Palette App

Overview:

I took a course in UX Design to improve my skills in Design Thinking and user-centric process. I was asked to create a problem statement and over the course of 10 weeks, validate, design, and develop a prototype MVP for a solution to the problem.

Our Problem:

I suspected that people had a difficult time pairing wine with a meal. Through user research, I validated that this was likely due to a lack of confidence or knowledge about wine, so I asked “How might we make it possible for users to feel confident in their pairing attempts more often?” Through additional research, I set out to create a prototype for a mobile app that met the  following objectives:

• Give users the ability to track and record information about pairings to learn more about flavors that work together

• Provide detailed recommendations to help users consistently make good pairings for themselves and their friends

• Help users find pairings that they enjoy to build their palette and preferences

My Approach: User-centric process

I. Research

I began with competitive research to learn what current options already existed and to get a sense of what features users might like, expect, or need to learn more about wine pairing. I discovered a gap in the current market—many apps helped users select and purchase wine, but didn’t necessarily offer specific assistance to wine pairing.

I used that information to shape my research protocol, then reached out to a broad network of people who had either an interest in, or desire to, pair wine with meals. I interviewed 4 potential users with varying levels of experience in wine-pairing.

I synthesized the findings of my user interviews and validated that users gravitate towards what they know (or believe to be true) about wine pairings and that their existing preferences play a role in what they select.

However, I also discovered some unexpected themes. 

Users expressed frustration with lack of depth offered by suggested pairings with regard to specific flavor, a desire to be able to pair more confidently, and a feeling of “adventurousness” when they would do pairings on their own.

Using these findings, I created a persona of the target audience that the wine-pairing app would be designed for.

II. Feature Prioritization

I updated the competitive feature inventory using the findings of my user-research, which revealed a significant gap in users’ key needs and wants when it came to wine-pairing apps.

Throughout the user interviews, personalization came up as a highly desirable feature. None of the competitive apps offered anything similar, giving our app a chance to stand out as a leader among wine-pairing apps. Personalization was the game-changing feature that our users expressed needing in order to find success in their wine-pairing goals.

III. Design Iterations

Starting with low-fidelity wireframes and paper prototypes, I gained initial user-feedback on my app. I discovered that certain elements of the experience were confusing or required too much effort from the user to complete the actions, and used those findings and the takeaways from my card sorting exercise to create a sitemap and iterate for clarity.

Through a series of user testing and iterations, I learned that users were still overwhelmed by choices on pairings, and changed the  flow and navigation in an effort to simplify the experience. My original user interviews demonstrated that the meal is always chosen first, so instead of making users choose both food and wine to pair, I pivoted focus on selecting a wine to pair with a meal.

Copy was also added or changed as needed to make prompts more clear and complete to help users get to the next step.

IV. Brand, Voice, & Tone

User insights indicated that users felt wine pairing was “sophisticated,” yet also intimidating. 

I created a quick guideline for our brand personality, and chose a darker color palette balanced with an informative tone of voice throughout the experience to instill confidence that the app was a tool and resource for users, not something to be threatened by.

I implemented the brand choices throughout the app prototype to ensure consistency, letting users focus on the experience of using the app and whether or not it solved their problems.

Brand identity overview for Palette:

We are:

• Sophisticated

• Helpful

• Encouraging

• Approachable

• Personalized

But not:

• Stuck Up

• Enabling

• Pushy

• Emotive

• Prying

Our tone:
Our tone is informative and passive, never judgmental. Gentle suggestions and encouragement are welcome. We use clear, plain language to avoid intimidating or confusing users. Humor and jargon should be avoided.

V. Usability Testing

I performed 4 usability tests with different users from the original user interview group to gain feedback on a higher-fidelity prototype. 

My findings: 

• Specificity was lacking: I learned that, although not initially identified as being critical, including a recipe in some way is essential for users. Users expected another step between selecting meal details and receiving pairing suggestions to offer that layer of specificity. 

• Onboarding was necessary: Users were unsure about where the recommended pairings were coming from in the app. An onboarding experience would likely provide more context that would reduce confusion.

• In-app purchases were desired: Some users wanted the opportunity to purchase the wine that was recommended for their pairing.

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The Outcome:

Usability testing gave more insight into which features really completed the experience for users. 

Overall, users liked the app prototype. They found it attractive and thought it would be helpful to have when they want help with a wine pairing. They enjoyed the pairing tips as a way to further their knowledge.

However, findings from usability testing showed that more iteration was needed before the MVP could launch successfully. 

Next Steps: 

• Add an actionable step to the “Find Pairings” flow that allows users to choose or import a recipe that they can pair wine with to offer more depth to the specific pairing options that are recommended.

• Create a series of onboarding screens that allows users to input their preferences at the beginning and provide an overview of the features to offer clarity and context for the rest of the app.

• Further research the feasibility of offering in-app purchases of specific wines, which may require additional business stakeholders and partnerships with certain vineyards and brands.