Title: Mealwrite Meal App: Group Project

Summary:

Designing a User-Cantered Solution Application

The goal of this project was to apply user research and design principles to

PROBLEM Needed to Create a mobile app that :

  • helps busy families plan meals, create grocery lists, and track what they have in their pantry.

  • accessible from any platform mobile or desktop

  • App needed to be be user-friendly

  • accessible and usable for all including those with a range of disabilities

  • allow users to search for recipes based on ingredients,

  • consider dietary restrictions, and preferences,

  • generate a grocery list that could be easily adapted to produce a grocery list

  • the lists generated by the user could be shared electronically between friends and family

  • the app would ensure that customer’s private data was secure and protected

My role: Market Researcher Persona developer:

  • Market research: (Persona writer)

  • I decided an appropriate name for the app was to be “Mealwrite” as I had to register a name in order to access Google forms for the questionnaires I generated to collect data from potential users of similar meal apps or those who may be interested in using a meal and if so what type of meal app.

    The name “Mealwrite” for the app was to form the basis of a trusted and recognised brand. The name was self explanatory. It was a play on words “Write” as if to scribe and “right” as in correct.

  • Primary data collection and analysis: speaking to shoppers and noting their responses

  • Qualitative: Interviews (face to face) interview a cross section of shoppers

  • Quantitively: Designing data collection and analysis vehicle.

  • research the competitors on the market (together with main researcher)

  • Constructed questionnaire: Using Microsoft Forms to collect analyse process

present report with data gleaned from the questionnaires (Via charts and tales).

process: Use of Google forms:

  • Google forms were used to capture information and data about the lifestyle and habits of people we already knew and potential customers. Due to lack of time and resources primary research was limited and the sample obtained was far too small but the methodology and skill in developing the research could easily be repeated if the project time was to be extended or the research repeated and expanded on

  • in terms of secondary I was not the main researcher but I did undertake some secondary research looking at the apps that were already on the market and how these we used. The main researcher should be credited for expanding the range of the personas to include those users who had severe needs such as dietary needs and disabilities.

    The solution: (Collectively: As a group)

  • Produced a good looking app that met all the requirements as stated in the problem

  • In terms of the constraint of time and resources we as a team believe that the outcome was met.

  • We were all happy with the design and collectively we reflected on what we would have done if we had more resources such as labour in terms of researchers, time and money for equipment and money to pay for user test and test of the final app.

    • However, the data gleaned from questionnaire was useful and will be further developed if the design was to be improved and expanded.

    • Google forms available on request to safeguard the personal data of responders.

Mealwrite User Personas

Impact and reflection

  • The group consisted of five individuals from all different professional backgrounds and skills to produce this task in just over five weeks.

  • the strengths of the group was the individual who bravely put herself forward to lead the team.

  • the team leader was very professional, well liked and respected by everybody

  • under the direction of the team leader the team managed to work together effectively and meet tight deadlines and at the same time were supportive and communicative and mindful of each other’s needs.

  • this team project did allow me to see what skills others had and learn some of these skills. I particularly learned from the team leader whose task it was to undertake the ‘wireframing’.

  • we had many debrief meetings along the way and the group including myself were very pleased with the finished app design. We believed that the design we finally developed collectively, met the brief that we were tasked with.

  • There was a general consensus of opinion that we would have liked to have more time to conduct more primary research but acknowledged that secondary resource which was plentiful and readily available was the most realistic option which we took to underpin and influence our final design decisions to produce our final app.