Grand Studio Research & Concept Visualization
Overview
As a UX Designer in a 5-member team at Grand Studio, I was tasked with generating profitable concepts for our client who works in the food industry. Working closely with the team lead, senior designer, and intern, my responsibilities included conducting research on food scientists' processes, generating ideas, and presenting them to the client.
I leveraged tools such as Figma for wireframing and conceptualizing and Miro for synthesizing research insights and preparing presentation materials. This project, spanning 4 months from September to December, was a great opportunity to apply my design skills and collaborate with a dynamic team.
Goal
Our goal is to develop a premium product that the client can offer to their members, providing added value and incentivizing subscription through improved food development processes. As we were in the very early stages of development, the client was looking only for quality ideas and concepts to start and see if they wanted to pursue things further.
Research
To optimize our approach to the food industry, we conducted individual research on industry processes and combined our findings with insights from the client and competitor analysis. Our research led us to formulate theories on the product development process of food scientists, which we divided into four stages: ideation, benchtop, scale-up, and commercialization. This breakdown allowed us to pinpoint specific challenges that food scientists encounter in each phase.
Interviews
To validate our hypotheses and theories, we conducted qualitative interviews with 20 real-life food scientists, consisting of 15 Consumer Product Goods (CPG) and 5 suppliers. Over the course of two and a half weeks, we conducted the interviews online via Zoom with a moderator, two note-takers, and a team or client observer.
After the interviews, we analyzed and consolidated our findings, categorizing them into different themes. Our analysis revealed several pain points along the food development process, some of which were anticipated, such as difficulties in sourcing ingredients, while others were surprising, like the significant time spent on administrative tasks.
Concepts
With our research findings and identified pain points in hand, we began exploring solutions to address these challenges. Our ideas ranged from immediate and short-term solutions for our client to more complex, future-looking concepts.
After presenting our ideas to the client, we narrowed them down to three key initiatives: an ingredient library for streamlined ingredient sourcing, a benchtop simulator for efficient testing, and a digital twin for real-time factory production feedback and error notification. These concepts aimed to support food scientists and improve their development processes.
I conceptualized the ingredient library solution to address the challenge food scientists face in finding and obtaining supplies from suppliers. Navigating multiple platforms and lines made the process time-consuming and inefficient.
The ingredient library offered a centralized platform for food scientists to search, order, and access ingredients and suppliers within the client's network. It also provided additional resources, such as community forums and educational articles, to further support their needs. As the platform evolves, we envision incorporating a chatbot for natural communication and a dashboard to manage supplies and track formulations. This idea aimed to streamline the ingredient sourcing process for food scientists and make it more convenient and efficient.
Results & Validation
Following rounds of refinement, we presented our concepts to the client and received positive feedback. While these ideas are not yet finalized products, they serve as a strong foundation for our client to build and offer value to their members.
To validate the usefulness and relevance of our concepts, we conducted a final research phase by surveying 300 members. This involved distributing surveys that aimed to gauge the members' opinions on the concepts and determine if they were favorable and beneficial. The survey results would provide insight into the accuracy of our research on their pain points and the potential impact of our solutions.