The Double Diamond framework was adopted to guide the project. The preliminary challenges I identified at the beginning of the project were the time constraint of 4-weeks, and managing scope expectations as two core target users had to be considered; F&B operators and suppliers.
Summary of research methods
I started with laying out the research plan for the coming weeks; recruit F&B operators for user interviews and usability tests, draft the interview questions, and conduct competitive analysis on market incumbents.
In the discovery phase, I strived to understand the customers’ pain points and frustrations with their current ordering workflow, so that their needs can be addressed through our design recommendations. To achieve this, user interviews were conducted with 6 F&B operators.
Sample interview notes
Users are resistant to switching away from WhatsApp which houses most of their personal supplier connections. As an informal platform, it is also more conducive in fostering relationships with their suppliers (i.e there is an existing element of community).
Suppliers may withhold prices from product catalogues. In addition, price changes by suppliers are largely arbitrary and not timely communicated to F&B operators.
Using affinity mapping, the data points gathered from the user interviews were synthesized to identify similar patterns and trends across the F&B operators.
Synthesis of findings from user interviews
For the no-code prototype, the users generally found the mobile app to be simple and intuitive to navigate, although some improvements were recommended (e.g. repositioning support button so users can access it more easily).
Other comments related more strategic aspects; for example, showcasing ZOLO’s unique value propositions more clearly, and enquiring as to how they would prefer to be introduced to the app (e.g word-of-mouth, referral)
Rainbow sheet of usability test observations
Based on the data and insights collected from user interviews / usability tests, two personas were drawn up for increased focus and alignment on the targeted customer segments.
User Persona (F&B operator)
User Persona (Supplier)
Competitive analysis was conducted with market incumbents and a feature comparison table was drawn up for better assessment of the players in the industry. Using this, we nailed down several essential basic / threshold features that we focused on primarily in our design.
Feature comparison of market competitors
Key features of focus
For brevity, only the high-fidelity mockup of our designs is discussed. Essentially, parts of two interfaces were designed: operator and supplier interfaces. These were framed as specific user flows to showcase the process that a user will take when attempting to perform specific tasks.
The main user flows for the operator interface are:
- Sign up and login
- Onboarding and adding a new supplier
- Supplier chat interface
- Data analytics
- Placing an order with a supplier
- Adding SKUs to create a personalized product list
For the supplier interface, inspiration was sought from the designs of the competitor apps. In addition, due to project time constraints, we did not conduct user interviews with suppliers. Instead, the client shared insights from their supplier interviews, which were relied on for the design.
The main user flows for the supplier interface are:
- Broadcasting product launches and promotions
- Managing changes to purchase orders
- Managing product database and customer catalogues
With our revised prototype, we conducted a 2nd round of usability tests with 3 of our interviewees. Based on the System Usability Scale (SUS), we noted an improvement of ~13 points (19%).
2nd usability test results
Moving forward, the co-founders planned to leverage the designs to build a web app of the supplier interface using the no-code tool Bubble. In addition, we helped the co-founders to generate leads by inviting them to a ‘chefs and suppliers’ WhatsApp group, which granted them access to a massive pool of target customers for further outreach.
As the team lead, I was satisfied with my ability to communicate and clarify project expectations to both the client and my fellow project mates regularly. This was critical in managing scope creep (especially as the project requirements evolved along the way) and allowed the team to be aligned and focused on the project objectives.
Based on my experience with the Scrum methodology, I conducted weekly check-ins with the team including a final project retrospective. I encouraged team members to share:
- What we did well for the project
- What we could have improved on
- Feedback to specific individuals to highlight their contributions, and suggestions where there is room for improvement
I believe this is an important part of being a leader; to check in on the progress of the team, encourage reflection, and ultimately to empower them to share and voice their thoughts.
I had a deeper appreciation for the process of validating hypotheses / assumptions and for framing my perspective on research findings. Generally, many people focus on what is not great and can be improved; however, focusing on what works and what is being done well is also critical as it provides greater confidence that the project is headed in the right direction.
