suadeo

suadeo

Suadeo is a user-friendly app designed to give users a place to read trusted reviews from friends and community members, creating a better experience when choosing restaurants to visit.

Suadeo is a user-friendly app designed to give users a place to read trusted reviews from friends and community members, creating a better experience when choosing restaurants to visit.

Introduction & Background

Introduction & Background

There’s a wide selection of restaurants in every city, making it hard to choose new places where to go, often depending on cravings, time, and the restaurant’s proximity. Even with so many websites for reading reviews, it’s always easier to decide when a friend or family member recommends a place they’ve personally visited and experienced, from the service to the atmosphere.

There’s a wide selection of restaurants in every city, making it hard to choose new places where to go, often depending on cravings, time, and the restaurant’s proximity. Even with so many websites for reading reviews, it’s always easier to decide when a friend or family member recommends a place they’ve personally visited and experienced, from the service to the atmosphere.

The challenge

The challenge

With strong competitors like Google Reviews and TripAdvisor, Suadeo needed a unique focus—a user-friendly app centered on trusted recommendations. One of the biggest challenges is to encourage users, through design, to leave honest reviews of places they visit, so the community of trustworthy recommendations can truly succeed.

With strong competitors like Google Reviews and TripAdvisor, Suadeo needed a unique focus—a user-friendly app centered on trusted recommendations. One of the biggest challenges is to encourage users, through design, to leave honest reviews of places they visit, so the community of trustworthy recommendations can truly succeed.

the solution

the solution

The Suadeo app was created as a trusted space for discovering and sharing food spots recommendations from friends, family, and the community. With features like custom lists, easy reviews, and a clean design, Suadeo encourages honest feedback, helping users feel confident in their dining choices whether they’re local or traveling.

The Suadeo app was created as a trusted space for discovering and sharing food spots recommendations from friends, family, and the community. With features like custom lists, easy reviews, and a clean design, Suadeo encourages honest feedback, helping users feel confident in their dining choices whether they’re local or traveling.

check out the suadeo prototype!

check out the suadeo prototype!

check out the suadeo prototype!

Go to Prototype

Go to Prototype

Want to see how it all came together?

Want to see how it all came together?

Keep reading to follow along with my design journey!

Keep reading to follow along with my design journey!

My role

My role

In this project, I worked on every part of the UX design process, from researching users’ needs to creating the final design and prototype.

In this project, I worked on every part of the UX design process, from researching users’ needs to creating the final design and prototype.

Year: 2024

Duration: 100 hours

Tools: Figma, Microsoft Office and Illustrator

Skills: UX/UI Design, UX Research, Prototyping, User Testing and Adaptability

Year: 2024

Duration: 100 hours

Tools: Figma, Microsoft Office and Illustrator

Skills: UX/UI Design, UX Research, Prototyping, User Testing and Adaptability

Finding the Right Approach

Finding the Right Approach

To make Suadeo truly helpful and trustworthy, I started by looking at competitor apps and talking to real users about how they choose restaurants. This research helped me understand common frustrations and what would make Suadeo stand out by focusing on trusted recommendations from friends.

To make Suadeo truly helpful and trustworthy, I started by looking at competitor apps and talking to real users about how they choose restaurants. This research helped me understand common frustrations and what would make Suadeo stand out by focusing on trusted recommendations from friends.

comparing to the competition

comparing to the competition

comparing to the competition

Users Interviews and Affinity Mapping Insights

Users Interviews and Affinity Mapping Insights

Users Interviews and Affinity Mapping Insights

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

This research showed that users wanted more personal and trustworthy recommendations, so I focused on making that a key part of Suadeo. Users are generally interested in an app that combines user-friendly navigation, social connectivity, and reliable reviews.

This research showed that users wanted more personal and trustworthy recommendations, so I focused on making that a key part of Suadeo. Users are generally interested in an app that combines user-friendly navigation, social connectivity, and reliable reviews.

Defining the Solution

Defining the Solution

With user feedback and competitor research in mind, I began shaping Suadeo’s core features to make it simple and reliable. By focusing on friend-based recommendations, easy navigation, and useful tools like lists and reviews, the goal was to create a solution that helps users find trusted spots without the stress of endless searching.

With user feedback and competitor research in mind, I began shaping Suadeo’s core features to make it simple and reliable. By focusing on friend-based recommendations, easy navigation, and useful tools like lists and reviews, the goal was to create a solution that helps users find trusted spots without the stress of endless searching.

Meet Our foodies

Meet Our foodies

To design a solution that truly connects with Suadeo users, I created personas representing the app's target audience. These personas served as our guide, helping us stay focused on real, relatable goals throughout the design process.

To design a solution that truly connects with Suadeo users, I created personas representing the app's target audience. These personas served as our guide, helping us stay focused on real, relatable goals throughout the design process.

Goals and Problem Statements

Goals and Problem Statements

With the personas in mind, I crafted clear goals for the project and the users.

With the personas in mind, I crafted clear goals for the project and the users.

Goals

Goals

Business Goals: Grow their user base: Attract users with a unique, easy-to-use platform for discovering and sharing dining experiences.

User Goals: Provide trustworthy, detailed reviews with photos and filters, ensuring a smooth review process.

Common Goals: Focus on ease of use, relevant features, and reliability to keep users engaged and loyal.

Business Goals: Grow their user base: Attract users with a unique, easy-to-use platform for discovering and sharing dining experiences.

User Goals: Provide trustworthy, detailed reviews with photos and filters, ensuring a smooth review process.

Common Goals: Focus on ease of use, relevant features, and reliability to keep users engaged and loyal.

