The Kensington Foodie project
Second Project at RED Academy UX Design
Many businesses have benefited from e-commerce, but integrating it with Kensington Market was an exciting challenge. When I was introduced with the brief for this project, the saying comes to mind: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Businesses are always making changes to increase their profit. My project aims to increase traffic flow into the Kensington Market and improve business.
Research
My user research consisted of an online survey (10 respondents) and 3 in person interviews. As a starting point, I wanted to find what out how did the Kensington Market appeal to them, which social media and tech device did they use most, what did they love shopping for and if they would ever consider online shopping? I also did a comparative analysis with Yelp and Zomato to find out what features did they have, what worked and what didn’t.
The results showed that people shop at Kensington Market because of their delicious food, but they did not like their high prices. It was clear that Kensington Market is known for its vibrant, eclectic feel and the results show. I predicted that a lot of people would not support online shopping at Kensington and this was true. The majority said Kensington is not an online experience, it’s an experience that is should be felt in person.
Planning
With the results summarized, I created a User Persona and Scenario to aid the process of setting up a solution.
My user loves food but wants lower prices. It did not take me long to think of a solution because I can easily relate. Subways “sub of the day” deal has been a huge hit, so this being a no-brainer because of this I decided to design a platform which encompasses all the daily specials from all the restaurants in Kensington Market. My Kensington Market solution will be catered to a young professional named ‘Dan.’ He is a fresh graduate still paying off his student loans. He’s moved out and wants to save a buck or two because he’s living with student debt. He’s moved on from eating the Mr noodle packages and Kellogg’s frosted flakes. He doesn’t want to eat cheap food that is bad; he wants to eat cheap food that is good! He prefers quality over quantity because junk food is taking a toll on him.
Design
Integrating it with Facebook was a no brainer as that was the primary Social media app that was used. Developing the app in conjunction with Facebook so that the user can login with Facebook was essential. Saving a few seconds with the process of signing up can deter potential users. In this market you can’t create apps that are one trick ponies, it needs to have some features that make it worthwhile to use. Compared to the other food apps and editorial websites, I wanted my app to excel in the features that the competition designed poorly. Features should be accessed and used with ease, regardless of the user’s tech experience. Below is a site map visualizing my philosophy.
Prototype
I wanted my app have the same eclectic feel that Kensington Market has. For example, I wanted the navigation bar and logo to reflect the street art of Kensington Market. It’s a love it or hate it design just like asking folks opinion about Kensington Market. The pictures were the focal point and meant to mesmerize the user and show off what Kensington has to offer. Overall the design of the app was supposed to be colourful and minimalist creating an intuitive and enjoyable experience.
My Reflection
Personally, I felt this project was unsuccessful with what I’m capable of. The importance of research stood out to me midway during this project. Research is the foundation for developing successful products. If the research is not done properly, the whole design of the product would be a failure. I was not a big fan of research up until after this project, but now I’m starting to appreciate the importance of it. If I had more time, I would have used the opportunity to revise my survey and add questions to it. Products with lots of research are usually successful. The idea of having an app to scout for restaurants with the lowest food prices is a great solution to increase business. Toronto overall is quite an expensive city and saving money here and there with food can benefit a lot of people.
