YELP REDESIGN
Personas • Wireframes • Flowcharts • User Interface • Prototyping
Duration : 2019.09 - 2019.12
Output : iOS application
Design : Hee Sunn Kang
Organization : Academy of Art Univ.
ABOUT YELP
Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists, and mechanics. In addition to reviews, people can use Yelp to find events, lists, and to talk to other Yelpers. Business owners can set up a free account to post photos and message customers.
Yelp had a monthly average of 37 million unique visitors who visited Yelp via the Yelp app and 77 million unique visitors who visited Yelp via mobile web in Q2 2019.
I redesigned the mobile app by improving on overall convenience and adding more advanced features based on user research.
Problem
Cluttered Business Details
Information organization is messy, and user reviews are at the bottom of the screen, despite being what most users use Yelp.
Cumbersome Filtering
It is challenging to apply filters on the search results screen.
Weak Collections Feature
Despite being prominently located in the bottom tab, the Collections feature offers an underwhelming user experience.
GOAL
Improved usability via adding new features and improving existing features
01.
Cleaning up detailed page’s contents
Maintain the amount of information while improving content organization and visual flow.
02.
Improving search filter UI
Re-organize the search results page and reconfigure layout and menu on the filter page for easier viewing and searching.
03.
Adding features on the Collection tab
Improvements to easily customize the list and add feature to share ‘My Collections’ with friends.
Focus Target Audience Demographics
AGE : 30 - 45
GENDER : Female
INCOME RANGE : $100K+
OCCUPATION : Any
NEEDS : Finding local business like restaurants, boutiques, and salons
Research Summary
The user's age ranges widely, but the 35-54 group is the largest age group at 36%.
Those who liked Yelp often say Yelp was helpful when they moved to a new area or when traveling.
Those who dis liked Yelp mainly commented on annoying ads and poor usability of search and reviews.
The proportion of female users is higher than that of male users.
INTERVIEW SUMMARY
MINKYOUNG (27, STUDENT @AAU)
She usually uses Google or Yelp to find restaurants or places she wants to visit.
Usually looks through search results by number of stars and number of reviews.
In the detail page, looks at the information in the order of location, store hours, menu, and then pictures. After that, she looks at visitor reviews.
HALEY (31, QC SPECIALIST)
On the search results screen, she looks at the pictures, cuisine, and number of stars. She goes straight to the search results screen without looking at the ads.
On the detail page, she first looks at the pictures, then looks at visitor reviews.
She doesn't read user reviews if the store scores well, but if the score is medium (3.5 stars), she reads through reviews to see what causes the scores to drop.
DAVID (41, UX DESIGNER @GOOGLE)
Usually navigates to the Yelp mobile webpage via a Google search. He checks the number of stars, number of reviews, cuisine, and distance before proceeding to the details page on a specific restaurant.
Photographs are usually important for him on the business details page. He looks at store hours, then visitor reviews.
He thinks the business details page could be better organized. He also thinks that most users use Yelp to find reviews, not to write them, which should be reflected in the design.
PERSONA BIO
JAMES MILLER
40, SOFTWARE ENGINEER
James is a developer who lives with his family in Palo Alto. He considers spending time with his daughter very important and likes to travel with his family. He values having a delicious meal on a trip with his family.
MINA JANG
29, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Mina recently got a job in New York and moved there. She is a single woman living with a roommate and wants a fancy restaurant and cafe. She likes to walk around the neighborhood, find new places, and post them on Instagram.
PERSONA USER STORY
JAMES PLANS A WEEKEND FAMILY LUNCH
On Friday at 1 pm, James is having lunch at a food truck near his company. He is finding a restaurant for lunch on their day trip to Sausalito on Saturday. He pulled out his google phone and opened the YELP app to search. On the search results screen, he clicked the "Filters" button and checked the "Waitlist," "Good for Kids," and "Liked by Vegetarians" for his family. Check the star records, the number of reviews in the list where the filters are applied, and select a restaurant, Osteria Divino. He checked photos, menus, and reviews on the detailed page and shared it with his wife, Lauren. James goes back to his work in anticipation of tomorrow's trip.
MINA PLANS TO HAVE MEETING WITH HER FRIENDS
On Saturday at 4:30 pm, Mina is sitting in her room. She is thinking about which restaurant to go with her friends, Kate and Soo. They are going to visit her in Washington tomorrow. She tries to share her Yelp Collection to ask her friends for their opinions. She takes out her iPhone and opens the Yelp app. She creates a new collection, 'NY,' and adds some places that her friends would like from her existing bookmarks. She shares the 'NY' Collection with her friends via messages and her friends suggest going to 'Cardoncello DiVino' and 'Devocian.' Mina sends navigation instructions to her friends via messages. MIna and her friends share excitement for tomorrow's activities via messages.
IMAGE BOARD
