Case study: Java Jacks
UX/UI design for a concept gourmet mobile coffee cafe
Java Jacks is a concept business. Being a coffee drinker, and someone who is always on the go, I decided to rethink the way people get their coffee. I wanted it to be easier, more accessible, and more convenient.
Type of work
UI / UX design
My role
Team of one. From concept, user testing, research through to completion, I did it all.
The challenge
Other well-known coffee shops do not currently have mobile deliveries. People who are on the go sometimes do not have time to stop for coffee and if they do, sometimes they are met with long waiting times. Sure, there's Uber Eats or Doordash but now you're paying even more for a third party delivery service.
Our goal: To provide gourmet coffee through a mobile delivery service. Our mobile coffee cafes not only deliver but you would also be able to locate the nearest truck and stop by if you are in the area, giving you the benefit of a freestanding store as well as a mobile store. Options!
My design process
that delivers
These methods and approaches put design at the forefront of the product development process, which I follow to create products that are better suited to meet a user’s needs and more likely to be the best possible solution.
Empathize
research, user interviews
Define the problem
User journeys, user personas
Ideate
Brainstorm, sketches,
user flows
Prototype
Wireframes, mockups
Test
Usability testing, observations
Research & Design
When starting my research, I wanted to find out what percentage of people actually drink coffee everyday and how important it was to them. I also wanted to find out what pain points they had with other stores and the factors that influence their decision-making process around coffee shop engagement in general.
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We distributed our initial screener survey through Google Forms, and were able to begin synthesizing data from 14 respondents. Some common themes we noticed very early on: many participants were influenced by customer service, pricing and wait times. Many said that they were likely to return again if there was some sort of rewards based program.
Given the short-form nature of our survey responses, I conducted interviews with 5 participants to deep-dive into answers and collect more data. I wanted to identify specific ways in which we could streamline the coffee experience, learn what supplementary information would be most valuable to our participants, and explore which big box coffee shops experiences were the most memorable (either positively or negatively) and why.
A survey was sent out to determine who my typical customer was.
Based on our survey findings, I put together an affinity map so I can see common themes that were important to future customers.
Creating a user persona and defining their personalities, habits, goals, and needs from the data I collected helped me stay focused on users’ needs throughout the process. Meet Jill.
Mapping out the flow
User Flows
We created user flows based on common tasks that the target user would do on the site. This was to ensure that our user can go from point A to point B easily and without confusion.
Sketches
I sketched the interfaces using pen and paper to help me quickly ideate and iterate. I used the Crazy-8s method that is a process for designers to solve a design problem. This way, I did focus on sketching designs that will allow the users to meet a particular goal.
Style Guide
We used sans serif fonts and neutral tones throughout the design with an accent color being a calming sea green.
Designing the solution
Mid fidelity wireframes
Low and Mid-fidelity wireframes were created using rapid prototyping process. The wireframes went through a number of iterations to evolve into a high-fidelity prototype.
High fidelity mockup
The mid fidelity wireframes became pixel perfect and with color added, they are brought to life,
Prototype
Final design
Since Java Jacks was a conceptual app, we could only assess how well our design accomplished the goals defined in the original project brief. We performed usability testing and conducted follow-up interviews to evaluate the effectiveness of our design and found that a lot of users enjoyed the app and gave constructive feedback which will only help us be more successful. I have learned throughout this whole experience that it doesn't matter how beautiful the design is, it needs to be functional and cater to the user. Without them, we wouldn't have an app. Like great designer Frank Chimero says "People ignore design that ignores people."
Overall, the features we designed were described as helpful and visually appealing, so I can confidently say our team accomplished our goals. With high competition and a constantly growing number of mobile apps devoted to the theme of food and beverages, the first impression cannot be just nice and clean. The successful app, in this case, should instantly appeal to the emotional and aesthetic sides of users and be simple to use to engage the user from the first seconds and let them interact according to their personal preferences. That’s the balance we strived for.
“People ignore design that ignores people.”
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— Frank Chimero
