Benchmarking

There are already a few coffee-centric apps that compile coffee-specific information about locations. I chose three that all had similar information yet different features. In addition, I looked at other navigation and crowd-sourced information apps.

 Personas

After benchmarking, I looked at where the other apps were falling short, whether that is being restricted to certain cities or information and aesthetics that are out of date entirely.

I then created three of my ideal users who all had different priorities for why they would want to use Brew Views.

Information Architecture

Once I had benchmarked and looked at my ideal use cases, I wrote down a list of all the features I wanted my app to have. I then gave that list to class members who individually broke it down into categories to examine how differently everyone thought about the same information. Based on that exercise and previous research, I created my information architecture to remind me of all the things I needed to include as I moved forward in the design process.

Concept Directions

Using both the apps I used for benchmarking and personal aesthetic tastes I created a mood board to inform my creative direction. I was inspired by natural geometric forms, out-of-the-box image framing, and a natural and green color palette. I also wanted to design something that was different from the current trends in UI/UX design.

Task 1

A user is able to find a location that fits all their criteria, based not only on what the location serves but the atmosphere itself.

Task 2

Users can add a “view” for the location that they are visiting by gathering objective data about crowd levels, menu, and environmental observations, and collecting visual/audio data at the time of their visit.

Task 3

Users submit a review about their overall experience at a location by subjectively rating the crowd levels, menu offerings, overall environment, and other features that then contribute to the location’s rating on the app.