PICPLATE

Overview Challenge Research Prototyping Solution Results

Details

Duration

10 weeks
Feb - March 2024

Role

User Research, Interaction Design, Product Thinking, Prototyping

Team

Ronald Atutubo
Trishna Chuhan
Vida Kayla Bensing
Aleksandr Brundyi
Jessabelle Lau

Tools

Figma, Fig Jam, Adobe Illustrator, Survey Monkey

Project

Challenge

This project tackled the challenge of unverified restaurant reviews by blending the authenticity of BeReal and Snapchat with the functionality of Yelp.

Our goal was to create a community-driven platform where tech-savvy foodies could discover trending local restaurants through real-time rankings and location-verified reviews.

Summary

PicPlate is a restaurant review app designed for foodies aged 20-30, offering a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down ranking system that resets weekly and monthly to highlight trending spots.

Location-based verification ensures authentic reviews, fostering trust and engagement while boosting restaurant visibility.

Contributions

As a UX designer, I conducted research, validated user needs, and helped develop a cohesive design system. I focused on creating an intuitive user experience that balances engagement and authenticity, making PicPlate a reliable tool for discovering top dining experiences.

Project Overview

PicPlate is a restaurant review app that helps foodies discover trending spots through verified, location-based reviews and real-time rankings. Using a thumbs-up/thumbs-down system with weekly resets, the app ensures authenticity while fostering a dynamic food community.

Project Approach

Our team decided to use the design thinking framework for our process as it emphasized user empathy, iterative problem-solving, and real-world validation. To expand on these concepts:

Empathize with the end-user
‍We researched foodies aged 20-30 and found that unreliable, unverified reviews made restaurant discovery frustrating. Users wanted a trustworthy, engaging way to find trending spots.
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Define the core problem‍
‍“Foodies struggle to find trustworthy restaurant recommendations due to unverified reviews. How might we create a platform that ensures authenticity while making restaurant discovery engaging and community-driven?"
With the problem in mind our team mapped out user needs and frustrations to establish core features.
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Developing key features
Prioritizing impact and effort, we focused on core features like a thumbs-up/thumbs-down ranking system, on-location photo verification, and verified accounts, while planning filters, wishlists, and partnerships for future updates.
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Designing the experience
‍We created wireframes and interactive prototypes with a clean UI, intuitive navigation, social media features, and a ranking system that resets to highlight trending restaurants.

Refine the final product
‍User testing helped us refine the ranking system, streamline verification, and enhance usability, ensuring PicPlate remains engaging, intuitive, and a trusted tool for restaurant discovery.

Results

We created a seamless restaurant discovery experience by prioritizing verified, location-based reviews and real-time rankings.
‍
‍Developed a mobile solution ensuring accessibility and ease of use for foodies looking for trending restaurants.

By requiring location-based photos for reviews, we ensured that user feedback was authentic, fostering trust and reliability in restaurant recommendations.

‍Validated through user feedback with potential users fostering confidence in the product.

The challenge was:

How might we create a community-driven platform that enables younger, more tech savvy demographics to discover trending local restaurants through authentic, verified reviews and real-time rankings, ensuring up-to-date and reliable dining recommendations?

Design Goals

User-Centered Experience

The app prioritized a seamless user experience, ensuring that posting a review was quick and effortless.
From snapping a picture to submitting the review, users could complete the entire process with just a few taps.

Authenticity and Trust

Guarantee the credibility of the restaurant but also the authenticity of the user.
Implementing features like verified accounts and location-based photo reviews to but responsibility on both parties.

Real-Time Engagement

Understanding that the application rankings move fast, so prioritizing simplicity and clarity
The weekly and monthly resets were designed to be intuitive, providing users with up-to-date, trending restaurant recommendations without overwhelming them.

Research and mapping Phase

GATHERING INSIGHTS

Empathizing with the user

To kick off our research process and gain a grasp on UX research, we designed a survey aimed at gathering initial insights and shaping our understanding of the target users.

The focus was on crafting the right questions to help refine our customer personas and uncover the key pain points and features our demographic values most.

The challenge was in balancing the need for concise, actionable insights while relying solely on survey data. This required us to make strategic assumptions in order to filter and narrow down the most relevant information.

