Product Designer
User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Service Design
Self
Sept 2021
Figma
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Students on campus have faced challenges with the food court experience, both during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, a refreshed branding and a new app have been introduced to enhance this experience by making it safer, more engaging, and more efficient. The updated branding features vibrant designs that resonate with the unique identities of the food court's restaurants. The app has been enriched with features addressing COVID-19 concerns, such as designated physical wait zones to encourage safe social distancing practices. Moreover, to appreciate their patience, students will be rewarded after their waiting period.
User Research
I already know that my target audiences are mostly students because of the specific location. To tackle this problem, I first conducted 12 individual interviews with diverse students to gather a better perspective on the scope of this issue. These interviews consisted of 20-25 minute phone calls and in-person meetings where I listened to their experiences and guided the discussion.
From the interviews, I found that students shared similar frustrations about the waiting-in-line experience.
Persona
To better empathize with and understand the users, a persona is created to help me learn more about the goals and concerns of the target customers.
DEfining
Designing the space
Except for redesigning the app, the space also needs to get redesigned in order to bring users a better experience. I went to the Tutor Center Food Court for a field study in order to observe people in their natural environment. As I collected in-depth user stories, I decided to design wait zones so that people can keep their social distances from each other.
Brand Guide
The brand guide is developed using USC's official colors #99000 and # FFCC00. Other colors are added to create a healthy and charming vibe. The visual signs are designed according to the restaurant's logos at the food court. For example, the cute panda symbolized Panda Express.
App Walkthrough
Takeaway
There is no right solution to design a "perfect" product. While I prioritize the users' enjoyableness and COVID-related safety concerns, I somehow care less about the business goals and the real-world constraints, like the budget and the preferred design style of the stakeholders. As this is a project that was all developed on my own, I wish I could receive more critiques and feedback to increase its usability and feasibility.
Nextsteps
