Project
OKIT
A social hub for Allergenic-Friendly Living.
In March 2024, my teammates and I joined the Product Design Sprint held by Western Founders Network. Within 72 hours, our goal was to deliver a high fidelity prototype of a digital product for North Americans with dietary restrictions, accompanied by a presentation to showcase our findings.
Info
Role
Market Analyst
Content Strategist
Information Architect
Content Strategist
Information Architect
Duration
Mar 2024
Scope
UI/UX Design
Product Design
Branding
Project Management
Product Design
Branding
Project Management
Team
Me
Cherry Chang
Gaurav Shah
Kamila Aisya Farisaputri
Rachita Khetan
Cherry Chang
Gaurav Shah
Kamila Aisya Farisaputri
Rachita Khetan
Overview
Problem
How to create a social virtual space for people with dietary restrictions while accommodating their needs?
Outcome
Includes features for dietary customization with AI tools on a social platform.
Market Research
“The best solutions come from a deep understanding of the problem and the users you are designing for.”
Despite the time constraint, we still managed to do some user research through public online resources .
> 3 million
Canadian self-reporting having food allergy
13.7%
U.S. adults who have experienced allergic reactions in restaurants
24-32%
Children have experienced bullying due to dietary restrictions
Meanwhile, we found out that there are various products catering to dietary accommodation. However, there was still a lack of social inclusion in the market.
Creating user personas for a social hub app designed specifically for people with dietary requirements involved identifying key attributes and motivations that defined our target users.
Task descriptions
For an app designed to serve as a social hub for people with dietary requirements, creating engaging and useful task descriptions was essential to guide the development team in creating features that addressed the needs and enhanced the experiences of users like Emily and Carlos.
1
Difficulty Identifying Safe Dining Options
Finding restaurants that can accommodate dietary restrictions and communicate effectively
about their menu options is a constant challenge.
2
Frustrations with shopping for and making food
Shopping for groceries and finding suitable recipe options can be a struggle for those who have
specific dietary needs.
3
Communicating Dietary Needs
Effectively conveying dietary restrictions to restaurant staff is
fraught with the risk of misunderstanding, potentially leading to serious health consequences
4
Social Isolation
The effort required to manage dietary restrictions can lead to avoidance of social situations
involving food, impacting personal relationships and quality of life.
Information Architecture
Usability Testing
To get insight into the effectiveness of our application, we conducted a usability test with 3 of our acquaintances who had dietary restrictions. Some user-led questions we asked included:
- What is the first task you would do?
- Is there anything you find unclear or confusing?
- What is your thought process when seeing this screen?
- What’s your opinion on how the information is laid out?
- What do you like/dislike the most?
- What was your overall impression of the experience?
Key Findings
Insight:
- Users found the app's layout does not clearly differentiate between various types of recipes confusing.
- The relevance of the content displayed to users could vary.
- Satisfied with the educational aspect of the app.
Improvement:
- Implement personalized content filters that adjust the information based on the user’s preferences.
- Simplify the user interface and improve the app's navigation schema.
Features
To address the issues identified from the usability testing and improve the app's functionality and user satisfaction, several features could be introduced or enhanced.
OKITDesign system
Establishing a design system and formulating design specifications creates visual efficiency in the user interface.
Color
OKITFinal Design
A dynamic hub for fostering a spirit of discovery—uncovering new places, connecting with people, and exploring delightful cuisines.
Retrospective
First Designathon!
This project was a little rough at the beginning. We had a pivot point where the entire experience had to be re-evaluated. Especially with limited timeline, we were worried that we would fall behind the schedule. Despite the competition, we delivered something useful and delightful.
01: Attention to detail is prominent
An issue we ran into was unusable data as some questions in our usability testings were not descriptive and clear regarding how we wanted respondents to rank scenarios. The wording and direction of these surveys must be really clear since we don't have control over how they might interpret the question.
02: Collaboration is underrated
Since this was a teamwork during a constrained duration, there was times where we conveyed thoughts to each other. As part of the team, I learnt how to communicate my insights more effectively to contribute to the output.
