Duffl

A UX Design Case Study

Overview

In the fall of 2023, I enrolled in a Fundamentals of User Experience course, diving into the world of UX Research and UI/UX Design for the first time. Up until then, I relied on intuition and personal judgment. This course changed everything, giving me a framework to approach design challenges thoughtfully and systematically.

For six weeks, my team and I focused on solving a real problem for the UCLA community. Our mission was to improve Duffl, an app started in 2019 by two UCLA students who dreamt up 10-minute snack deliveries to students via electric scooters. It had quickly become a campus essential, yet its usability issues were unmistakable. We aimed to improve Duffl by creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.

My role

I worked on both the Research and Design teams, contributing to:

  • Crafting a research proposal to set clear goals, objectives, and methods

  • Conducting user interviews and usability tests to uncover pain points

  • Translating insights into design improvements, focusing on navigation and layout

Timeline: November - December 2023

Tools: Miro, Figma, Canva

The Problem: Confusing UI

Duffl’s main selling point is speed, but usability issues held it back. By conducting preliminary user interviews, we identified three critical pain points:

  1. Disjointed Navigation and Search: The separation of search and browser pages forced users to toggle between pages, disrupting their intuition and making item discovery difficult.

  2. Unclear Categories: Ambiguous and unlabeled category icons made it difficult for users to understand where to find specific items, leading to confusion and frustration.

  3. Lack of Delivery Communication: Users felt uneasy about relying on personal text messages to communicate with delivery drivers and desired in-app messaging for privacy and convenience.

  4. Limited Product Information: Essential product details were missing, such as ingredient lists and stock availability, which made it challenging to make informed purchasing decisions.

Our Design Thinking Approach

This design thinking framework reflects the process our team followed to empathize with users, define key challenges, ideate creative solutions, and rigorously test and refine our designs.

Research Goals

  • Understand how users navigate Duffl’s storefront and search features

  • Assess how users interact with product information, focusing on the visibility and clarity of details like ingredients for users with allergies, and stock availability

  • Determine the necessity and potential effectiveness of an in-app messaging feature for communicating with delivery drivers

User Research

Phase 1: User Interviews — Discovering Pain Points

To gain a deeper understanding of Duffl users’ needs and frustrations, we conducted interviews with 10 participants, including frequent Duffl users and those familiar with similar delivery apps. These conversations aimed to uncover pain points in their shopping and delivery experience.

  • Interview Focus Areas:

    • Motivations for using delivery apps (e.g., convenience, impulsive purchases)

    • Challenges with finding products and navigating the Duffl app (or any other delivery app)

    • Concerns about delivery processes transparency and communication with drivers

  • Key Insights:

    • Navigation Issues: Users found the separate search and browse functions tedious and confusing.

    • Ambiguous Categories: Many struggled with vague and unlabeled icons.

    • Delivery Communication Concerns: Participants expressed discomfort relying on personal text messages for delivery updates.

    • Limited Product Information: Users desired detailed information, such as ingredient lists, stock availability, and cart contents.

User Persona — Meet Andrew!

Our Solution: Streamlined and Clear Labels

We focused on simplifying the Duffl experience without sacrificing its speed and reliability. Key improvements included:

  1. Simplified Navigation

    We reorganized product categories with clear, intuitive labels

    Reduced the number of steps needed to locate and order items

  2. Favorites Feature

    Enabled users to quickly reorder frequently purchased items with one tap.

  3. Real-Time Delivery Tracking

    Introduced a chat feature between users and drivers.

    Allowed better communication and fewer delivery mishaps.

  4. In-App Messaging

    Added a live map so users could track their orders in real time.

    Improved transparency and built trust in the delivery process.

These changes made the app faster, easier, and better aligned with the needs of its target audience.