DeLallo Delights
For my Interaction Design Studio class at Carnegie Mellon University, our team was given the task of designing a mobile service to discover new sources of value and cultivate a fresh perspective within the company DeLallo. After conducting research on the company, we recognized the significance of DeLallo's family-oriented brand and identified an opportunity to utilize it for fostering connections among families worldwide through meals.
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To address this opportunity, we devised an innovative mobile service, connected to a physical product, that empowers individuals to personalize gift boxes for their loved ones by sending customized messages, videos, and even recording their voice for recipe walkthroughs. With our solution, the recipient of the gift box gains access to a hands-free cooking experience guided by step-by-step instructions provided by the sender. This seamless cooking process not only ensures a delightful end result but also adds an additional layer of joy to the overall experience.
MY ROLE​
UX Researcher, UX Designer
DURATION​
3 weeks
TEAM​
Grace Joseph, Lawrence Zheng, Joy Mukherjee
What is DeLallo
Who
DeLallo is an Italian family owned business dedicated to sharing their passion for food with the community, believing each product should tell a story and deliver an authentic Italian experience. They focus on the import, production and distribution of Italian specialty foods.
Mapping DeLallo's key stakeholders
To enhance my comprehension of the stakeholders and their interactions, we constructed a stakeholder map. Upon identifying the key stakeholders, I organized them into groups and examined the value creation processes. Furthermore, we identified potential areas where additional value could be generated.
Understanding user needs through scenarios
As a team, we generated 20+ scenarios based on our initial research. We then selected the ones that offered Delallo the most opportunity in terms of a native mobile application that can help outcompete their competitors and align with their mission statement.
Formulating Ideas with Storyboarding
After identifying scenarios that showed opportunity in value creation, we selected four of them to storyboard.
Idea #1
Incentivised rewards program to encourage more of a community
Idea #2
Interactive cooking experience through voice activation and step-by-step guidance
Idea #3
Scannable products for quick access to recipes, dietary information and reviews
Idea #4
Digital recipe cards passed down through generations with videos
Mapping the user flow
Our team decided to go with a mix of ideas presented in the storyboards to see which ones would be validated or invalidated. Creating a user flow map helped us map out the screens that a user would need to go through.
Initial value creation hypothesis
If we engage customers to earn reward points through posting recipes, then we can get them to engage with the Delallo community and share each others recipes to help emphasis the family style Delallo tradition.
Led a critique to gain feedback
We conducted a "rose, thorn, bud" activity during our critique session to gather feedback on our idea and value creation hypothesis. Through this critique, we successfully refined our initial list of five ideas and gained clarity on the specific value we aim to create for Delallo and its customers. Notably, Delallo stands out as a family-owned business committed to preserving Italian culture and honoring family traditions. Recognizing this key aspect, we chose to emphasize and integrate it into our final concept.
Rose
Bud
Thorn
Updated value creation hypothesis
If we engage customers to earn reward points through posting recipes, then we can get them to engage with the Delallo community and share each others recipes to help emphasis the family style Delallo tradition.
Preserving recipes can help to establish a connection to your families past generations and provide a sense of continuity across future generations. Cooking and sharing traditional recipes can foster a sense of community and bring people together around shared experiences and memories.
Initial wireframes for proof of concept
Uploading and Scanning Recipes
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Users will be allowed to create a “Family” account where they have the ability to upload and store recipes that have been passed down from their past generations. They can scan a handwritten note or upload a file and view all relevant DeLallo ingredients for the recipe uploaded.
Uploading and Scanning Recipes
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Users can add content such as video, audio, images or an AR video for future generations and family members to view and recreate the recipes.
Product packaging doubles as phone stand
Validating design concepts
To validate our designs, we presented them to individuals who best represent our key stakeholders. By showcasing our screens, we successfully validated the following points:
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Cooking together is a cherished activity for families.
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However, due to the geographical separation of families and extended relatives, it has become increasingly difficult to engage in such activities.
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Families value the ability to share and archive recipes that hold significant memories.
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Many families possess folders and books containing recipes written by past family members, which have been passed down through generations.
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Unfortunately, not everyone has access to these treasured recipes.
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As time goes by, the condition of these recipes starts to deteriorate.
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Through our validation process, we gathered valuable insights to further enhance our designs and address these crucial concerns.
Critiquing mid-fidelity designs
After iterating through our designs, each team member took charge of creating mid-fidelity designs for a specific user flow within the solution. Subsequently, we conducted another critique session with our classmates to gather feedback on our ideas and designs. Here are some of the feedback points we received:
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1.) The conversion of a handwritten recipe to text seems to diminish a certain essence. Preserving the original recipe in the handwriting of a past relative would add a sense of uniqueness and significance, further upholding family traditions.
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2.) There is an opportunity to explore the idea of integrating the app with a physical product, as no other company has ventured into this domain yet. This has the potential to push the boundaries of our concept even further.
Transition to high-fidelity designs
For the final solution, we pushed the boundaries and combined a digital and physical approach. We recognize that families use meals as a means of staying connected, and DeLallo can help bridge the distance. DeLallo already offers amazing gift boxes for purchase, but we wanted to take it a step further. By introducing customization and emphasizing the importance of family and sharing through a new mobile service.
We designed the solution with two personas in mind: the sender and the recipient. The sender has the ability to personalize the items in the gift box, add video and audio instructions, and bring joy to their loved ones. On the other hand, the recipient can access ingredient walkthroughs, cook hands-free with step-by-step guidance, and find delight in the final dish.
Sender Side
Selecting a gift box
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Users can select custom DeLallo gift boxes directly from a mobile app.
Customizing gift box
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Edit the ingredients inside the gift box, list any preferences or allergies, write a personal message and add a personal video or picture!
Send and pay​
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Input who and where you would like to send the gift box to and pay online!
Record recipe instructions
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Personalise the gift box even further by having your loved one hear your own voice giving the recipe instructions!
Recipient Side
Receiving a gift box!
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DeLallo will have a custom phone inserts inside their gift boxes. Using Near-Field Communication (NFC), the phone will open up the personalized gift box message and personalised video inside a browser!
Tour of ingredients
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One of DeLillo's missions is to share the story behind the food and where it came from. By highlighting where each of the ingredients in the box came from, it makes it more special for the receiver to prepare and consume.
Selecting a recipe & voice-activated instructions
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The recipient can select what they would like to make with the ingredients inside the box. They will then hear the sender's voice providing them with the recipe instructions
Recommended usage data
I identified the following types of data that could be collected via instrumentation to inform subsequent investment and roadmapping of the new mobile service, DeLallo Delights
