From their kitchen to anywhere you are, all in one app.
HeartyGrub is a mobile app that connects you with local home cooks, delivering warm, homemade meals prepared with the love and flavor of a family-cooked meal.
Our cooks put love into every dish, but we are struggling to make that come through in the app. We need someone to help us better understand our users by identifying what they expect, what confuses them, and what would make them trust us. The goal is to create an experience that is not just functional but heartfelt, just like the food.
The goal of this project was to design a functional and emotionally engaging prototype for the HeartyGrub app. To achieve this, I focused on empathizing with users by creating detailed user personas and scenario-based journeys that reflected their real-world needs and behaviors. These insights guided creating low-fidelity wireframes, which developed into a user-centered, high-fidelity prototype.
I contributed to the HeartyGrub project as the UI/UX designer. This role guided my focus toward the following areas during the project:
App Design
UI/UX Design
Adobe Illustrator and XD
Microsoft Office
Storyboard That
Getting to know the people who crave a taste of home and walking through the everyday scenarios that shape what they really need.
Sebastian is a persona representing the typical food finder user searching for a home-cooked meal. His age, location, and occupation reflect the average of users who would use this service: individuals in their 20s, 30s, or 40s living in larger cities, with one or more occupations that occupy most of their day. Sebastian will guide the design process by helping to consider the needs and motivations of someone who prefers not to leave their location for comfort food, seeks more recommendations, and looks for services that fill the gap for home-style meals.
This scenario below is a common experience not only for Sebastian but for many users. Manually searching for food recommendations requires effort and trying to track down your delivery when it is accidentally dropped off at the wrong door can be frustrating and stressful, especially on days when you are exhausted from work, school, or both. It is our responsibility to understand these challenges and find design solutions.
Wireframing the journey to homemade meals with HeartyGrub.
The wireframe was shaped by Sebastian’s motivations, frustrations, and user scenarios. I aimed to address key issues such as the need to preschedule orders for users with limited time and the problem of deliveries being accidentally dropped off at the wrong door by implementing practical solutions. Before completing their order, users can select a delivery option and choose to preschedule for a later time if needed. Additionally, while the delivery person is en route, users have the option to communicate with them to ensure the meal is placed at the correct location.
Where vision becomes reality: transforming wireframes and user insights into a fully interactive experience.
HeartyGrub has now developed a mobile app that connects users with local home cooks, brought to life through an eight-screen prototype that guides users seamlessly through the journey of ordering homemade meals.
