Tropical Smoothie Update

Product Design

Visual Design

Academic Projects

About Me

Smart Smoothie

Tropical Smoothie • 2024 • 5 minute read

A redesign of Tropical Smoothies’ mobile ordering app to improve nutritional transparency through a live calorie tracker, menu description and a new comparison tool.

Product Design

New Features

Personal

Role

Product Designer

Duration

6 weeks

Tools

Figma, Google Forms, Chatgpt

Impact

-$9.8M+ annual revenue increase

-4 additional touchpoints for nutritional decreasing conversion time by at least 10%

-Lower Dropoff rates

Product menu

product page

Problem

The existing app lacks nutrition transparency and calorie tracking during customization.

Unlike it’s competitors, the app does not provide full ingredient lists or a live calorie tracker, leaving users unaware of nutritional impacts. The absence of “local favorites,” calorie ranges and highlighted lower-calorie or low-sugar options further limits informed, health-conscious choices. This encourages long conversion rates at best and drop offs at worst.

Solution

To address these challenges, I designed a live calorie tracker, incorporated detailed ingredient lists, introduced comparison tools and a “fan favorites” category, and added calorie ranges to category sections. These enhancements aim to improve user engagement by providing full transparency of product details, promoting healthier alternatives, and reducing drop-off rates

Impact

new tools to assist new and returning customers in making confident choices.

dynamic touchpoints for nutritional information, enhancing accessibility and transparency.

Lower drop-off rates driven by improved customer awareness of their options.

9.8M

revenue increase based on just a 1% sales boost per store.

Research

As a loyal customer, I noticed Tropical lacked key nutritional features. It was a long process to get a low sugar and high protein smoothie So I conducted user surveys and interviews to see if I wasn’t alone

66.4%

How often do you use apps to order food or drinks?

At least a couple times a month

44.4%

How important is nutrition to you when deciding what to order?

Important/Very Important

33.3%

Which feature do you think is the most valuable as a customer

A live calorie counter that updates as you replace ingredients

A "local favorites" or last time you ordered" section

44.4%

How important is nutrition to you when deciding what to order?

Important/Very Important

Empathize

User Survey

Competitive Audit

Desk Research

User Interviews

User Survey

Competitive Audit

Desk Research

User Interviews

Define

User Journey

Affinity Mapping

Define Personas

Problem Definiton

User Journey

Affinity Mapping

Define Personas

Problem Definiton

Design

Brainstorming

User Flow

Wireframing

Prototyping

Brainstorming

User Flow

Wireframing

Prototyping

Test

A/B Testing

SUS

Rapid Testing

Internal Testing

A/B Testing

SUS

Rapid Testing

Internal Testing

Alexa Thomas

Age: 26-27 years old

Occupation: Healthcare Professional and Nonprofit Starter

Lifestyle: Very active, works out 5 days a week, and often on the go

Age: 26-27 years old

Occupation: Healthcare Professional and Nonprofit Starter

Lifestyle: Very active, works out 5 days a week, and often on the go

Goals and Motivations:

Efficiency and reliability: Needs quick, seamless pickup options to fit her packed schedule. Late pickups that disrupt plans are a major frustration.

Informed choices: Wants a transparent ingredient list and calorie tracker to make healthier decisions without wasting time.

Customization and clarity: Prefers the ability to preview and filter ingredients before making a selection.

Efficiency and reliability: Needs quick, seamless pickup options to fit her packed schedule. Late pickups that disrupt plans are a major frustration.

Informed choices: Wants a transparent ingredient list and calorie tracker to make healthier decisions without wasting time.

Customization and clarity: Prefers the ability to preview and filter ingredients before making a selection.

Pain Points:

Annoyed by delayed orders that affect her busy routine.

Finds it frustrating to lack ingredient previews or live calorie information, making her hesitant about trying new items.

Misses the ability to compare similar smoothies side-by-side

Annoyed by delayed orders that affect her busy routine.

Finds it frustrating to lack ingredient previews or live calorie information, making her hesitant about trying new items.

Misses the ability to compare similar smoothies side-by-side

Design Decision #1: Calorie Counter

I found that a more minimal design aligned better with the existing design system, while still allowing users to view all ingredients whenever they chose.

3 riterataion of the calorie tracker: on the bottome, top and corner of the display

Before

after

Design Decision #2: Smoothie Menu

I aimed to answer questions before they were asked. To achieve this, I included calorie ranges, category descriptions, a fan favorites group, a sugar-free menu, and a comparison feature.

Image of Existing App Menu with no changes

Before

Image of New Smoothie Menu that includes a sugar free menu link, a comparison feature link. a fan favorites menu section, and new descriptions and caloric ranges for each menu section

Design Decision #3: Consistency is Key

I ensured the new features were seamless and intuitive. For example, I introduced a live calorie counter in the nutrition facts and made ingredient details transparent across multiple touchpoints.