Frurranis Doux
*This is a mock business created for the purpose of implementing learned UX Design principles and processes.
Frurranis Doux makes organically grown, small-batch wines in Springfield, Indiana. Their business started in 1993 with only wine tastings and has now grown to host a multitude of events.
With COVID-19 affecting their business, Frurranis Doux wants to connect to customers seeking new wines through an e-commerce platform while also continuing to leverage the current business model of in-person winery experiences safely.
My Role: Project Manager, UX Strategist, UX Researcher, and Product Developer
Team members: Josh Stuart, Lori Man, and Me!
2 Week Sprint
Miro
Figma
Google Suite
Slack
Zoom
Trello
We began by identifying our assumptions to truly guide us in understanding our consumer’s needs. We planned to gather data through surveys, user interviews, and competitive analyses to validate or invalidate our assumptions.
We gathered quantitative data from 60+ survey respondents to hone in demographics and habits with wine purchases and winery visits. Here's what we found:
of respondents were 21-39 years old
of respondents spent no more than $25 on a bottle of wine, however 50% of the these users spent less than $15 on a bottle
of respondants bought 2 bottles of wine per transaction
of respondents went to wineries for get togethers with family and/or friends or for special events. It's important to note that only 3% of survey takers were "regulars."
Interviews were conducted with 6 users to attain qualitative data to understand the motivations, behaviors, and goals of these individuals when visiting wineries. Here's what they were saying:
"It feels more personal and exciting that I might discover a wine that I love from a brand not a lot of people know about."
"Purchasing from a winery cuts out more of the “middle man” cost and puts more money into the creator of the wine. They will also be able to give suggestions and information on their own wine far better than any liquor store employee."
"I love the ability to taste at a winery, and bring the product home. Also to hear a little more of the history - the personalization is better than visiting a big store."
"I like to support local businesses when I can and they often have great recommendations at smaller wineries too."
It was important for us to look at our competitors as well as other businesses so we could construct a better digital and in-person experience for the consumer.
See Competitive AnalysisWe affinity mapped our results and there were 6 main threads that came to surface as we synthesized data from 60+ survey respondents and 6 user interviews.
View Affinity MapOur data led us to unearth our persona, Natalie and expose our main problem statement. Natalie likes to unwind by catching up friends on the weekend and if she can support a local business while doing so, even better.
Natalie wants to feel a deeper emotional and moral connection to a business and their product to facilitate new discovery of wines and engage with her community when events are held at businesses like vineyards.
...elicit a feeling of a moral purchase for Natalie so that she is connected to a business and/or a product on a deeper level?
...help educate Natalie about the variety of wine so that she can build knowledge and discover products and pairings she enjoys?
...engage Natalie with the local community so that she can share ‘special’ experience that makes her more inclined to visit a winery?
In addition to the persona, we crafted a journey map to truly empathize with Natalie. Followed up by a service blueprint to understand the lines of interaction for an in-person experience between the business and the user.
Keeping Natalie in mind, we bounced ideas off each other and exercised that ‘out of the box’ thinking. We ultimately arrived at two solutions after considering the scope, research, and business needs.
As our research indicated, we knew it was important to not only offer recommendations, but also empower users to make their own choices.
Users who are new to wine or want to discover a new flavor can take a flavor profile quiz asking them easy and relatable, yet informative questions that help us personally tailor wine recommendations to them.
To build a customized flavor profile, we would ask questions about taste and flavor preferences around more familiar food and drink items, like coffee and chocolate.
Users would then be given the option of choosing wine flights the business recommends or allow users to pick from suggested options to build their own flight.
Task flows and user flows were built to understand the user's steps and decision points.
It was apparent in our research that a shared social experience along with supporting local business was a primary reason for attending wineries.
We carefully considered the limitations surrounding COVID-19 and opted for a drive-in movie experience where users would be able to enjoy a shared social experience while social distancing. Users would purchase tickets in advance online and on the day of the event users would be able to choose food from visiting local restaurants and pair it with wines that would be available according to a menu they receive upon arrival.
Users would also go home with a complimentary etched wine glasses. We wanted to draw a visceral and emotional connection to this shared experience, which would lead to the user remembering and valuing the business on a deeper level.
In addition to task flows and user flows, we crafted a storyboard to visualize the experience the user would have when attending the event.
Pen and paper quickly turned to pixels as we refined our prototypes through 2 rounds of testing.
If we are to move forward with these suggestions, we want to be sure we are validating impacts on the business.
Spending Behavior
From our research, users stated that they are willing to spend more than $15 on a bottle of wine if the experience justifies it. In fact, they would spend $30 on a bottle of wine when visiting a winery. Holding (safe) events and experiences would justify the cost of the wine and drive revenue for the business.
Event Attendance
We want to verify that by using promotional items we can increase attendance to events. Items, like etched wine glasses, draw a visceral and emotional connection to experiences, which can make the business more valuable to the user.
Customer Empowerment
We hope convert new customers and build retention over time by giving customers the option to customize reasonably priced flights. Putting the power of choice in the customers hands enables them to make decisions they feel content with while they explore new wines.
A rising tide lifts all ships. This is the mindset I take when working collaboratively. I was lucky enough to work with 2 amazing designers to meet the goals of this sprint. We kept each other accountable and pushed each other out of our comfort zones to keep learning.
Due to time constraints, we were unable to iterate on the final prototype and apply changes from our second round of testing. With more time, we would have continued refining the prototype. Needless to say, it would be awesome to see these two solutions put into play, but because it's a mock business we won't be able to verify the outcomes.
