LUNCH APP PROTOTYPE
A mobile application that allows users to streamline their lunch planning process.
Role: UI/UX Designer
October 2019-November 2019
the Problem
Currently, the best way to plan out a lunch meetup at work is to create a group text in which half the members may be out of the office or not ready to go. Sometimes employees may waste up to 30 minutes outside of their lunch break simply trying to figure out lunch plans hurting the business’ productivity and frustrating the employees.
the Actions
The goal was to streamline the lunch planning process as much as possible. After signing up, the user can add friends either suggested from their contacts or by search. The home screen of the application is simply a toggle switch allowing the user to denote that they are “ready” or “not ready.” If they’re ready, they’re provided the option to make plans with their friends who are also ready and within a specified radius set by the user to essentially geofence their work place and make sure other “ready” friends aren’t working out of the office at that time.
The project began with sketching out a screen flow along with potential design ideas with a target user in mind of a 20-50 year old office worker who typically goes to lunch with their coworkers who may work not in immediate proximity to them. After the initial sketches, wireframes were designed and presented to a group of other user experience designers for peer evaluation and feedback.
After the wireframes were refined based upon the peer evaluation, the project moved forward to a lo-fidelity prototype, using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe XD, which was again submitted for peer review. During this review the other user experience designers were able to provide better feedback about the user’s interactions with the application and how it actually functioned compared to what was anticipated. After this round of feedback, the prototype was refined to be hi-fidelity and ready for user feedback. The scope of this project did not allow for user testing, however, it is something that I would like pursue in the future as a continuation of this project.
The Result
A hi-fidelity prototype was created for an application that would greatly streamline the process of meeting up for lunch in the work place, reducing time wasted in the office and increasing work productivity.
LESSONS LEARNED
1. Through this process, I learned just how important it is to fully flesh out features during the sketching process at least in wireframe form as well as the importance of annotating the features and functionality of each screen, so that it is clear to others (including your future self). As I looked back I realized that elements of my sketches that may have made sense during the initial sketch process seemed like nonsense a few days later when I looked back as they were not properly annotated. Had I made the correct notes from the beginning, it would have been far easier to prototype this concept.
2. Seek out the opinions of others who understand the process. Having eyes on the work that aren’t your own will help you pick out flaws that you didn’t perceive or when things don’t work quite as expected.