Problem Space Identification
The project began with defining the problem space by studying the ecosystem we were designing for.
An initial user study consisting 10-participants led us to a comprehensive brainstorm session to map out problem areas and frustrations we wanted to tackle through the project. To understand our customer segments better, we set out to illuminate who they are as people - not just how they shop but what their lives are like and the role that food plays based on their values and motivations.
There were four major problem spaces that we identified through this exercise-
Time
Money
Inspiration
Health
User Definition
Based on initial user research, we were able to classify our users into three separate segments- 'Easy Shopper', 'Scratch Foodie' and 'Healthy Eater'.
To give these customer segments shape and form, I created three separate personas that allowed us to address the challenges faced by each of these segments. Some of the challenges we documented were :
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A mother of two kids found time management and budgeting to be a challenge
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An architect passionate about cooking found it challenging to get inspired
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A busy software engineer struggled with eating healthy while maintaining a healthy work-life balance
Competitive Analysis
To get a sense of what our competitors were offering in the market, I carried out a broad competitive review emphasizing the key features each of our competitors were offering vs what we were planning to offer.
In terms of our feature sets and projected profits, only two competitors stood out- 'Walmart' and 'Kroger'.
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Designing The Solution
To address our business goals as well as our customer's challenges, we began with envisioning the hero flow. The main goal of this exercise was to create a holistic experience for our customers that would tackle challenges pertaining to our customer segments.
Initial Sketches
While sketching key screens for creating a meal plan, I began thinking about various attributes that might make the consumer's experience seamless such as diet preferences, filters and search.
Wireframes
After a couple of conceptual mockups, design solutions and iterations, I began working on some wireframes which would narrate the consumer journey across various dimensions. I started with a mobile-first for our mobile app and then designed wireframes for the web version as well.
Prototype
The final prototype consisted of mobile and web high fidelity wires which were then launched on our website as well as mobile app.The entire process took about seven months and collaborations with two external teams- 'Lists' and 'Cart and Checkout'.
We worked closely with our design system team to come up with icons and illustrations that would resonate with the tone and voice of the meal planning feature. We wanted to keep it clean, fun and appetizing.
To address the main pain points derived from our initial user research, we released these features :
Time
Super simple recipes, one-click add to cart
Money
Inspiration
Health
Budget-mode, the user can set a weekly budget and plan meals accordingly
A collection of thousands of our in-house chef made recipes with multiple options for each diet type
Clean, healthy recipes with nutritional value and calorie content information
User Testing
The team performed usability tests on a sample size of thirty participants after launching 'Meal Plans' in the ecommerce mobile app. We wanted to gather initial impressions of 'Meal Plans' but also understand consumer's general sentiment towards meal planning, shopping and cooking.
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The mission consisted of six parts:
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Getting to Know You
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Grocery Shopping Pre/Planning
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Meal Plans
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Grocery Shopping
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Let's Get Cooking
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Wrap Up
I will definitely use this feature, I already have! It's so convenient and helps me get creative for meals. When I'm shopping it plays a secondary grocery list too!
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- JONDAE
This is exactly what I have been looking for for years! Thank you for making it so easy. I love that it lists the ingredients and you add them to your list!
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- VINCE
I like it a lot, I'll need to remember it is in the Safeway app, easy to overlook it. It's got such amazing features and is really well programmed!
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- SETHA
We continue to receive an average of 3400 feedbacks every week and we are constantly iterating and enhancing the features and creating a seamless experience for our customers.
Impact
Numbers speak louder than words, so here are some key metrics we have documented since the launch of 'Meal Plans'.
Unique Users
2.7 M
41K monthly active users and 9.7K weekly active users. A 0.25% weekly share of orders, 0.33% weekly share of revenue and 1.47% weekly share of visits.
Gross Revenue
$10.1 M
A tremendous growth in eCommerce vs in-store after the launch of the app. $8.6 M gross revenue pertaining to 'Meal Plans' eCommerce and $1.5 M in-store.
Customer Retention
19.5%
An average of 3.2 meals shopped per household every week. A transformative growth of month-on-month retention at 13.5% and an overall customer feedback score of 4.6/5.