Craft Notes
Multi Touchpoint Experience
CHALLENGE
Craft notes approached our team with the goal of expanding their existing and potential customer base. Additionally, they sought a solution that provides an efficient, interactive and rewarding experience for users through Craft Notes multi-touchpoint system. Focusing mainly on the need to create an improved solution of their mobile app, with the understanding this mobile app is intended to be a key growth driver, we were asked to evaluate existing problems and issues with solutions addressing these.
SOLUTION
My team and I created a mobile app prototype solution for Craft Notes to be used with their drink passport they sell currently. Individually I created high fidelity annotated wireframes centered around the benefit and rewards system focusing on these areas for our prototype solution. Additionally I created and proposed an implementation phasing plan for Craft Notes to guide them on how best to utilize the solution with feasible steps to take.
Methodology
• Competitive Audit
• Secondary Research
• User Journey Map
• Personas
• Storyboards
• Scenarios
• Wireframing
• Prototyping
Tools
• Sketch
• iMovie
• Quicktime
• Sketchbook and Pen
• Lucid Charts
• Powerpoint
Client Deliverables
• User Journey Map
• Annotated High Fidelity Wireframes
• Prototype Overview Packet
• Client Prototype Presentation Video
• Implementation Phasing Plan
Craft Notes
Craft Notes is a Minneapolis based business that serves as an intriguing way to experience and engage with local craft culture, designed for a community of explorers & craft lovers. They aim to connect various local makers and craftspeople with individuals or groups from the community in order to create unique, curated experiences, hoping to excite the user with these experiences and providing recommendations while creating a sense of community and belonging.
Additionally they are looking to expand beyond the current Craft Notes passport booklet that offers deals and perks at various bars/breweries to focus on the mobile app as a priority growth driver. Craft Notes also hopes to grow and establish their presence into other cities around the country, seeking to expand into other communities and provide various experiences throughout the U.S.
User
Primary User
Lifestyle enthusiasts - Craft Notes users are eager to discover new events and fun experiences around their community. Users seek curated recommendations from experts along with incentives to earn rewards like free drinks or discounts to local venues. An even more alluring feature is when their activity benefits local establishments.
Craft maker focused and community explorers - The user is constantly motivated to find and connect with local makers and business owners and learn about their story or values (e.g. vegan friendly, pet friendly, woman owned businesses or diverse business owners that promote inclusion). Users are curious about what experiences are available around their location and benefit their community.
Research and Insight
Understanding the existing space and competitors through research
Our group conducted a stakeholder interview with the owner of Craft Notes, Matthew Dowgwillo, assessing what areas that he would like to focus on. While Craft Notes has success with their physical passport booklet that provides rewards and specialized offers, sold at local liquor & breweries and often their main area of success. Matt identified a need to focus on the mobile app solution and revisions that fit cohesively with the passport experience and focuses on local businesses, organizations or craft maker spots to explore.
As a group we began researching in a couple of different ways and spaces. Initially we each completed a ‘deep dive’ into the competitive spaces and evaluated what was working well in other similar businesses or organizations. As we shared our findings we started to see that there were some major areas that Craft Notes was not addressing.
Most of the competitors and similar type of business models that I examined had a large focus on not just the community and individual experience, but also emphasized to users the importance of social groups joining them in these experiences.
Some apps, such as the Neighborhood mobile app, provided the user with an opportunity to refer a local person or organization by sending them a postcard with a custom invitation that is created, mailed and handled completely by the Neighborhood app organization.
Additionally we realized that the type of features and rewards that exist on Craft Notes do not vary or change, as well as having little connection to the user with no personalization or customizable features.
User Journey Map
Knowing the mobile app would is a focus from the stakeholder, we assessed the other physical and website touch points that Craft Notes users are exposed to and where they meet these touch points in their journey.
Through constructing a user journey map with the touch points and phases of interaction with Craft Notes, we were able to see the potential areas that would be improvement opportunities.
Solution Overview
Designing the solution with focus on the Craft Notes mobile app
We focused our solution approach to enhance and improve the mobile app, building a prototype that includes a number of key features which enhance and emphasize Craft Notes mission and user experience.
