlighting an opportunity to attract new contributors. A smaller fraction (6.67%) has utilized dedicated apps for food donations, showcasing a tech-savvy segment. Another 3.33% have enjoyed both traditional and tech-driven experiences, emphasizing the need for Sharetastic to cater to users with diverse engagement levels in food donations.
Examining participants who actively volunteered in person (Option A), we observe distinct app usage patterns: 59.09%engage occasionally, 18.18% use it rarely, 18.18% had a one-time experience, and 4.55% use it frequently. These findings highlight diverse engagement levels among users with traditional volunteering backgrounds, pinpointing potential areas for improvement in app utilization.
For the next phase, I conducted a prototype test to evaluate users' ability to donate surplus food, a critical feature of Sharetastic's MVP. As depicted in the image below, all 30 respondents successfully completed the task. Remarkably, 21 users (70%) followed the direct path I designed from start to finish. The remaining 9 users (30%) accomplished the task indirectly, a behavior noted in the heat map analysis. Users tended to explore the app initially, resulting in successful but indirect donations. This behavior, coupled with the nature of Maze's prototype setup, contributed to a relatively high mis click rate of 45.6%. Notably, the average duration for users to complete the donation process was less than a minute, underscoring the ease and efficiency of the food donation process.
In the Sharetastic signup prototype test, all 30 users succeeded, with 80% following the direct path and 20% navigating indirectly. Despite a 38.5% mis click rate, the average completion time of 8.8 seconds is attributed to the prototype's simplicity (keep in mind that users navigate prototype screens, assessing signup flow without entering personal details.).
Users overwhelmingly find donating food through the app easy, with 14 giving it a top rating of 7. Another 9 rate it a solid 6, while 6 users find it moderately easy with a 5. Only 1 user rates it a 3, indicating a minor level of difficulty. The impressive average rating of 6.2 underscores the overall positive sentiment, affirming the app's user-friendly nature for food donation.
An impressive 22 respondents plan to use the app for personal food donations, highlighting strong user engagement. Additionally, 7 express intent to recommend it to friends and family, showcasing positive anticipation. Notably, considering the data that only one person had previous experience with dedicated food donation apps, these results underscore Sharetastic's potential for widespread adoption in the future.
Exploring this case study brought joy, resonating with my passion for addressing food surplus waste and global challenges like hunger. While user testing suggests a few design tweaks, I'm pleased with the positive feedback on the app's ease of use. The real value lies in the impact on daily lives, a focus for future Sharetastic iterations—potentially incorporating a reward system or goals for user retention. For now, it's a personal project with a focus on the MVP, and I've immensely enjoyed this journey. Hope you've had a delightful read! ❤️