Munch Mate
Decision-Making App for Food Choices
UI/UX
ROLE
UI/UX designer
and branding
DURATION
12 Weeks
TIME
12 Weeks
Design Process
01. Empathize
My Role
Category
UI/UX designer
and branding
Food & drink,
decision making
Where
New York, US
Business Goal
The business goal is to gain substantial loyal users, becoming the leading platform for young adults seeking to overcome their indecisiveness around food choices. Later expanding the position of the product as a valuable resource for people of all ages who struggle to make decisions quickly.
Research Goal
The research goal for eating indecisiveness would be to understand the processes and underlying factors that contribute to considerable efforts spent on decision-making regarding food and to investigate strategies to help individuals overcome this challenge.
The aim of the research would be to reduce time spent on making satisfying decisions regarding what or where to eat. This may involve exploring psychological, social, and situational factors, and environmental influences on eating behavior, as well as individual differences in factors such as personality, motivation, and eating preferences.
Methodology
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Contextual interviews were conducted during hunger before the user’s mealtime. It will allow researchers to gather detailed information about the food choices and decision-making processes of young people in their natural environment. Contextual interviews can provide rich insights into users’ behaviors, attitudes, and motivations
-
Second-hand research will be conducted providing a foundation of knowledge and overviewing existing knowledge on the topic, key theories, and major debates. This can help researchers identify gaps in current knowledge and develop more focused research questions. Second-hand information can also identify trends and data that may not be apparent through primary research alone. (eg. statistics on food consumption patterns).
Affinity Board
Contextual Interview Subjects
Bess, 31
Has a boyfriend. Works as a health and beauty influencer.
Takeout
Eat Out
Cooks
Jia Dong, 22
Currently obtaining her Master’s Degree in business analytics.
Takeout
Eat Out
Cooks
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Mark, 47
Working as a high school principal, married, father of two
Takeout
Eat Out
Cooks
Jason, 28
Working as a sales manager, just married
Takeout
Eat Out
Cooks
User Personas
Sarah, 29
Marketing Associate
Role: Employee, friend
Living in the city
Takeout
Eat Out
Patience
Story
Sarah just moved to the city for her new marketing associate job. She is a social butterfly, excited to make new friends and trying new things. She is sensitive, headstrong, a little impatient and dislikes arguments. Expert in utilizing her smartphone, from everything from finding new local spots to paying her bills online. Now that she has a job, she finds her time online lessened. Sarah values convenience and efficiency, as she has a busy work schedule and wants to make the most of her free time by enriching her social life.
Challenges
Decision Fatique
Always busy
Conflict in Group Decisions
Back and forth between options
Goals
Make new friends
Adapt to new work quickly
Make sure everyone is happy
Good work life balance
Memoji
Story
Jacob is a dedicated employee, a loving husband, and a devoted father. He is patient and articulate, though he can sometimes focus too much on details. He appeals to trying new things but never does because of his busy schedule trying to balance work and kids which keeps him on his toes most of the time. Jacob is happily married and likes to give his wife surprises. Jacob would like to dedicate new experiences to his family, but occasionally grabs work lunches around the area with colleagues. His daughter is hitting puberty and he is stressed about keeping up with her. He treasures his alone time but secretly wishes he has more time to hang out with his buddies.
Challenges
Packed schedule
Educating his kids
Work stress- hair loss
Goals
More buddy time
Try new experiences with family
Make sure family is happy
Balancing work and family
Stay afloat at work and peace at home
Memoji
Story
Lee is a 19-year-old art college student with a passion for creativity and self-expression. She is a free spirit who enjoys trying new things with friends and exploring different cultures. Her personality is a little introverted but her curiosity helps her form deep relationships easily. Lee is talkative after you get to know her. She is a talented blooming artist who is always looking for ways to improve her skills and expand her knowledge. She spends a lot of time in the studio working on her art projects and is known for her attention to detail and her ability to bring her ideas to life. She would like to explore what college has to offer and join more clubs and social gatherings. Lee's goal in life is to become a successful artist and use her skills to make a positive impact on the world.
