How might we improve the experience of going out for people who don’t drink alcohol?
Bar None
Skills
User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Persona Creation, User Flow, Paper Prototyping, Sketching, Wireframes, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Client Presentation
Role
Design Lead, UX Designer, UI Designer, Research Lead, Researcher
Tools
Adobe XD, Powerpoint, Sketch, InVision
Discovery+Research
Key assumptions about existing pain points prior to research:
Looking for new friends
Frustrated or annoyed with high ticket prices for events that included alcohol in the price of the ticket
They would prefer not to go to places like bars of vineyards.
Research led to awareness, that users actually:
Already had established long term groups of friends
Didn't seem to notice or care about high ticket prices
Didn't mind going to bars or vineyards as long as there was something else to do (arcade, vineyard tour, etc.), however they often struggled during the planning process to identify places that would offer alternate activities, often resulting in staying home and missing out on time with their friends.
Persona Development
A solution for both people who did and did not drink alcohol was the best fit for the user. They were seeking quality time with their friends, regardless of their alcohol consumption.
The project brief:
“This mobile app aims to make finding sober friendly activities for groups of friends quick, and easy. Through a defined set of interests, the app will suggest nearby restaurants, events, and even bars that are “sober friendly”, so friends can spend more time together, in spaces where everyone is comfortable.”
Sketching+Wireframing
The app originally started with one large button that would notify anyone you were connected with that you were looking for something to do, to allow users to quickly and easily ping friends or put together a group on the fly. This quickly proved to be confusing, and concerning, users didn't want to spam their friends, this seemed like it would become annoying very quickly.
Wireframing + Usability Testing
Initial rounds of user testing resulted in further development of key features. A customizable friends lists that would let the user quickly and easily reach out, without spamming their entire contact list when they wanted to see who was available to go out.
From there users are able to set some additional preferences, and then receive venue suggestions that are curated to be environments that offer sufficient options to both drinkers and non-drinkers.
To test the app yourself and provide some additional feedback, the final prototype is located here: https://xd.adobe.com/view/569996a1-db68-42da-bb6c-9c9ca796e8b3