Sweet Encounters
Adding custom orders digitally for a mobile responsive website.
Background
Sweet Encounters opened its doors on February 2022. It is a bakery and cafe which specializes in made-from-scratch gluten-free, soy-free, peanut-free and vegan desserts. When the owners daughters, Melia and Madison, began suffering from food allergies the family began baking treats they could eat. It led to the bakery and Sweet Encounters.
I enjoyed reading about the owners story and the progress they have made in the year. I explored their website and found customers could not order online.
I scheduled a meeting with the owner and she echoed how orders could run smoothly if there were in option to order online instead of by phone.
In agreement with the goal of this project, I began working diligently. I spent several days in the café and bakery, immersing myself in the environment to better understand the customers and conduct thorough research.
The Problem
The owner would like to have online ordering for special orders. Currently, if a customer wanted a specialized order, then the customer would need to call. In addition, the information hierarchy needs improvement on the landing page. The owner likes the current style of elegance, warmth, and functionality.
Timeline
2 week project
Team & Role
Natasha Centeno, UX Designer & Researcher in collaboration with the Design Lead.
Tools
Figma
Whimsical
Maze
Optimal Workshop
The Experience
I created a specialized online ordering system that would provide users with a seamless and comprehensive experience. This system aimed to enable customers to fulfill all their needs through a user-friendly interface.
Research
Without any research from the CEO, I wanted to gather as many insights as possible. So I spent three days at Sweet Encounters to observe, conduct research, and to learn as much as possible.
Research Methods
Interviews & Surveys
Interviews with 5 participants in person at Sweet Encounters. A hybrid of both a survey and an in-person interview.
Card Sort
Unmoderated hybrid card sort with 16 participants.
Competitive Analysis
Comparing 4 local competitors and their features.
The research led to key insights. How can these insights contribute to the owners bussiness goals?
Key Insights
The Source of Traffic
100% of all orders are in person. Customers visited because of a referral or were within walking distance from 12pm - 4pm.
An Excellent Experience
80% of users found the mobile website intuitive, accessible, and enjoyed the refreshed UI.
The Designs Before
The Refreshed Designs
Usability Testing
Does this design meet the users needs and fullfill the owners business goals? Let's test it!
Key Insights
80%
Found the features intuitive, accessible, and enjoyed the UI design.
67%
Of participants would want to use this feature.
Iterations
After conducting usability testing, the following changes were made.
After selecting the type of cake, there was no indication of a change. To correct this in the prototype, after clicking on the type it will then highlight on the selected cake.
For ease of the user, the zero can have a preset to 1.
Learnings & Challenges
While volunteering for a local business required more effort and time than previous projects. It allowed me to have a valuable experience on how to work with a small business and facing some potential road bumps.
Due to budget constraints and limited staffing the owner was unable to implement the new design. But she did have access to my deliverables and research findings. In whatever way, I hope this project helps the owner and encourages her to increase her online presence to further her business goals.
The initial meeting with the owner consisted of 15 minutes as she had a busy schedule. The owner did not utilize SEO trends so this information was unable to the researcher.
When visiting the store, it became difficult to gather research participants due to the low volume of customers. In addition, the majority of the customers did not use the website online so they could not speak on this. This provided the research with fewer insights and did not acquire the validity desired.