Challenges
Occasionally homesick
Minor social anxiety
Fear of missing out
Above average grades
Goals
Explore cultures
Have the full college experience
Make incredible art
Make new friends
Memoji
Jacob, 42
Civil Engineer
Role: Father, employee
Living in the city
Takeout
Eat Out
Patience
Lee, 19
Art College Student
Role: Student, friend
Living in the city
Takeout
Eat Out
Patience
Relevant Studies
Second Hand Research
The article "Uncovering the Hidden Causes of Indecision" by Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein explores the underlying psychological factors that can contribute to indecisiveness. He notes indecision is often a symptom of anxiety, fear of failure, or a lack of self-trust. He also suggests that people’s inability to make decisions are due to plentiful options which cause heightened uncertainty. Socially, people may appear indecisive to please each other to avoid hurting other people’s feelings. He emphasizes the importance of taking small, incremental steps toward making decisions.
Decision fatigue is a psychological phenomenon where the quality of decisions decreases after a long period of decision making. The study explains that decision fatigue can occur when an individual is required to make multiple decisions throughout the day. As the number of decisions increases, the individual's ability to make good decisions decreases, leading to poorer decision-making outcomes. Study suggests that decision fatigue can be reduced by taking breaks, simplifying decisions, and prioritizing important decisions.
The Jam Study conducted by Lyengar and Lepper (2000) examined the effects of offering consumers a limited or extensive selection of jams for purchase on their decision-making satisfaction. The study found that while the extensive selection attracted more attention and led to increased foot traffic, it resulted in fewer sales and lower satisfaction among consumers. In contrast, the limited selection resulted in more purchases and higher satisfaction. The study concluded that too many options can lead to decision paralysis and reduce consumer satisfaction, while a limited selection can improve decision-making and satisfaction.
Day 1
6 Varieties
Day 2
24 Varieties
30% Sales
3% Sales
User Journey Map
Needs Activation
Process
Interactions
Post-Dining Experience
discovery
decision making
dining experience
After Taste
discovery
decision making
dining experience
after taste
Journey Steps
Discovery
Actions
Decision Making
Dining Experience
"After Taste"
User actions (what do they look for)
Needs & Pains
What does the user want to achieve or avoid?
Touchpoint
What does the user interact with ?
User Feeling
Curious, excited
🤔
😝
🤯
🤤
😤
🥰
😕
🤢
🤬
😕
brain explosion,
intrigued, frustrated
satisfied, "ehh", disgusted
Angry, "ehh", happy
😄
Opportunity
Improve or introduce
Target precise recommendations for narrow down list
Shorten back and forth interactions socially
Shorten time browsing
Stimulate social behavior and learn user preferences/ data
Features to satisfy needs for sharing or venting
Persona
Which personas will interact with this step?
Receives/initiates invitation to eat out
User looks at what cuisine they are in the mood for online
Considers dietary restrictions
Considers preferences: location, availability, environment
Narrows down list of restaurant options
Read online reviews/ menus for the remaining options
Consults with friend(s) to make a final decision
Back and forth discussion
Reach decision
User arrives or food arrives
Consume food and beverages
Enjoys company, alone time, or screen time
(possible interactions with server staff)
User shares experience with friends or family
User writes review on restaurant
Will or will not visit again
Need to suit user budget and preferences
Happy and satisfaction for everyone in group
Avoid feeling overwhelmed by too many options
Enough preferable options to choose from
User wants to satisfy everyone in group
Wants to feel confident that option will meet expectations
Avoid feeling rushed or pressure
Location close to activity or home
Wants to have a pleasant fulfilling dining experience
Wants food and service to meet expectations
Avoid unpleasant surprises or dissapointments
Needs to feel comfortable while eating
Leave restaurant/
clean takeout
Need to share the joy or unpleasantness by pictures or words
Plan future dining experiences
Initiate or accept:
Phone call, in person or messaging app
Browsing:
Apps (google, yelp, ins)
Recommendations:
from friends (phone)
Group member preferences:
Phone, messaging
Narrows Down:
App (Yelp, google, ins)
Online reviews:
(yelp, google maps etc.)
Consult Friends:
Messaging app or call
Back and forth:
Messaging app, phone conversation
Transit:
App (uber, lyft) Delivery (uber eats, grubhub, doordash)
Eating Utensils:
(fork, spoon, chopsticks)
Screen (Netflix, Youtube)
Face to face
possible face to face interactions
Message, call, face to face
App:
(google review, yelp review, Ubereats review etc.)
