Secondary Research

To initiate the project, I conducted secondary research to gain insights into students' perceptions of school lunches. By reviewing various user quotes, I was able to identify common preferences and dislikes. This feedback informed my design choices, ensuring I avoided incorporating elements that could be negatively received by users.

Feature Comparison

I conducted a feature comparison of existing smoothie-selling platforms to assess how our product measured up. Through this analysis, I identified key strengths within our offering and uncovered opportunities for differentiation in the market. This exercise was crucial for ensuring that the final product would stand out in a competitive landscape.

Market Positioning

Following the feature comparison, I utilized a market positioning chart to visualize our standing relative to competitors. Recognizing our pricing advantage, I identified interactive ordering as a key feature to enhance our competitive edge and position us in a less saturated market space.

Affinity Map

I expanded on user research by conducting one-on-one interviews via Zoom, allowing me to gather qualitative insights directly from users. After organizing the feedback, I grouped the most critical data points, which provided clarity on the key areas to prioritize in the next phase of the project.

User Persona

Introducing Hayes, a user persona I created to guide my design decisions. Personas are essential tools that help me stay focused on the goals and pain points of users as I proceed with ideation, ensuring the end product aligns with their needs.

User Journey Map

I created a User Journey Map that visually depicted the persona’s experience. Using emojis to represent emotional highs and lows throughout the process allowed me to effectively communicate the user’s journey and identify key touch points for refinement.

Problem Statements

- Users are motivated to eat healthier but are deterred by the high cost of nutritious options.
- Users struggle to remain engaged in school due to a lack of accessible and motivating nutritional content.
- Users enjoy gaming but face challenges in maintaining engagement over time.

How Might We?

This step is pivotal in the design process, as it involves brainstorming solutions to the challenges identified. I collect ideas throughout the project and consolidate them here, often collaborating with others to leverage diverse perspectives and generate innovative solutions.

Feature Prioritization

After generating a wide range of ideas, I employed the MoSCoW method to prioritize features based on their relevance to the project goals. While personal preferences may influence my design, the focus remains on addressing user needs and ensuring the final product effectively meets their expectations.

Value Proposition Canvas

The value proposition canvas was instrumental in pinpointing the user’s core needs and values. This exercise allowed me to double-check my design approach, ensuring that the final product would meet user expectations and align with their priorities.

MVP

- "My app enables users to stay healthy, access nutritious foods, and engage in entertaining games."

Jobs To Be Done

- When a new user logs in they want to pay the lowest price possible for a smoothie to save money.
- When a new user logs in they want to be able to order smoothies via the app.
- When a new user logs in they want to be able to stay engaged and curious while playing games.

Lo-fi

The prototyping phase began with low-fidelity sketches to quickly map out user flows. I then uploaded these sketches into Maze for initial testing, observing user interactions in real-time to gather qualitative insights, which were used to refine the design in subsequent iterations.

Mid-fi

After refining the initial prototype based on feedback, I conducted a second round of testing with users. While the updated design showed improvements, further refinements were necessary, which led me to develop the high-fidelity version, incorporating these changes for a more polished outcome.

High-fi

The final high-fidelity prototype was tested once more to ensure all user feedback had been addressed. This round of testing revealed only minor issues, which were promptly resolved, allowing me to finalize the product for delivery.

Success and failure metrics

Success Metrics

- Users can save money while purchasing smoothies.

- Students report feeling healthier and more energized after consuming smoothies.

- Students remain engaged while playing the educational game.

Failure Metrics

- Users fail to gain nutritional value from smoothies or the app.

- Users lose interest or become bored with the game.

Take Away

One of the key lessons from this project was the importance of stepping outside my comfort zone. Implementing gamification was a new challenge for me, but by leveraging online resources and the people around me, I was able to navigate this unfamiliar territory successfully.