An app that allows travelers to experience street-food safely.
My Contribution
UX Research
UX Design
Team
AJ Supant Pinyo (Me)
Tum Pakin P.
Esther Blessing Onoruke
Juliah S. Champion
Julius Berthold
Tools
Figma
Miro
Helping Lonely Planet.
The assignment in my UX design class was to create an idea for a native app to complement Lonely Planet's existing books, apps, and website. The app was envisioned as a digital companion piece, seamlessly fitting into their eco-system and serving travelers throughout their journey – before, during, and after travel.
The primary objectives of the app were to assist travelers in discovering accommodations, restaurants, local attractions, and other points of interest. Additionally, it aimed to enable users to share their travel experiences with friends and fellow travelers. While the main focus was on these functionalities, the brief also encouraged considering alternative ideas.
Defining work process.
1
Set up project.
Planning how we'll manage the project and figuring out what success looks like to helps everyone on the team understand what we're doing and what we need to achieve.
2
UX Research
Researching a concept involves using interviews, competitive analysis, and academic research to ensure viability before moving forward.
3
UX Design
Prioritizing functionality initially, focus on crafting a user-friendly and intuitive experience from start to finish before implementing high-fidelity wireframes.
The target audience is almost Gen Z.
Based on the brief, our target audience consists mainly of European and Australian backpackers aged between 18 and 24 years, with a few Americans who are also budget travelers. We conducted interviews with 27 individuals to gain valuable insights.
Our team strategically visited backpacker hotspots to ensure we reached our target audience. In the morning, we explored hostels in the Prakanong and Thonglor areas. Despite calling ahead to notify them of our visit, some hostels hesitated to accommodate us, as they wanted to maintain a peaceful environment for their guests. As a result, we could only secure a few interviews in the morning. However, our luck changed when we headed to Khao San Road in the evening, a bustling location known for attracting travelers worldwide. Here, we conducted numerous interviews and gathered a wealth of valuable information.
By employing this approach and focusing on the right locations, we successfully engaged with the target demographic and collected valuable insights from their experiences and preferences.
84% of Gen Z desire the incorporation of a wide variety of culinary experiences while travelling.
*Source: “An Exploratory Study into Generation Z’s Interest in Food Tourism”, Journal of Travel, Tourism and Recreation Volume 2, Issue 3, 2020, Table 1.1
"Ewww, that’s look unsafe."
Our team has been organizing the findings from our research using the card sorting method. Through this process, we have categorized the identified issues into various topics, including transportation, food, safety, and pricing. Among these topics, we have discovered that the most common problem backpackers face in Thailand revolves around food.
During interviews, backpackers enthusiastically shared their street food adventures, finding the offerings incredibly tempting and delicious. However, they expressed concerns about food safety. Many backpackers face anxieties about the contents of the food they encounter, as they may have allergies or be sensitive to the spiciness commonly found in traditional Thai street food. Communicating with food vendors to inquire about ingredients becomes a challenge due to language barriers and differences in food preferences. Therefore, facilitating ways to bridge this communication gap and accommodate diverse dietary needs could greatly improve backpackers' culinary experiences while visiting Thailand.
Persona
Having identified the problems and solutions, we developed 3 personas: Safety Henry, Allergy Nina, and Foodie Kelly. Safety Henry's focus was on ensuring street food safety and hygiene. Allergy Nina aimed to communicate her allergies to street vendors effectively. Meanwhile, Foodie Kelly sought authentic street food experiences, including Michelin-rated or popular options. By empathizing with these diverse users visiting Thailand, our decisions were guided, and our solutions aimed to address their real needs, making a meaningful impact on all backpackers.
That's how "Yummy Planet" was born — a mobile application designed to help backpackers experience authentic street food safely.
Concept
Yummy Planet takes inspiration from Lonely Planet, aiming to provide users with an enjoyable and adventurous food experience as they explore our app. Just as Lonely Planet guides travelers to exciting destinations, we strive to make every culinary journey in Thailand a flavorful and delightful one.
Competitive analysis to identify our selling proposition.
We successfully identified our unique selling proposition through thorough competitor analysis, including vendor info, food recommendation, vendor highlight, and dish information. Utilizing these valuable insights, we are currently crafting an app that prioritizes user-friendliness and engagement centered on providing educational and safe culinary experiences.
Starting with user flows.
Building a structure with sitemap.
Converting user flows into wireframes.
Key learnings
Although I did not conduct the testing at the end of the project, we are still thrilled by the insights we gained from the backpackers, even though I live in Thailand. In terms of business, a solid business model outweighs great ideas alone. Uniqueness and solving user problems are crucial for success. Validate ideas by engaging users and measuring relevant factors for clear design decisions.
My first time experience of talking to, observing, and deeply understanding real users in real life was such a great experience. At the beginning, I sometimes thought about the pain points myself, which resulted in biased research.
Working with the team was challenging at times, but thanks to my team members Julius, Jules, Tum, and Blessing, we completed this project with fewer problems. We have cool and chill personalities but always maintain a professional approach.