Verbal, messaging or Social media (instagram, snapchat, facebook)
Journey Steps
Discovery
Decision Making
Dining Experience
"After Taste"
Key Research Finding/
Pain Point
The pain point that presented itself is choice overload. Which leads to the focal point of the “choosing experience”.
The main problem users face when deciding what to eat is having too many options to choose from, small decisions to make, and information to intake, which can lead to decision paralysis, anxiety, and frustration. As a result, the focus of a UX project aimed at improving the user experience of deciding what to eat should be on making the process of choosing food more efficient, enjoyable, and less overwhelming.
"The Choosing Experience"
Helping you out of choice overload
Opportunities
- Easier to choose what you do know or don't want. The solution do the brainwork
- Selective Options to combat choice overload
- Simplify steps to satiate the need of saving time
- Minimize conflict or awkwardness in a group decision setting
Goals
- Establish Usability: easy to navigate, allow users to quickly find information
- Personalization: recommendations based on user data and past behaviors
- Simplify Steps: Shorten the steps needed to make a decision
- Social Integration: Able to be used by a group and shared
Workflow Analysis
Before
Hungry
Friend Invitation
Initiate Group Event
Trigger
Exploration
Browse on App
Location
Rating
Check Bookmarks
Search
Search restaurant
based on location
Narrow down to cuisine
Narrow down selection
based on photos
Selected Restaurant
Unsatisfactory
Photos Check
Reviews Check
Budget Check
Opportunity
Shorten search steps
Propose to group
back &
forth
discussion
Opportunity
Speed up conversation
Set time based on availability
Decide what to order
Group Outing
Reminder day before
Arrive at restaurant
Wait for food/ order
Consume
Good experience
share, plan
bad experience
share, vent
After
Onboarding
Hungry
Friend Invitation
Initiate Group Event
Trigger
Create Group Event
"Random" feature
Single decision
Fill preferences
Reccommend/match
Solution found
produce information
Not found
aided discussion
vote
Solution found
Enjoy
produce information
leave feedback
User Flow Analysis
Self Decision
Group Decision
Chatable Group
Ideation Inspiration
20 Questions
The 20 Questions toy by Radicas works by using an internal database of questions and answers that it uses to guess the object that the player is thinking of.
The player thinks of an object and answers a series of yes or no questions posed by the toy, which helps the toy narrow down the possibilities until it can make an educated guess about the object the player is thinking of. Are we like that with food? Perhaps theres is something we want to enjoy, but just don't know it yet.
Netflix Browsing
We all had the experience of being so picky about what to watch on Netflix that our food gets cold or nearly finished before we found something we like. Sometimes it happens when friends are around, and we just can't get into agreement. Sometimes a friend in the group might be dissatisfied, but went with the crowd just to get the decision over with. How can we make quick, happy decisions so we can spend more time enjoying and less time with a timer above our heads?
Then... someone introduces "Munch Mate"
"
Senario
Hm, if only there was a tool to help decide...
"
New User Login
Onboarding
Start Page
Dice
Group Decision
Wireframes
Onboarding session intakes quick and necessary information like allergies and, preferences and dislikes
The syncing of personal preferences and information on past experiences will help the app generate a more accurate response and avoid repetitive places
Three basic modes of selection for different situations. Simple questions along with previous synced and collected data is used to generate a batch of accurate response. Narrowed down selection will save time for the user.
Dice feature enables quicker responses. Generated from past bookmarks, friend recommendation and data collected from the user. All the user need
to do it choose 'next'
or 'yes'
Group decision has the feature of group chat in which a 'dealer' (the app) guides the group decision process to avoid awkward situations and conflict. Instead, effective communication is established. Preferences are filled in the beginning and common bookmarks are also presented as options.
Style Guide
Typography
Color
Warm colors like red hues stimulate appetite
Logo
Slogan
High Fidelity Prototype
The End-
Thank you for staying until the end!
Project 03 is currently under construction. Stay tuned!
Group Function
Group function enables data to be analyzed in a group setting. Preferences will be filled to give more accurate results. Results can also be voted on to minimize time spent brainstorming restaurants. Suggestion will be based on preferences and personal data, saved bookmarks, allergies and more.