Designing experiences for Australia's largest user base
Making informed design decisions
Understanding meal planning
Shortly after joining the team, I was tasked with pioneering the company's foray into meal planning, a new area of focus with no pre-existing solutions. I initiated this journey with thorough research, encompassing user interviews, analysis of existing internal data, and collaborative data analysis sessions with the team. Our research unearthed key themes and challenges in meal planning: a predominant weekly planning trend, with dinners being the main focus, followed by lunches and rarely breakfasts. A notable pain point emerged around the stress of accommodating diverse dietary requirements and managing grocery shopping. Armed with these insights, I crafted a user journey map. This tool not only engaged our stakeholders but also sharpened the design strategy to specifically address these identified challenges.
Exploring & validating ideas efficiently
My approach to wireframes is to explore ideas quickly without getting bogged down in details. Wireframes can also help aid in early technical discussions with developers to better mediate technical feasibility risks. This efficient, low fidelity method helps avoid the wasted effort of pursuing unviable high fidelity routes. After exploring multiple layouts and flows, I arrived at two strong concepts for the primary meal planning experience. I then refined them into higher fidelity prototypes and conducted user testing and internal testing. The feedback decisively pointed to option A, with its efficient multitasking design, as the preferred choice.
A cross platform meal planning experience
When designing the meal planner experience, I focused on creating a seamless and consistent user experience across various devices and platforms. Emphasising adaptability and coherence, the design ensured users enjoyed a fluid and intuitive interaction, whether on mobile, web, or tablet interfaces.
Get inspired and plan for your week
After receiving the concept of a meal planner from my PM at the time, I then drove the UX and UI design of the meal planning product. Crafting numerous features via a Double Diamond design process.
Swap recipe ingredients based on preferences
A key goal while designing for Woolworths is customisation. Our research revealed important themes in ingredient preferences, leading us to integrate these insights into various features while maintaining advanced options for those looking for in-depth control.
Filter based on diet & allergies
I designed filters and information hierarchy guided by user data analysis streamlining the experience for users with dietary and allergy needs. The approach included intuitive filtering and clear labelling, ensuring easy and safe navigation for these users.
Julio Castellano
Lead Product Designer @ Woolworths