After evaluating the Starbucks app and identifying areas of user experience hiccups, the decision was made to introduce a new feature aimed at enhancing the waiting period for users awaiting their orders.
Customers are never notified if their mobile order is ready
During my user interviews, a recurring frustration surfaced among participants who expressed annoyance at waiting inside the store, only to discover that their orders weren't ready as expected.
Starbuck’s menu is getting out of hand!
Starbucks boasts an impressive array of over 383 billion latte variations. While the additional drink options contribute significantly to a yearly revenue of $1 billion, they also come with the trade-off of increased preparation time. With increasing preparation time comes with increasingly antsy customers. So how do we help?
Solution
Allowing users to track their orders
PlatePal was developed to empower young adults to reduce food waste by offering a user-friendly solution for remote fridge inventory management, including food scanning and manual entry, while also suggesting recipes based on their stocked ingredients.
Progress bar with push notifications
Customer can track order real time order status.
If enabled customers receive push notifications with other updates.
How I tried to design for emotion
I tried to provide a positive and memorable experience.
confirmation feature can help alleviate this anxiety by providing a positive and reassuring message that their order is ready.
Strategic phase 1 of 4
Empathizing
I initiated my research by collecting qualitative data about the online ordering experience on the Starbucks app.
User Interviews
User Interview Objectives
Identify perceived wait times, emotions, and pain points during mobile ordering.
User Requirements
Starbucks App users who utilize the mobile ordering feature at least a four times a month.
Participants
4 people (22-32 years old)
Interview Location
Conducted via Zoom
Key Insights
😒
4/4 Interviewees expressed being annoyed and frustrated when waiting for their orders to come out if its taking too long.
🚘
3/4 Interviewees mentioned that they like to hang out in their car to wait for their order so they don’t have to stand around.
⏲️
3/4 Interviewees mentioned that they mobile order prior to going somewhere so they tend to be on a time crunch and they use the mobile order to save time.
🤥
Current wait times on app don’t always correlate with the actual wait times, leading users to feel frustrated.
Empathy Mapping
During my user interviews, I mapped out recurring trends in user behavior. This visual representation has been instrumental in helping me identify and understand patterns in their experiences with the Starbucks app.
Strategic phase 2 of 4
Defining
Establishing Who We Are Designing For: User Persona
After collecting qualitative data on the issue, I crafted a user persona. This persona served as a valuable tool, guiding design decisions.
Visualizing Sarah’s Journey
To grasp my user's order journey, I mapped out the touch-points and actions they might encounter. This allowed to see where I could improve their experience.
The Problem Statement
Based on user interviews, the development of a user persona, and mapping their journey, I formulated a targeted problem-solving statement.
😒️
POV
Young professionals who use the Starbucks mobile app are trying to get their order in a accurate and timely manner because work consumes a majority of their time but the inaccurate information and extra waiting time makes them feel frustrated and anxious.
🎯️️️
HMW
How might we improve the accuracy of pick-up times in the Starbucks mobile order process to eliminate frustration and anxiety for customers?
Strategic phase 3 of 4
Ideating
Exploring Solutions
Current Confirmation
Vertical Progress Bar
Horizontal Progress Bar
Why go with a horizontal progress bar?
Relying on user data and assessing the existing confirmation screen, I opted for a vertical progress bar. This choice aims to prevent customer confusion with horizontally displayed products and enables users to easily track their order progress with a larger footprint.
Strategic phase 4 of 4
Prototype & Test
Refinement
Low Fidelity → Mid Fidelity → High Fidelity
Usability Testings
After crafting a functional prototype, I conducted usability tests via Zoom to assess the intuitiveness and accessibility of the main task flows within the MVP.
Usability Testing Objectives
gather data that quantifies users emotions waiting for their Starbuck's order.
Metrics
I asked users to rate their confidence in picking up their mobile order, using a scale of 1 to 7. I obtained ratings for both the original checkout process and the new progress bar feature.
Interview Location
Conducted via Zoom
Participants
5 people (22-32 years old)
Key Insights
🕒👀
The transition from an estimated time to a visual representation of the order's progress significantly boosts confidence, particularly with the added benefit of knowing the order's preparation time for freshness awareness.
📬📊
The introduction of push notifications is appreciated for reducing the need to constantly check the app, yet optimizing the visibility of the final step on the progress bar, currently at the bottom of the screen, could improve quick accessibility.
⏰🚶♂️
For users who place orders well in advance, the step indicators are less crucial, but the value of push notifications, especially for the final step, remains highly favorable for streamlining the pickup process.
Analyzing and Prioritizing Test Results
Iterating based on feedback
Seeing your status at a glance
Users provided feedback that having the final progress step out of sight on the main screen, requiring scrolling to see the whole step, felt awkward.
Final Takeaways
Major Learnings
Adding a simple feature like a cheers confirmation can have a significant impact on the user experience. It shows that even small touches can make a big difference in how users perceive and interact Starbucks. Through my usability testing I was able to quantify that user's on average felt 40% more confident when picking up their Starbuck's mobile order.
What would I have done differently?
Although the cheers confirmation significantly improved user confidence, incorporating continuous user feedback throughout the design process and exploring alternative features could have further enriched the overall UX approach. A post-implementation feedback loop might also offer ongoing insights for continuous refinement beyond the initial usability testing. If time permitted, I would have liked to explore more micro interactions to make the progress bar more delightful.
