Apptite - marketplace for artesanal food
Mobile App (1st version)
This project is a partnership with Martin Labs
About
This app is marketplace for artesanal food. Home cooks and chefs upload their menu and set date/time for ordering. It works by location, so it will display only the closer chefs to the user, according to his location. There are several kinds of meals that the user can browse and order. This app was developed for users who like to eat a well cooked meal and don't have much time to do it theirselves. It's made for users who have busy days and like to program when, where and what they want to eat. Available for Android and iOS.
The problem
There is a huge demand for delivery in Sao Paulo. The most common food deliveries are pizza and burgers and not all the time they have the quality the clients want. We felt that there was a gap in the market that we could fill with different options of food deliveries. In the era of shared economy, we've decided that it might be possible to reveal new talents in the kitchen and profit form that. That started as our own pain and dream: the perfect meal, made specially for me, delivered where ever I am.
Our only question was: is that only our dream or is there anyone else dreaming about it too?
The discovery
Thinking about those wishes and desires, we started our research in social medias and other delivery apps, to check if there were people who were already cooking on demand, but didn't have a place to display their meals. We noticed that they existed, but they didn't have any structure in logistics and communications and were very amateur. Knowing that there were people already selling food and people buying from them, that was our shot: merge both in one place: Apptite.
The team and our challenge
We were a small team, made by one UI designer, one project manager, me as lead designer and a couple of developers. Our job now was to create the most amazing food delivery in Sao Paulo and help home cooks to increase their incomes by providing a marketplace for them to sell their products. Now was the time to benchmark. There were no such apps available doing what we wanted, so, there were no competition. That was the good part. On the other hand, we had to build an experience from scratch, as easy as possible, as friendly as possible with a great customer service. I started drafting the simplest journey possible, covering everything required:
• set delivery location
• set time and date
• display chefs and their menus
How do we stand out?
After meeting with potential chefs, we realized that it was hard to delivery instantly. In order to keep it fresh and prepared by demand, we needed to create a system that allowed us to sell not only "for now" but also scheduled. We managed to create a calendar so the user could schedule their order with one week advance. That was something that restaurants couldn't provide their customers and charge affordable prices. That's what Apptite is all about: making people's lives easier and tastier with affordable prices.
Apptite came to fulfill one purpose: make your life easier and tastier!
Full journey flow
How to start purchasing
First, set date and address. Then, the user could start searching for the meals. This selections can change the timeline because it's guided by locations between chef and user and availability of meals. The user could use the main filters to give even more accurate options. If not filtered, the user can navigate through the timeline with all info required about the meals: name, price, photo, how many people it serves, chef name and pic and order button. The user can also click on it to see more details and ingredients. At the bottom, there is a secondary menu, in case the user already knows the name of the plate/chef/location he or she wants. The filter area was built to be simple and intuitive to the user. After the user clicks on the configuration icon, it changes the color from black to orange, showing that the action is completed. The lines separate in a very clear way the segments of the filters, to make it easy for the user to identify which filter he is choosing. After choosing the filters, it shows how many meals are in this category (Ex: see 7 options)
Branding and visual identity
The logo was simple and created by a third designer, hired only for that. The colors of Apptite's communications were bright and appealing. The warm tones were chosen because of the connection with the will to eat. Photography and testimonials encouraged the users to buy and live this new experience. All categories were divided by filters to make the experience easier and more accurate for the users. The icons and names follow a pattern to create an identity among the main categories, making the navigation more intuitive and easy for the user.
Real Time Experience
Chat developed to make easier and faster connection between user and chefs. The user can customize his order by talking straight to the chef. Also, the chefs could send promotions and discounts straight to their main clients and keep a close connection to them.
Last but not least
The check out screen is also very descriptive. It shows the user all filters and informations he chose during the process. Here, the user can change the date and set the time to receive the meal and also choose toppings to make the meal even more customized. There is also an option to choose more meals from the same chef before check out. After the user have chosen everything, there is a summary with all purchase details and costs before clicking "continue" to finish the order.