Outlined are the various focus and improvements made and an overview of the mobile app prototype designed with key features addressed. You will see the various areas that we emphasized and created features to address the needs and opportunities that currently exist.
Prototype
Member Benefits and Rewards
With a clear need to provide benefits and rewards to entice users, we designed fun and interactive solutions that excite users to continue engaging and using the app. Personalization with continuously changing content plus relevant preferences for their account profile would create a unique, individualized experience.
Additionally, we recommended Craft Notes implement a “slow buy-in” from users through gentle guided prompts which ask them to fill out account profile preferences sporadically, providing them with tailored recommendations and rewards.
Community Focus and Engagement
Beyond member rewards and benefits, we acknowledged a community focus was a key part of the solution. We recommended an solution centered on unique curated experiences in which users explore nearby places, vendors, and find curated maker stories and businesses. We proposed a revolving feature on the mobile app showing local makers or organizations highlighted as a focus to the user.
By providing this representation of diverse business owners and establishments (e.g. women-owned businesses, gluten-free, pet-friendly places, etc), we outlined a need to add labels on places to enhance the visibility of local establishments.
Social and Group Experiences
Craft Notes currently does not feature a social engagement or friend focus, thus our proposal was to include features such as referring a friend to unlock freebies and rewards. Finding the users contacts on Craft Notes as a feature addition was a quick way Craft Notes could solve this opportunity.
On top of this we proposed they add a feature to invite users friends to events, show past events the user has attended, on top of receiving a reward or points for referring their friends as well as when the friend successfully signs up. Both could benefit from this and use the reward together, adding focus on social experiences with the app.
Prototype Packet Overview
The prototype packet and overview deliverable provided to the client is intended to walk them through the entirety of the Craft Notes mobile app prototype our group designed and created. A few examples from the packet outlining our solution can be seen below.
Client Presentation Video
Our team created scenarios and storyboards centered on local events, festivals, farmers markets, seeing advertisements in bars, etc. to highlight where users could learn and gain awareness of Craft Notes.
We presented a video to our client and designed a story with our created user personas, Jack and Jill. Our video explained the proposed prototype features and solutions that Jack and Jill would encounter and use, demonstrating the need of these features added to Craft Notes mobile app and showing an example of the user journey with our recommendations provided.
Annotated Wireframes
Apart from my team I worked with this week, I focused on contributing to our group recommendations centered around the improved loyalty and member benefits/rewards system. Additionally I provided a few examples of types of rewards through high fidelity annotated wireframes, highlighting key features of each wireframe.
These rewards are unique and fun that relate to Craft Notes mission, like “Meet a Maker” reward that allows a user to possibly spend a few hours with a local maker or craftsperson of their choice after a certain amount of actions or engagement with the app takes place. From these wireframes we built our mobile app prototype.
Implementation Phasing Plan
All of the proposed solutions provided gives craft notes an advantageous standpoint and distinguishes them as a leader in curating unique experiences.
These additions and revisions translate to a large amount of work for the organization to take on. In order to help Craft Notes realistically implement the proposed solutions, I took on the challenge apart from my team to individually create and provide a visual roadmap phasing plan for Craft Notes. This roadmap demonstrates a guided timeline and implementation plan, along with metrics of success to measure at each phase.
I wanted to provide Craft Notes with a feasible strategy to incorporate the proposals so they can transform their business and product in a reasonable timeline to ready themselves for expanding into multiple cities around the U.S.
Summary
Through proposed solutions that highlight improvements which enhance and improve user experience for Craft Notes, our intended aim is for users to feel a stronger sense of community and grow their excitement of this community while using the app.
Building the solution with things like a relevant member benefits/rewards feature , amplifying community focus and visibility of diverse makers and craftspersons, as well as including local stories highlighting businesses with the amenities and lifestyles they serve or represent.
We set out to provide a curated, customized experience for users through preferences and personalization options provided on the users account. We aimed to fit the users unique lifestyle and needs, exciting and surprising them continuously as they interact and engage with the app.
