Redesigning Seek’s Core Experience from the Ground Up
Seek is an app that helps users discover recommendations for places to eat, drink, and hang out, written by curators with similar tastes. However, we noticed that some users were having trouble using the app, such as difficulty navigating, using search and filter, and finding useful recommendations.
In this case study, you’ll see the redesign process, and the impact the redesigned app had on users.
Context
Seek is an app that allows users to “discover recommendations on where to eat, drink, and hang, written by like-minded curators
Business Goal
The business needed to increase monthly active users (MAU).
Problem
Seek learned that their users were having difficulty navigating the app, trouble using search and filter, and not being able to find useful information in their recs.
1. Empathize & Define
I facilitated a company-wide design sprint to better understand the problems that users were experiencing with our product. Through a series of exercises, we generated over 100 ideas for potential solutions. The outcome of the design sprint was the creation of two high-fidelity prototypes, which we used to test with users.
Research
I conducted a quantitative interviews with six participants to get a better understanding of how they search and discover recommendations. I created two prototypes that were designed to test a users reaction to different search and discovery experiences. They were given a set of tasks to complete in the prototypes, then questioned about their experience.
Prototype 1: “Context and Control”
Prototype 2: “Guided and Inspired”
Findings
📌 Location. Location. Location:
Location was often first thing a user wanted to know before engaging with a rec.
🏠 Recs are the home of the Seek App:
A homepage of recs made more sense to users than a homepage featuring curators.
🔎 Filtering as a Means of Discovery:
With a static homepage, and limited search abilities, users filtered as a workaround to discover relevant recs.
🤙 Discover by Vibes:
Users loved searching, filtering, and learning about the vibe of recommendations.
2. Ideate
Homepage
Based on the insights we gained from research and the design sprint, I started brainstorming solutions to help users discover relevant recommendations. I focused on two main areas: homepage customization and recommendation merchandising. For homepage customization, I explored ideas for creating a personalized experience based on a user's interests, as well as allowing users to filter recommendations by location, category, and vibe. For recommendation merchandising, I focused on ways to organize and categorize recommendations in new and innovative ways. These concepts helped us improve the user experience and make it easier for users to find the recommendations that are most relevant to them.
Homepage Customization Concepts
Recommendation Merchandising Concepts
Search & Discovery
We wanted to enhance the search functionality and create an experience that inspires users to browse and explore the app. To do this, we proposed adding features such as the ability to search by neighborhood, location, or proximity, and the ability to filter by vibe. We also recognized that because the app is new to many users, they may not know exactly what to search for. Therefore, we also focused on creating an inspired browsing experience that showcases the wide range of recommendations available in the app. This helps users find what they are looking for and discover new recommendations that they may not have thought of.
Search & Discovery Concepts
Contextual Information Concepts
Recommendations
The core purpose of the Seek app is to help users discover recommendations for places to eat, drink, and hang out. It was important for us to improve the experience of viewing recommendations within the app. To do this, I conducted additional research to understand what information users need in the recommendations to make them useful and actionable. This research helped us design the recommendation pages in a way that meets the needs of the user. By providing the right information and making it easy to access, we can help users make better decisions about where to go and what to do based on the recommendations they see.
Research
In order to better understand what information is most important to users when it comes to recommendations, I recruited six participants to participate in a co-creation exercise. I created a Figjam featuring a variety of different UI elements and information that a user might want in a recommendation. I then asked the participants to to drag the elements and information that they want to see in a recommendation onto a phone mockup, to represent their ideal recommendation. This exercise allowed us to see which elements and information were most important to the participants, and will help us design the recommendation pages in a way that meets the needs of our users.
Research participants output during the Co-Creation Exercise
Findings
👥 For Foodies and Experience-Seekers
The two most important things people wanted to learn about were food and atmosphere, over other information like affiliation or who wrote the rec.
👀 Scanability
People wanted to find their relevant information quickly, without having to put in a lot of effort to find what they’re looking for.
🚦 Logistical information makes recs more actionable
Having logistical information like public transit options made users more likely to save a rec.
✅ Not all trust-indicators are created equal
With a static homepage, and limited search abilities, users filtered as a workaround to discover relevant recs.
3. Deliver
After internal reviews with stakeholders, the updated redesign launched. The new site featured swipable full-width images to increase engagement, as well as Interactive product swatches. Vertical space was saved by removing thumbnails and replacing them with a carousel indicator. Below the fold was revamped to create a scalable templated information area to help with story telling.
4. Impact
Just before launch we had users interact with the high-fidelity prototype. No major red flags or blockers to launch were identified during testing. The new Seek app launched in the App Store in June 2022 to great reviews. The current app has a 4.9 rating.
Metrics
Increased in monthly active users.
Increase in visit per MAU.
Number of recs users engage with per session
Number of favorited recs
Average session time
Number of curators followed
Learnings
I led a team in redesigning the in-app experience for our users. We had a tight timeline of three months for this project, so we had to scale back some of our initial design ideas to make them feasible within the given timeframe. After launching the redesigned app, we will be gathering feedback from users to learn how they are finding the experience and identify new opportunities for improvement.
If I had the opportunity to do this project again, I would have scoped the features with the team earlier and brought the engineering team in earlier in the design process. This would have allowed us to align on the scope of the project and ensure that our designs were feasible from a technical perspective. Additionally, I would have liked to use a recruiting tool to recruit a more diverse group of participants for our research, rather than relying on friends and family as we did due to the tight timeline. This would have provided us with more diverse and representative feedback on our designs.
Projects
👋 Let’s connect!
You can contact me using the form here, or email me directly at:
Hello.WillPay@gmail.com