My Role

I was responsible for the experience strategy and design of the iOS tablet and kiosk app. I worked alongside another UX designer and we divided the project into ‘deciding’ and ‘purchasing’. I led the UX work for the ‘deciding’ piece, producing all major deliverables for the top of the funnel. We partnered with two consulting designers on Visa’s Co-Creation team to conduct exploratory research and initial usability testing on wireframes.

DISCOVERY

Talk to Users

To learn what the pain points of the current cake ordering experience were, we interviewed Safeway customers from around the country. Before each interview, we asked participants to place an order for a customized cake of their choice at their local Safeway and document their ordering experience with a 30 second video. We also asked them to pick up their cake the next day and record another 30 second video discussing that process. ​

Following the interviews, the team prepared empathy maps for each user.

We used the empathy maps to identify common pain points and moments that matter to our users. We discussed and prioritized these issues to discover what were the biggest problems with the current ordering process. Using these, we wrote a problem statement: how might we modernize the cake ordering experience and help users make decisions?

Important insights learned at this stage included:

• The cake book that users ordered from was outdated and poorly maintained

• Users are often unsure on what cake flavor combinations will taste the best

• Verbalizing cake orders directly to the baker often led to errors and miscommunication - particularly when cakes were inscribed with messages

DESIGN

Ideation

With the problem statement in mind, we began the ideation process by generating as many potential solutions as possible.

We worked out what solutions best met our users' needs and focused on those. We settled on a primary persona and designed a storyboard that depicted the best customer experience for them. Our solution was an application and in store kiosk that would eliminate the need for the cake book, decrease the risk of error from miscommunication and modernize the cake ordering experience for our end user. With this in mind, myself and the other designer each designed different wireframes for the user so we could test what the ideal user flow is for our users.

Findings

Following usability testing, we discovered our users loved having some guidance on cake flavor combinations but enjoyed getting creative and choosing their own decorations. As a result, we decided to provide pre built cake combinations as well as detailed descriptions of the cake component flavors in order to make the experience easier for our users.

After testing and refining the wireframes, we had a clear user flow for customers ordering customized cakes.

DETAILED DESIGN

When moving to the visual design phase, we chose bold typography, bright colors and highlighted lifestyle imagery to reinforce the idea of the cake ordering experience as a special occasion, enjoyed with friends.

Celebrate with a cake

Users see ordering a cake as a direct association with a birthday or special occasion. We chose bright colors and lifestyle imagery because we wanted to make this ordering experience less about the transaction and more about a connection between people. 

Simplify and automate

A big problem users had was with communicating their inscriptions with the baker. By automating this experience, we eliminated the potential for mistakes or miscommunications. We also made selecting a pick up time simple and clear so users could focus on celebrating, not worrying if their cake would be ready.

FINDINGS

The Impact

We ran a pilot in a Safeway bakery in Alameda, CA for 3 weeks and processed over 50 cake orders, over 3 times the average order volume for that store. We interviewed 8 of the customers who placed an order and found that users responded very well to the clear, simplified approach. Customers felt more secure that their order would be correct and liked the convenience of being able to order outside regular bakery hours.

We also interviewed the Safeway bakers to understand the impact introducing an automated system had on bakery operations. They had positive and negative feedback. They really liked knowing that the orders they were making were exactly what the customer specified, rather than having to read the order takers’ handwriting which often led to mistakes. Unfortunately, negative feedback largely related to incorrect inventory management of the themed cake toys - which was beyond our control and subject to ongoing improvements.

The Launch

The kiosk application is currently live in over 30 Safeway-owned supermarkets in central Texas, with a view to launch nationally in the next 12 months.