Bean Finder
10/2022 - 12/2022 & 08/2024 - Present
Solo Side Project
Bean Finder is just a fun little side design project that was more meant for a Figma Warm-up than a serious project. I'll be highlighting some research and providing prototype screenshots!
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I am currently re-visiting this project and reworking everything to better exemplify my current skillsets!
Sponsor: Me • Role: Everything
Meet the team!
My team consisted of 1 individual:
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Me - Lead Researcher
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Me - Product Manager
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Me - Lead Designer
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Me - Lead Developer
Defining the problem
As a former barista, I've always had icks with the way some coffee shops integrate with their apps. When it comes to the Internet of Things with mobile applications in coffee shops, the disconnect was always evident. These apps never truly focused on being a coffee shop app but rather on being a "convenience" scheme for customers.
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This side project will discuss the areas of disconnection and offer design solution prototypes.
How I approached research (1)
Conducting over 50 quick interviews and gaining a general impression based on small talks while working as a barista, I was able to define what the average user/customer tends to be.
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Most customers are in a rush and on the go in terms of mobile online orders. They were very frustrated when they found out the item they ordered was out of stock upon arrival to pick up their order (even though the app allowed them to order the item). Some customers were not as busy and were only there to get a treat for themselves or their family.
How I approached research (2)
In the new era of the Internet of Things, there are many pieces of technology that are or could be implemented in coffee shop applications.
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With this in mind, there are integrations that many coffee shops tend to miss, such as GPS tracking and live stock updates, which would be immensely beneficial for convenience for both customers and baristas alike, thus benefiting the overall business.
Meet the Persona
Meet Hasty Alex, a busy business professional who loves to get his daily morning coffee. He loves the convenience of the app and always orders his coffee on the go before arriving at the coffee shop.
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One day, Hasty Alex needed to get his daily morning coffee for a very important meeting he has to attend in an hour. He has no time and he is low on energy. He goes on his phone, orders his usual, and goes to the shop to pick it up. When he arrives, the shop is extremely busy with a long line. After 20 minutes, it's finally his turn to pick up his order, only to be met with, "I'm sorry sir this is out of stock." Bewildered, Alex leaves the shop extremely angry and unsatisfied.
Some Concept screens
The following are some concept base screens such as the home screen, product information, and a log in screen. They are simple and all follow a very basic theme.
Rewards + Check out
Our user begins their journey feeling rather uncertain and experiencing a high level of negative emotions. ​
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Recognizing this, we designed our app with an empathetic and supportive approach, ensuring a low barrier to entry.
GPS + Live StocksTracker
The all-in-one solution to two of the largest issues is implementing GPS with geo-fencing, a live stock tracker, and a quick item based location search system.
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Geo-fencing allows baristas to prioritize users who are nearby the store, so if a user places a mobile order, those who are nearby and will be picking up soon will get their orders sooner, while those who are farther away and will pick up later will get their orders fresher. Live stock tracking provides a continuously updating tracker that baristas can use to update the stock of items in real-time, preventing users from ordering items that are out of stock. Quick item based location search with GPS allows users to find any nearby store that has the item they want in stock, offering better convenience than searching for a store and then checking if it has that item in stock.
Thank you!
Feel free to reach out to me on either LinkedIn or simply email down below if you have any questions or opportunities for me! ;)
