Role:
- Research
- Design Token
- Map Design
- Project Management
Tools:
- Figma
- Adobe Suite
- Jira
- Slack
Duration:
- Planning & Research: 3 weeks
- Ideate & Design: 3 weeks
- Develop & Testing: 6 weeks
Highlight
2023 Langara College
Capstone Audience Winning Award
Cross-functional collaboration
4 developers & 3 designers
Agile project
MVP built in 8 weeks
Overview
Problem
1. Restaurant promotion could be hard.
Managers may have a hard time finding the right promotion strategy for the business. They need insights into effective strategies and actionable steps to achieve optimal results. Without a management assisting tool, it is difficult for a small restaurant to retain its service quality and sales quantity.
2. Restaurant management struggle with
resource planning.
Resource planning is one of the biggest headaches for restaurant owners and managers since they commonly lack customer traffic information. As a result, they might encounter instances where there is a rush of customers due to an event nearby, or have a slower than average night, which results in an inaccurate arrangement of staff and inventory.
Solution
To address the challenges, we provide a solution by creating an application that uses data analysis and visualization to handle the issues associated with crowd-tracking and resource management in restaurants. The solution offers recommendations based on well-liked events happening nearby that can help boost sales.
We presented our prototype to restaurant management and solicited comments; they like the features of real-time crowd movement tracking as well as providing precise and immediate information on crowd density and activity.
Main Features
1. Real-Time Crowd Tracking
Real-time crowd monitoring through advanced heat map technology provides insights into crowd movements and density for effective resource management.
2. Analytics and Reporting
Plan marketing strategy using analytics and suggestions, furnishing better promotional methods based on event category and participant count.
3. Event Tracking
Provides a checklist of events around your business location, allowing users to set reminders by adding events to bookmarks and receive alerts for upcoming events and activities.
Data Visualization for Business Planning Insights
The first element on the homepage is a graph to show the event participants throughout the week because the main purpose of this app is to assist users in getting ready for their business planning. The goal of the data visualization is to facilitate easy analysis at a glance. Then, we give them some calls to action to remind them of the day they should be paying attention to.
Deep Data Analyze & Strategy Suggestion
It is the core of the app, where users can find all the analysis and advice they need for marketing and business planning. Users can explore the app and learn about the value we provide to build up a significant acquisition funnel, but when it comes to this page, we require users to sign up or log in, in order to access the report. After that, users can use the top arrow to see a brief report covering the period from this week to next week. Crowd Ease will break down each day’s events and provide detailed analysis as well as business recommendations.
Event Overview & Smart Filtering
The calendar makes it simple for users to switch around days. We offer options for text search, voice search, event category filtering, and location filtering to ensure a seamless user experience and make it simple for users to find the information they require.
Live Crowd Density & Event Location
The team created the map by extracting data from various APIs. As a result, this map shows the crowd density in various colors so that users can see how the crowd is moving and modify their activities accordingly. In order to give the user a greater knowledge of the accuracy, we also combined the heated map with a pin map to show the locations of each event.
User Research
The design team conducted 6 user interviews at some small downtown restaurants, which are our targeted users, to better understand their needs.
Here are some key conclusions derived by restaurant owners and managers:
Poor Management and Advertising
“I have experienced difficulties in keeping track of local events as we do not have a tool to assist us with that. Although we have a point of sale system, our management and advertising are not streamlined, which can be challenging for our business.”
– Restaurant Manager
Short Preparation Time
“As a manager, I usually plan our inventory and staff schedule a week in advance to ensure smooth operations and avoid any last-minute surprises.”
– Restaurant Owner
User Persona
Competitors Analysis
Like our competitors, we all use crowd data on the high mobility industry. However, we are not only able to provide real time data, Crowd Ease combines events around a user’s location and provides an analysis so a business can customize their marketing plan and arrange their business accordingly.
User Flow
The team struggled with the user flow as we were unsure of the core feature before beginning to define the interaction design and information architecture of the app. We scheduled an appointment to talk with the app’s developers and other stakeholders and collect feedback on how the app’s features flowed, which was a crucial guidepost for determining the project’s scope.
Design
Wireframes
The team finally grasped the key feature – Analytics and Reporting, considering the event data is an effective indicator for decision-making, and also given that the pain point of restaurant owners is that they have trouble filling up their tables.
It was a big validation and I am grateful that my teammates trusted my design suggestion. Following that, we had an agreement on how it would operate, and we created wireframes under that understanding.
Design System
Apart from my UX role, I worked on the UI kit and made the icons using Illustrator in accordance with the Google Material Design Guidelines. I also established the design system to maintain the same design aesthetic across all screens.
Validation
Heuristic Evaluation
Seeking input from fellow designers broadened my perspective. Their insights facilitated a deeper understanding of the core features, significantly aiding the wireframing process. This experience has reinforced the iterative nature of UX design and the significance of collaborative feedback.
User Testing
We met with three food sector managers and presented them with our data visualization. We encouraged them to interact with the data and interpret it. Their perspectives were crucial in determining the relevance of the information for operational planning, resulting in more informed business decisions.
Delivery
Design Handoff
Crowd Ease would not have been achieved in 12 weeks without the help of these great developers: Florida Joca, Diego Santa Cruz, Rojin Taghadosi, Win-All Lopes, Bhanuj nagpal !
Future Steps
Crowd Ease can be scaled up for future business opportunities and optimization.
Tracking of Multiple Locations: Users could add a new location for their business and we will provide data visualization for comparison.
Marketing Tools and Inventory Planning: After providing data forecasts and event previews, we want customers to be able to create business plans and manage their operations.
Takeaways
Acquisition funnel for UX design
From business perspective, this funnel is an important way to increase user acquisition and retention. In Crowd Ease, we need to remove the blockers and ensure that users discover the value of the product or service before they register an account or commit to a purchase. I understand users build up a level of excitement when they download our app and I need to continue that anticipation and make sure that users have a clear understanding of its benefits and features before they are asked to commit.
Design template patterns
We struggled with the UX writing for suggestions while designing the analysis report feature. We got guidance utilizing template patterns. Since enterprises in the food industry had to plan ahead for fixed meals, promotional discounts, and social media tags. For example, “Get ready for your custom meal to serve {event-name} customers on {date}!” Hence, we can easily customize the suggestions and also facilitate the development of the product.
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