Introducing YELPGROUP
An app to help you & your friends decide where to eat
My Role - Research, UX Design, UI Design, Prototyping, User Testing
Duration - 2 weeks
THE CHALLENGE
Add a new Yelp subsidiary app to expand Yelp’s touch point on the user’s dinning experience
OPPORTUNITY
When people go out together, they are often haunted by the question of “Where to eat?” Having to consider everyone’s preferences, we are faced with a time-consuming and notorious decision-making process.
So how can we help users, especially groups of users, find where to eat quicker and with confidence?
RESEARCH LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY FACTORS
What are users looking for before they make a purchase/go to the restaurant?
USAGE
In what situation are users using yelp to aid their decisions?
ACCURACY
How do users feel about the search filter and search results?
PLANNING
How do users plan their dinning experiences?
RELIABILITY
How do users feel about the reliability of the reviews on Yelp?
COMPETITIVE
What do users like to use, other than or in combination with Yelp?
EMPATHIZE
Users are often overwhelmed by the amount of options shown in their search. Many do not trust the site's reviews due to lack of info on the reviewers. Some use Yelp exclusively for group dinning but are frustrated by the decision process. Opportunity to alleviate the time-consuming process to explore new restaurant by creating a personalized experience for groups.
AFFINITY MAPPING
"More customized search results would help speed up the decision process"
"It’s frustrating to figure out where to eat with my friends"
“I don’t trust reviews because I don’t know the demographics of the reviewer"
“I would like to explore new restaurants but it takes too much work and uncertainty
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
The comparative analysis summarizes our understanding of what is being offered and how we can differentiate.
Google is the only service that provides a personalized match. This percentage, shown for each restaurant, is calculated using user's location history, previous reviews, and what google recommends. TripAdvisor takes a different approach to allow the user to bookmark their favorites under "My Trip" and invite others to this list.
Both the personalized and the my list feature enables the user to make a quicker selection and to have other users in the decision-making process.
IDEATE
PERSONAS
CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP
YelpGroup allows Yelp to expand its customer touchpoint further to group planning, reminder, final decision-making, and event confirmation
MOBILE FIRST
There are over 100 million monthly unique users on mobile interface monthly. However, only a third uses the mobile app due to the lack of key features. We see an opportunity to improve the mobile app experience by adding a subsidiary app that can extend Yelp's presence in the user journey. With YelpGroup, the brand will be more involved in the research and the execution phase of the group's dining choice.
DESIGN
Sketches
I sketched out ideas of the main functionalities on the app. The goal is to find the most efficient way for the user to filter and swipe for results.
Wireframes
Top Navigation
Wireframes for user to join a group using QR code before restaurant selection. Testing shows that a shared link through text messaging would be useful when users are not together
A/B Testing - Filter Options
Users prefer to have the filter as its own category on the navbar (instead of on swipe page) for easy access
A/B Testing - Swipe Page
Users prefer a pull bar to button options for more flexibility in degree of like
Mockups
ONBOARDING
Tutorial before landing page to help user understand the purpose of the app
APP FUNCTIONS
Users choose a group, apply their preferences, swipe on restaurants then receive a customized list of results. Through testing, we changed the list of options in the results to a singular restaurant that a user can deny or approve. If not approved, user will given the next best option
