DESIGN BLOG
Final Design for Varsity League App
My design process from researching to a final prototype
Client & Topic Research
Client — Varsity
Varsity is an American college themed sports bar. Based in Perth, Varsity first opened in 2013 with a store in Nedlands and now has 5 additional locations including: Fremantle, Joondalup, Morley, Northbridge, and Waterford. The menu features a variety of classic and OTT American cuisine, as well as lots of beer. The biggest competitor to Varsity would be the nearest local pub.
Topic — User Engagement & Gamification
I researched how apps encourage repeat visitation and improve customer retention. There is a lot of academic research on gamification in mobile apps and its effect on consumers.
Gamified elements increase mobile app usage and consumption (Wut et al. 2021).
Successful implementation of gamification features leads to high customer engagement and improved customer retention (Kamboj, Rana, and Drave 2020).
Gamification features I considered:
• Mystery Box
• Time Pressure
• Challenges
• Leaderboards
• Badges
• Game of Chance
- Easter Eggs
- Unlockable Content
Existing Design Solutions
I looked into the different loyalty systems and rewards that other brands have and analysed successful and unique concepts.
Mecca’s Beauty Loop Rewards Program — Tiered loyalty program
Boost Juice — Frequent challenges to win discounts
Hungry Jacks Shake & Win — Fun, mystery box style reward
App Design Trends
- Personalisation
- Illustration
- Rounded, organic shapes
User Research
User Groups & Goals
Varsity has a wide range of customers, but the customers I believed to be most prominent fell into the following groups:
- Students — 17–25 years old, male and female, around universities like Curtin Uni or UWA, casual hospitality and retail workers.
Goal: Grab a cheap meal with friends at a place with a fun atmosphere. - Families — 10–45 years old, male and female, around the suburbs, any occupation.
Goal: Bring the family together for an easy, tasty shared meal that everyone will enjoy with a relaxed atmosphere. - Sports Fans — 20–50, mostly male, any location, any occupation.
Goal: Watch highly anticipated sports games with good food and drinks, surrounded by people who share their excitement. - 9–5 Workers (Secondary) — 25–50 years old, male and female, around the Perth CBD, office workers.
Goal: Get food and drinks with co-workers before commuting home for the evening.
Interviews & Surveys
I interviewed and surveyed people that belong to the target audience in order to understand what their consumer behaviour is like, and what they want from a restaurant’s mobile app.
Quick Findings Report
From the interview and survey responses, I was able to identify three important commonalities between users that helped me think not only about what the client needs from the design, but what the user needs. These were:
- Most people don’t like to eat out at a restaurant alone.
- People like to try new places, or have a cool experience, when going out with a larger group of friends.
- People have to already be happy customers of a brand to care about an app, or a loyalty rewards program, and continue to use it.
Personas, Scenarios, & Storyboards
From all the information I had gathered I created two personas, a scenario they were in, and visualised this through a storyboard.
Sarah, 22 — Studying Biomedical Science at Curtin University
Sarah lives on campus at Curtin University. She has been studying all day and is tired and hungry. She has run out of food in her dorm and so she wants to grab something for dinner nearby that is easy, affordable, and delicious.
Liam, 25 — Working as a Motivational Speaker
Liam is a fan of the NRL team Melbourne Storm and they have made it into the grand final. Liam is excited for the game but doesn’t have anyone to watch it with.
User Testing & Final Prototype
After completing the storyboards, I took my mockups and wireframes from assessment two and started building the full app. I applied the feedback I received, and added some extra features based on my further work from assessment two and three. For example, the storyboards prompted the share event feature.
Once I thought I had completed the app, I got some users to test the app. This revealed a few minor problems with my prototype including: too small icons, a not fully interactive home screen, and a confusing profile page.
I then made the appropriate adjustments for these concerns, and this is my final prototype:
I think my final prototype is a nice mix of fun and functional in terms of visual aesthetic and user experience. The most challenging part was probably the ‘Home’ screen as I had to rearrange the layout, as well as trying to incorporate the Varsity aesthetic without it looking forced or overwhelming. Overall, I am pretty proud of how the app design has come together! :)
