Forx & Knives is a service that allows users to order food from local restaurants. We implemented measures to highlight common allergens to ensure accessibility for everyone.
Project Duration
05.05.2022 - 07.06.2022 10 Weeks.
Team Members
Independent Project
My Role
UX Design/ Research UI Design Web Design Motion Graphics Video Editor
Deliverables
Mobile Prototype Branding Assets Motion Graphics
THE CHALLENGE
CREATING AN ALLERGY FRIENDLY FUTURE.
The goal for Forx & Knives was to create a product that was easy to use while also clearly identifying which food items are safe to eat for users with common allergies. Although being allergy conscious was the key goal, we still wanted to create a service that everyone could enjoy.
Our high level goals were to:
Have clear visual indicators for food items that are safe to eat for individuals with food allergies.
Eliminate common online food ordering pain points to improve the experience for the users.
Make the product fast and easy to use for all age groups.
My Role
I had a few roles within this project as the UX designer, UX researcher, UI designer & Web Designer.
Additionally I took on the role of Video Editor & Motion Graphics Artist to enrich the Forx & Knives experience.
Brainstorming
An effective way to approach the design problem at hand is to brainstorm as many ideas as possible. This method allowed us to make more effective decisions in the design process to create a better end product.
Early ideation allowed us to identify that users with allergies need transparency with ingredients and cross contaminations to feel confident when ordering food online.
Early Insights
7 people with food allergies were recruited to distinguish what pain points they experience while ordering food online and what changes they would like to see to make the experience easier for them to use. It was discovered that:
Transparency with ingredients and cross contaminents.
Easy navigation to find compatible foods faster.
Users wanted the option for curbside pick up or home delivery.
Before diving further into the project, we felt it was important to first identify the most common food allergies. It was found that the 8 most common food allergies are Peanuts/ Tree Nuts, Eggs, Sesame, Shellfish, Fish, Dairy, Soy & Wheat.
To further investigate these needs and better define our product, a competitive analysis was performed. In doing so, we were able to discover that a lot of other food ordering apps did not clearly define foods that are free from common allergens, isolating users who are unable to eat these foods.
Identifying the User Base
Identifying the target audience was a key step in our design process and allowed us to make better decision making when creating Forx & Knives. While we wanted to create a platform that is friendly to use for people with allergies, we also wanted to make sure it was a convenient product for everyone to use, including those with disabilities.
Persona 1
Persona 2
Journey maps can be a great tool to generate insight into how the user may experience a product. This journey map was created to examine each stage of the user journey, what complications the users may experience & improvement opportunities for any negative experiences.
User Journey 1
User Journey 2
High Fidelity Prototype
An early prototype iteration was created so that we could test how the product works with different users in real time as well as acquiring feedback that can later be implemented into the final design.
Early wireframes and prototype created using Figma. The prototype can be accessed HERE.
Research Methods
We sought out participants to begin testing early iterations of our Forx & Knives app. We compiled a list of prompts with follow up questions and monitored important key performance indicators (KPIs) to get better understand how our product was performing.
This chart highlights the KPI findings from the conducted research.
Our main findings from this research were:
The Discovery
After conducting our research and analyzing the data, we discovered that a lot of individuals with food related allergies can have pretty severe health anxieties that prevents them from ordering food online.
Diving Deeper
To ease the health anxieties these users have, we added an ingredients list section for every dish so that users can read and be confident that their order will be free of any allergens. Implementing changes like these is what allows a product to evolve from something that is just usable & functional to a product that is convenient, enjoyable and most importantly, meaningful.
The Design
We wanted to use calming and complimenting colours for the design of Forx & Knives. Soft blues with beiges, whites, greys & blacks were used throughout the design.
Style Guide that was used throughout the creation of Forx & Knives
Once the style guide was completed, we were able to start the development of the website and mobile application.
Marketing Strategy
The key feature that defines Forx & Knives is its attentiveness to ingredient transparency and identifying allergy friendly food items. From a marketing standpoint, this is the feature we think will draw the most attention to our platform and help keep users around for continued use.
THE IMPACT
ORDERING WITH CONFIDENCE.
Forx & Knives was created to provide individuals with allergies a tool to order restaurant food online with confidence. We succeeded beyond this goal as Forx & Knives evolved into a platform that anyone can use with ease regardless of dietary or physical needs.
With all of the effort we put forth into user research, user centered design and marketing strategy we were able to:
Create a unique product in a niche market desired by millions of users.
Establish a well defined brand designed to attract new users.
Design an intricate system that is meaningful for its users.
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