Designing a platform to enable discovery of food pop-ups
Background
With 12 years of food and restaurant experience, I know opening a restaurant can be a tedious and costly venture that detours many talented foodies from bringing their ideas to life, inspiring others, and exploring culinary wonders.
Most recently, food pop-ups have been attempted by a variety of people in hope of being a “launchpad for something bigger”. However, most pop-ups go unnoticed and unrecognized outside of social media platforms and established food articles.
How might we promote the discovery of pop-ups on a platform that enables these microbusinesses to thrive and potentially catapult foodie entrepreneurs onto greater endeavors?
Empathize
Competitive Analysis
I started my research by determining where food pop-ups are currently showcased. I found that details regarding a food pop-up typically live on established food platforms, such as Thrillist or Eater, and social media platforms. However, the information listed on food platforms is sometimes outdated and no longer relevant.
As for social media, such as Instagram, information regarding a food pop-up was current and up to date. Yet, food discovery isn’t the main focus of social media.
Lastly, I resorted to investigating Yelp, a popular food platform. I instantly noticed that food pop-ups weren’t listed on Yelp but rather established businesses such as brick-and-mortar and, some food trucks.
Define
Survey
To gather quantitive data, I conducted a survey with 13 participants.
Here’s what I learned:
The majority of participants hear about food pop-ups via word of mouth or social media
The majority of participants visit food pop-ups to discover new food
8 out of 13 participants value when food pop-ups are nearby
Reviews and pictures of the food are valued among participants when looking up a new food spot
User Interviews
To gather quantitive data, I conducted interviews with 3 participants.
Through interviews, that I found location is particularly valuable to people. One participant noted that she uses Google Maps over Yelp because she is able to pick an area on the map (near her) and discover food that way. Another participant mentioned he is more inclined to try a new food spot that is within his community. Another participant mentioned how most platforms don’t truly show all the food around him as he’s bumped into food pop-ups at breweries and coffee shops.
“Finding food doesn't have to be so hard, I find myself often not knowing where to eat or spending too much time on where to eat and that's really frustrating when there are so many places to choose from”
Research Synthesis
After completing some primary and secondary research regarding food pop-ups and food discovery I was able to construct a problem statement and hypothesis.
Problem Statement: Foodies need a platform to discover interesting food pop-ups nearby so they can try new and innovative food.
Hypothesis: Building a platform that showcases food pop-ups within reach of users will help drive business for food pop-ups and guide users to new food discoveries.
With a solid understanding of research, I created some goals and objectives for the platform in mind:
Build a mobile platform for the discovery of pop-ups
Inspire culinary entrepreneurship through storytelling
Understand user frustrations, behaviors, and expectations when discovering food options
Persona
After determining some user frustrations, goals and motivations I was able to created a persona for our project.
Empathy Map
Prioritizing Features
What does a typical day look like for Alvin? What does he value and think about? How are his actions different — or the same as his thoughts?
Utilizing a MoSCoW Analysis and referring to the competitive analysis from earlier I went ahead and prioritized features accordingly.
Ideate
Branding
I started ideating by brainstorming the platform’s purpose, name and presence.
Drafting nibblr’s Digital Prescence
After sketching out some rough drafts of the logo, I began testing logo variations and colors of the logo I had in mind. While red and yellow tend to be associated with food, I found red too aggressive, and yellow did not provide sufficient contrast. Ultimately, I landed on orange; a color in between red and orange that symbolizes enthusiasm and joy; both emotions that food can bring. I also kept the font all lowercase to add to the fun and approachability of pop-ups. Lastly, I added an exclamation point to emphasize the excitement of discovery. As for buttons, cards, and more elements of the platform; I referred to Google’s Material Design.
Why nibblr?
I landed on nibblr! as the platform name as it implies somebody who likes to nibble around and eat food. Also, the name itself sounds like familiar platforms for discovery such as Tumblr and Eater. I found the name fun, whimsical, exciting, and easy to remember.