Problem Statements

Problem Statements

Users are looking for a convenient and reliable way to discover and share favorite dining spots, both locally and when traveling. Currently, they rely on memory or save places in Google Maps. Interviews revealed a strong desire for easy-to-use features to leave reviews, find spots, and access detailed information about each place.

Users are looking for a convenient and reliable way to discover and share favorite dining spots, both locally and when traveling. Currently, they rely on memory or save places in Google Maps. Interviews revealed a strong desire for easy-to-use features to leave reviews, find spots, and access detailed information about each place.

How might we simplify the process of discovering, trusting the reviews and saving favorite places in just one place for users?

How might we simplify the process of discovering, trusting the reviews and saving favorite places in just one place for users?

How might we encourage users to leave reviews by making the process quick and easy without extra effort?

How might we encourage users to leave reviews by making the process quick and easy without extra effort?

Defining the Features

Defining the Features

Defining the Features

sitemap

sitemap

sitemap

User flows

User flows

User flows

Takeaways Defining the Solution

Takeaways Defining the Solution

Creating personas helped me design Suadeo to be relatable and meet users' needs for trusted, friend-based recommendations.


The main goal was to make Suadeo simple and trustworthy, allowing users to find reliable dining recommendations easily.


The features prioritize easy access to friends reviews and easy way to leave a review, with fun extras to keep users engaged.


The sitemap and user flows helped me organize the app for smooth navigation, ensuring users can quickly find key features like reviews, lists, and search.

Creating personas helped me design Suadeo to be relatable and meet users' needs for trusted, friend-based recommendations.


The main goal was to make Suadeo simple and trustworthy, allowing users to find reliable dining recommendations easily.


The features prioritize easy access to friends reviews and easy way to leave a review, with fun extras to keep users engaged.


The sitemap and user flows helped me organize the app for smooth navigation, ensuring users can quickly find key features like reviews, lists, and search.

Desing Process

Desing Process

Low - Fi Wireframing

Low - Fi Wireframing

The user flow gave me an idea on how people would move through the app—from finding a new spot to leaving a review. I started with low-fidelity wireframes, sketching out the main screens to see how it all fit together

The user flow gave me an idea on how people would move through the app—from finding a new spot to leaving a review. I started with low-fidelity wireframes, sketching out the main screens to see how it all fit together

Mid - Fidelity Wireframing

Mid - Fidelity Wireframing

testing the mid-fidelity prototype

testing the mid-fidelity prototype

testing the mid-fidelity prototype

key takeaway user testing

key takeaway user testing

Overall, users responded very positively to the app; they loved the clean, easy-to-use design. A few minor changes need to be made, and additional information could be added to the restaurant cards on the homepage and lists to help users access key details without navigating to the restaurant’s page.

Overall, users responded very positively to the app; they loved the clean, easy-to-use design. A few minor changes need to be made, and additional information could be added to the restaurant cards on the homepage and lists to help users access key details without navigating to the restaurant’s page.

High - Fidelity Wireframing

High - Fidelity Wireframing

After listening to user feedback and opinions, I took everything into consideration and started adding color and images to create the high-fidelity wireframes.

After listening to user feedback and opinions, I took everything into consideration and started adding color and images to create the high-fidelity wireframes.

testing the final prototype

testing the final prototype

testing the final prototype

ui kit suadeo

ui kit suadeo

ui kit suadeo

Iterations and Final High - Fidelity Wireframes

Iterations and Final High - Fidelity Wireframes

After a few iterations following user testing, the final high-fidelity wireframes and prototype are ready for handoff. So, what were the major changes?

After a few iterations following user testing, the final high-fidelity wireframes and prototype are ready for handoff. So, what were the major changes?

Now you can see which friends recommended this spot by username instead of avatar.

Now you can see which friends recommended this spot by username instead of avatar.

The information on the restaurant card is now more complete.

The information on the restaurant card is now more complete.

The color changed from blue to orange for better integration.


The “recommended” review was updated to “worth the price.”


The amount per person is now clearer and better integrated

The color changed from blue to orange for better integration.


The “recommended” review was updated to “worth the price.”


The amount per person is now clearer and better integrated

High - Fidelity Wireframes

High - Fidelity Wireframes

Outcome and Reflections

Outcome and Reflections

Reflecting on this project, Suadeo’s focus on trusted recommendations from friends and family really solves a big need for people who want reliable dining options. It makes it so much easier to find, save, and share favorite spots, creating a more personal and enjoyable experience overall.

Reflecting on this project, Suadeo’s focus on trusted recommendations from friends and family really solves a big need for people who want reliable dining options. It makes it so much easier to find, save, and share favorite spots, creating a more personal and enjoyable experience overall.

Thanks for taking an interest in this case study!

Thanks for taking an interest in this case study!

This project was an amazing opportunity to completely reimagine Suadeo. The app had potential, but without any prior research or user insights, many of its features weren’t reaching their full potential. Redesigning it from the beginning made me realize how essential user research is to creating a smooth and enjoyable experience.

This project was an amazing opportunity to completely reimagine Suadeo. The app had potential, but without any prior research or user insights, many of its features weren’t reaching their full potential. Redesigning it from the beginning made me realize how essential user research is to creating a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Remember to leave reviews wherever you go to help build a community of honest, trustworthy recommendations!

Remember to leave reviews wherever you go to help build a community of honest, trustworthy recommendations!

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© 2024 Aurora Hollenstein. All Rights Reserved.

© 2024 Aurora Hollenstein. All Rights Reserved.