In our survey conducted consisting of 50+ participants,

76%

of participants found that they were often affected by ratings and reviews.

40%

of participants are likely to try new restaurants.

84%

of participants eat out 1-3 times a week on average.

We supplemented our primary research with secondary studies to validate our findings and better understand consumer behaviour, especially regarding smartphone usage.
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Our research in all revealed 3 key insights:
‍
Social and Visual Reviews
Food review apps with social media features like picture-sharing and like/dislike functions appeal to users, offering an alternative to traditional reviews.

Pricing
Price consistently emerges as the most important factor for consumers when selecting a restaurant.
‍
Social Influence
Reviews, especially from peers, strongly impact consumer choices, suggesting that incorporating social elements into PicPlate could foster a community-centric platform.

Challenge

Create a platform with verified, reliable restaurant reviews that is easy to use and engaging for tech-savvy users, featuring a dynamic, real-time ranking system that keeps content fresh without overwhelming them.

Based on the research conducted our team decided to target these features:
‍
• Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Ranking System
• Verified Account System
• Snap for Food
• Real-Time Rankings
• Social Integration
• User Profiles

Information Architecture

Based on our research, we designed a user journey that enhances food discovery and review experiences while prioritizing social interaction.

Drawing inspiration from apps like UberEats and SkipTheDishes, we focused on effortless navigation, social connectivity, and personalized recommendations.

The journey starts with quick onboarding and verification, allowing users to explore restaurant profiles, view trending spots, and filter by preferences. Key features like peer recommendations and photo-sharing reinforce trust, while engagement loops encourage ongoing participation and community-driven discovery.

Prototyping Phase

Creating Wireframes

FIGMA FILE

The lo-fi wireframe was designed to lay the foundation for PicPlate’s user interface, focusing on basic structure and functionality creating key pages using the user flows. It helped us visualize the app’s core features, such as restaurant profiles, the thumbs-up/thumbs-down ranking system, and user interactions.

Early testing revealed a need for improved navigation and consistency in visual elements. Based on feedback, we refined the layout by simplifying navigation and ensuring consistent iconography.

Crafting the Visual Identity

PicPlate’s visual identity uses a deep red and cream colour palette for strong contrast and readability, especially on mobile. Bold typography and icons ensure quick navigation, while standard indicator colours for actions make the app intuitive for new users. The PicPlate logo doubles as an interactive element, reinforcing the brand and streamlining usability, particularly when capturing food photos.

The Hi-Fidelity Mockups

For PicPlate’s high-fidelity prototype, we focused on creating an engaging, social foodie experience. Building upon the low fidelity mock up our team integrated seamless review-sharing, interactive photo ratings, and a dynamic feed to highlight trending restaurants. Social validation features like peer recommendations fostered a vibrant community, encouraging users to discover and share top dining spots. The result was a visually appealing, intuitive platform that aligns with PicPlate’s community-driven goals.

Results and Lessons

Results

The development of PicPlate’s high-fidelity prototype successfully created a user-friendly, engaging platform that resonated with our target audience.

The integration of social features, such as peer-driven recommendations and interactive photo ratings, encouraged high user engagement and fostered a sense of community.

By streamlining restaurant discovery and review processes, PicPlate gained positive feedback for its ease of use and intuitive design.

The app’s dynamic ranking system and real-time updates kept content fresh, while the social elements increased user interaction, leading to a stronger sense of community and improved user retention.

Reflection

Prototyping Foundation
I learned that prototyping is a meticulous process, where even a small mistake can disrupt the entire design, especially in components and interactions. This reinforced the importance of careful planning and attention to detail during the creation of each component.
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Designing for Engagement
Creating a social, engaging food app is challenging, especially when trying to develop something unique while appealing to a broad audience. Balancing innovation with familiar food experiences requires careful consideration of user expectations and preferences.
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Visual Consistency is key for communication
I realized how crucial color choices and icon styles are for maintaining visual fidelity. These elements are essential for ensuring the user experience remains consistent and effective across different platforms.
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Team Collaboration
Working with a team brought valuable perspectives but also presented challenges when design decisions conflicted. Consistent communication and collaboration were key to aligning on a unified brand vision and preventing inconsistencies in the final product.

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