ROLE
Marketing Strategist
Visual Communications Lead
TIMELINE
March- May 2024
TEAM
Eat and Socialize
A social media app for searching and sharing food recommendations for every occasion.
Personal
SKILLS
Marketing Analysis
GTM Strategy
Content Marketing
Visual Branding
A/B Testing
TOOLS
Figma
Adobe Creative Suite
Canva
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Delish aims to provide a dedicated platform that simplifies the search for personalized, occasion-specific food recommendations. By integrating advanced filters and community-driven features, the app enables users to quickly discover and share dining experiences that meet their unique preferences.
Current social media platforms and review sites fail to adequately support food enthusiasts, leading to frustration in finding relevant dining options. Users face challenges with irrelevant content and insufficient tools to discover restaurants and dishes that align with their specific dietary needs and occasions, highlighting the need for a focused solution like Delish.
I strategically developed the app from end-to-end and implemented a full Design System and documentation to guarantee marketing brand consistency and support scalable campaign execution.
MARKET ANALYSIS & COMPETITIVE GAP
To address the growing demand for personalized dining recommendations, especially among users aged 18-28, Delish was designed as a solution to simplify the search for occasion-specific food options. A survey of 10 individuals in the Gen Z/Millennial cohort revealed frustrations with current platforms, including overwhelming content and limited filtering for dietary needs.
Additionally, a competitive analysis of five similar products highlighted gaps such as poor customization and lack of network effect activation, informing Delish’s design strategy. By prioritizing personalization, ease of use, and social sharing, the app meets the specific needs of younger food enthusiasts, standing out in a crowded market.
Strategic Solution: The Growth-Focused Architecture
We converged on a platform designed to create a Frictionless Conversion Loop that maximizes Organic Acquisition by leveraging the user's social graph.
Identifying Core Product Experiences
Product Principles
After reviewing past research on other social media networks and food review apps, I generated a set of product principles to help guide the direction of the app product experience.
EASE OF ACCESS
Integrates searching, save and sharing into one product.
PERSONALIZATION
Serves more personalized restaurant recommendations to each user.
Gives users a platform to connect and share their passions for food.
SECURITY
Provides a source of reputable reviews from trusted from and influencers.
Creative Strategy & A/B User Testing
HYPOTHESIZING THE DESIGNS
Keeping our strategic goals for Organic Acquisition in mind, the next phase was focused on exploring a variety of approaches to creating a highly effective social system experience. I developed a simple user flow and two distinct UI options, which were used to form the basis of our A/B User Test.
A structured Feature Adoption Study was conducted to pinpoint friction points in the primary task flow. The results provided measurable insights into which design choice best facilitated the user's journey from discovery to the first share action. This directly informed our final design, ensuring maximum Feature Adoption Rate and alignment with user expectations.
Option 1
Option 2
Refine and Execution
The Product:
Delish: A user-friendly, tailored platform that stands out in the crowded food recommendation market.
After making the required adjustments to the low-fidelity prototype, I conducted a final usability test to refine the flow and screen layouts, setting the stage for high-fidelity execution. Prior to developing the high-fidelity screens, I established a visual identity that would give the product a unique appearance, differentiating it from competitors and appealing to users.
Drawing inspiration from the sophistication of fine dining, the UI design embraces a minimalist aesthetic, prioritizing a polished, customer-centric experience.
Delish is an innovative food recommendation mobile app and platform designed to provide personalized, occasion-specific dining options. The app combines user-friendly navigation with a visually appealing design inspired by fine dining aesthetics. By integrating insights from usability studies and user feedback, Delish delivers a refined, customer-centric experience that empowers users to easily find and share dining recommendations that meet their unique tastes and needs.
Sign In
Intro Screen and Onboarding
Discover
User’s location shows on the map screen after signing in, making searches for restaurants quick and easy.
Save
After finding a restaurant, users can save it and add it to as many list as they’d like.
Users can follow other profiles and read their reviews, or create a review and share pictures of their own dining experiences
Share
After saving users can choose to share with their friends or friend groups
Social Feed
Profile and List
Users profiles have a recommendation section where they can add their top 3 rated restaurants.
Discover
Delish recommends restaurants based on user’s location, friends, saved restaurants, and their top-rated posts and reviews.
Conclusion and Reflections
Delish emerges as a solution for foodies seeking personalized dining experiences. By addressing the shortcomings of existing platforms, it effectively combines advanced filtering options, community engagement, and an aesthetically pleasing design to enhance user satisfaction. The insights gained from usability studies and user feedback have been important in shaping a product that not only meets the specific needs of its target audience but also stands out in a competitive market.
As a certified foodie and designer myself. I recognized the importance of user-centered design and the impact of thorough research on creating an effective product. Engaging with users through surveys and usability tests provided great insights to make sure that the app resonates with its audience. Also, the approach to continually refining the prototype allowed for improvement and a polished final product.
As Delish progresses, I am eager to see its potential to cultivate a vibrant community of food enthusiasts within the dining landscape. This project has strengthened my commitment to designing meaningful user experiences, and I look forward to applying the insights I've gained to my future endeavors.