Discovery Research For A Food Delivery Startup

ROLE

User Researcher

TOOLS/METHODOLOGIES

User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Personas, User Journey Maps

TIMELINE

June 2023- Sep 2023

OVERVIEW

Imagine a world of healthy people, living their best and healthiest lives through access to the right nutrition to attain and mantain their health goals.

Eatfit is helping people overcome barriers to eating healthy, a meal prep delivery service that offers a large variety of healthy meals that is affordable, customized to users needs and delivered to their doorstep.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Scoping The Field

I researched and did competitive analysis in order to learn about and get more information on products already in the market offering meal delivery services.

I narrowed it down to four products that are direct competitors offering similar services like Eatfit. They are Jumia food, So fresh, Chopnownow and Go food. To find a gap in the market and identify where Eatfit can have a competitive advantage, I did a features comparison analysis.

While these 4 competitors offer some features essential in meal delivery services, the chart above has showed a lot of gaps that could be filled by Eatfit with features that will set it apart in the market. This inspired me to design a more comprehensive product that will offer better features and user experience for target users.

USER RESEARCH

What Do I Want To Learn?

Before going ahead to carry out my research, I took some time to structure my research goals, objectives and what I want to find out about the intending users of this product. I want to know:

- How often, why and how they order food online or use a meal delivery service?
- Their background, economic status, work life and their dietary preferences?
- The meal delivery services they are using currently?
- Their feelings about their health and nutrition?
- The challenges they face in trying to eating healthy meals?

I conducted 20 user interviews to have a deeper understanding of user’s needs, habits, experiences and pain points regarding healthy eating.

Identifying Patterns

To analyze all the research data I got, I used an affinity diagram to group together similar patterns and commonalities in user perception. I was able to focus on the insights that stood out, and turn pain points into design opportunities.

To analyse all the research data I got, I used an affinity diagram to group together similar patterns and commonalities in user perception. I was able to focus on the insights that stood out, and turn pain points into design opportunities.

- Inadequate time and busy schedule constitute one of the reasons why people do not eat healthy foods
- Some people are generally healthy but want to change their diet to a more nutritional healthy one
- They experience difficulty in finding food that fits their dietary preference from meal delivery services
- They cannot afford a specialist nutritionist
- People want to eat healthy but cannot find good food to acheive their health goals
- Healthy meals are very expensive
- Difficulty shopping for the right ingredients that make up a healthy meal

PERSONAS

Designing For Real People

I created 3 personas of the potential users of my product based on the commonalities I found from the research findings.These personas are to give a full representation of the various segments or categories within my target audience

USABILITY TESTING

Validating Product Ideas

I conducted usability tests focusing on navigation through the client interface; from the landing page to the onboarding and eventually subscribing to a meal plan and checkout.

From the analysis of responses, I realized that:

- The onboarding process set up is too long and users are tired and confused at the sequence of the questions being asked
- Some users wants to see a nutrition information section so they can watch their calorie consumption
- Users felt it will be better if they see the dates each meal batch will be shipped

IDEATION

Features Prioritization

I brainstormed features that can be incorporated into the app, that wil solve users frustrations when trying to get nutritious and healthy meals.
I decided to use a features prioritization map, itemizing all necessary features into 4 quadrants: depending on their importance in the product

Collaborated with the product designer on the project and did rough sketches to portray what the product will look like in the early stages. The sketches went through various iterations and testing after which the designer proceeded into high fidelity design using Figma.

SOLUTION

Onboarding
Users goes through the onboarding by answering a sequence of questions to personalize their experience based on their needs and preferences

Recommended Meals

Tailored to users specific needs, with information about each meal

Meal Subcription/Checkout

REFLECTIONS

Impacts and Thoughts

This project opened my eyes to the importance of carrying stakeholders and clients along while working on project, to ensure the product built is not only useful by users but also meets business goals

Testing is important to get feedback from users early on and iterate often to improve user experience.