Building a Foundation for the Platform
Prior to sketching any wireframes, I looked at the platform from a birds-eye view while considering our persona’s task flow. This would help visualize the platform’s Information Architecture.
Interaction Points
To continue ideating, I also focused on making the experience of find food exciting by jotting down some ideas that would make the platform more interactive while stating true to the nature of discovering food. This exercise helped me find interaction points between point A and point B.
Sketching Wireframes
Building the Design
Here is a preview of the first iteration prototype for nibblr! I opted for the platform to give users a curated selection of pop-ups based on their “vibe” selection rather than have users searching around for pop-ups as seen on Yelp. As I learned during research, sometimes not knowing what to eat can be the biggest friction point when trying to find good food.
Testing & Iterating
Usability Testing
After drafting the first prototype, I conducted usability testing with 6 participants to understand users, frustrations, and behaviors with the platform. I aimed to test scenarios that would validate our hypothesis:
Test if users understood what the platform was about and its mission
Test the task flow of discovering food via the platform and understand any areas of friction, frustration, or joy in order to see if the platform would drive user engagement and thus help food pop-ups thrive
Here’s what I learned:
Affinity Map
Mapping out keynotes from user testing I was able to compartmentalize feedback into proper categories as seen below:
As I learned through synthesizing testing notes, I found that the details page of a pop-up needed the most help and iteration. I was lacking key information such as operation hours, delivery services (if any), and social media links. Such details were going to be necessary moving forward to round out the experience and task flow.
However, it is important to note that both objectives were met. Users were able to understand what the platform was about and its mission. Users were also able to complete the task flow of finding food nearby that catered to them.
Iterations After Testing
Before: The details page of a pop-up did not include operation hours by mistake. Also, social media links and delivery services were not considered. Instead, a focus was put on reservations or the menu. However, through testing, we found that neither of these appeared as relevant or necessary as an emphasis on directions, delivery, and social media links.
After: The second iteration put an emphasis on directions and operation hours by placing them higher on the screen. This played a role in visual hierarchy and usability as users could quickly view operations hours, order delivery or get directions. Social links were included under the “About the Pop-Up” section where a photo of the pop-up owner would also live. These two additions were added to hopefully build a connection between users and the pop-up. Also, during testing, we found that most up-to-date information about a pop-up usually lives on Instagram Stories, TikToks, etc.
Before: Pop-Up cards were only interactive upon tapping on them, which would guide users onto the pop-up details screen. During testing, we found users want to be able to quickly favorite, like or save a pop-up for later.
After: After receiving feedback, I added a heart icon to the pop-up cards to give users the opportunity to “like” pop-ups and categorize them for later viewing. I went with a heart icon as it is familiar with many users on social media. I opted for also using a bookmark but felt in this occasion people typically refer to “liking food” versus “bookmarking food”.
Second Iteration
Below is a preview of the second iteration and completed prototype for this project, feel free to view the Figma file via this link:
Reflection
What’s next?
Following user testing and the second iteration, I would put focus on:
Account creation to further expand the user experience so users can easily access favorited pop-ups, curated lists, etc
The business side of the platform so new pop-ups can have a pleasant signup experience
A Premium Version to support the platform
More emphasis on community and growth as the basis of this platform was inspired to help each other grow
Lessons Learned
This case study has taught me the true significance of the design process in UX. Initially, I had already formed a subconscious idea of what nibblr! would look like before beginning the project. However, after conducting research and defining the project's parameters, my perspective changed completely. Through research and analysis, I was able to discover various aspects of the learning process that I would not have otherwise known. Prior to the research phase, my approach was limited to creating a search function for pop-ups, similar to those on platforms such as Yelp, Google, or Social Media. However, after conducting research, I realized that a significant point of friction for users was not knowing where to eat or how to start. Thus I created interaction points from point A to point B. This experience taught me to question my assumptions and avoid reaching conclusions based on my own biases.