// Food Filter Project

Duration

📅 Project Duration: Research & Concept Development: June - August 2023
🎯 Role: Project Lead & UX Researcher
👥 Team Members: Ursula Muts, Kerli Pajusaar, Anette Luik

Overview & Goal

The Food Filter project is focused on creating a mobile application that helps users quickly understand food product labels and ingredient lists. The project was structured around:

Total Work Done

📌 UX Research & User Insights
✔ Survey research (100 respondents) to gauge interest & willingness to pay.
✔ Focus group studies (4-7 people per group) to explore user expectations.
✔ Persona development for different user categories.
✔ Card sorting & navigation tests for app usability.

📌 App Structure & Service Model Design
✔ Three-tiered approach (Low, Medium, Premium) for user segmentation.
✔ Competitive analysis to compare Food Filter with existing alternatives.
✔ Wireframing key app functions in Figma.
✔ Prototyping simple solutions for label readability & allergen filtering.

📌 Business & Marketing Strategy
✔ Identified core value proposition for different user groups.
✔ Designed potential monetization strategies (freemium model, partnerships).
✔ Outlined marketing approaches for retailers, food companies & communities.
✔ Planned onboarding & user retention methods to grow the customer base.

1️⃣ Research & Strategy Development:

  • Identifying user needs & market demand for a label-scanning food filter app.
  • Conducting user research, surveys, and focus groups to validate assumptions.
  • Structuring the pricing & service model into three tiers (Low, Medium, Premium).

2️⃣ User Experience (UX) Research & Wireframing:

  • Defining core user personas and their unique pain points.
  • Mapping user flows & app navigation for ease of use.
  • Designing wireframes & structural layouts for the app’s main features.

3️⃣ Marketing & Business Model Development:

  • Understanding potential revenue sources & pricing strategies.
  • Defining customer acquisition strategies for different tiers.
  • Planning branding & outreach efforts to drive user adoption.

Research

What We Did Together as a Team

✅ User Research & Data Collection

  • Developed & tested surveys to understand potential user behavior.
  • Conducted focus groups with health-conscious consumers.
  • Created detailed personas based on research findings.
  • Mapped common user frustrations in reading food labels.

✅ App Structure & UX Design

  • Outlined the three-tier pricing & service model.
  • Planned & wireframed key screens for the app prototype.
  • Defined navigation & usability features to ensure accessibility.

✅ Marketing & Business Planning

  • Defined core marketing messages for each service tier.
  • Identified potential partners (retailers, health organizations).
  • Analyzed business viability to determine user adoption potential.

What I Did Individually

🌟 Project Management & Strategy Execution

  • Led project planning & structured the research approach.
  • Defined the key research objectives & designed the methodology.
  • Scheduled & coordinated focus groups & interviews.

📊 User Research & Data Analysis

  • Created the survey structure & analyzed responses.
  • Led focus group discussions to gather qualitative insights.
  • Translated user feedback into actionable design decisions.

📊 Wireframing & UX Planning

  • Helped to designe app navigation & screen layouts in Figma.
  • Mapped user journeys based on research insights.
  • Helped to plan features for each service tier (Low, Medium, Premium).

📊 Business Model & Marketing Input

  • Identified pricing strategies & potential monetization models.
  • Proposed onboarding strategies to boost early adoption

Key Challenges & Solutions

🔹 Defining the Right Target Audience →
💡 Solution: Conducted focus group discussions to refine user personas & pricing strategies.

🔹 Ensuring an Easy & Engaging UX →
💡 Solution: Performed usability research (card sorting, journey mapping) before designing wireframes.

🔹 Balancing Free vs. Paid Features →
💡 Solution: Structured the three-tier pricing model to encourage users to upgrade.

🔹 Educating Users About the App’s Value →
💡 Solution: Designed marketing messages based on core user problems (e.g., label readability).

Lessons Learned & Future Improvements

✅ Deep User Research Pays Off → More research upfront helped shape the app’s features effectively.

✅ Freemium Models Require a Strong Entry Point → The Low-tier needed to be valuable enough to attract users without making the Premium tier unnecessary.

✅ Technical Considerations Matter → Future steps will involve collaborating with developers to ensure feasibility.

✅ Marketing Needs to Start Early → Growing a user base requires pre-launch engagement & partnerships.

Final Takeaways

🔹 Designed a UX research-driven food filtering app structure.
🔹 Developed a three-tiered pricing model based on real user needs.
🔹 Created clear personas & usability-tested app navigation.
🔹 Mapped out potential revenue & marketing strategies.

Food Filter App

Introduction

Food Filter homepage