Nectar
Small food businesses depend on their local communities, yet they struggle to engage with and develop an understanding of their customers in digital environments.
Nectar is a progressive web app providing food businesses with a conversational touchpoint – enabling customer engagement through direct messages and understanding of their customers through qualitative research and data visualization.
Links to Deliverables:
How It Works
My Role
My Role
As the project manager, I coordinated timelines and led the product strategy with business owner feedback. I recruited all research participants and crafted the discussion guides for user interviews.
Skills
Project Management
User Research
Design Strategy
Covid-19
During the Pandemic, business owners took it as a time to change things they have been putting off, such as the old bathroom that needed renovation or to change their menu items. While making these changes, they also realized they do not really understand their customers. Unlike the staff who engages with customers everyday, business owners are only talking to customers on the off-chance that they are at the store or not at the kitchen monitoring the food service.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
20% small food businesses close within the first year, with COVID-19, more than ever, it was important for these businesses to understand the needs, wants and opinions of their customers.
Local, small food business owners are concerned because:
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Unable to get qualitative data other than off chance in-person communication.
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Customer engagement guarantees success but current engagement with customers is limited.
Customers who supports their local food businesses seeks:
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To fulfill their desire to support the local community.
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Interpersonal connection with the businesses around them.
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Comfortable way to connect with businesses in their area.
As we talked to owners of small food businesses and their customers, we realized
there are needs from both groups that allow for a symbiotic relationship.
Both parties are willing to give, and in return, their needs would be fulfilled, creating a strong relationship that can be sustained for long period of time.
User Tests
A/B Test
3 A/B Testing was created with each feature, to gather specific feedback with small food business owners.
While speaking with these owners, we also realized that they are most comfortable with tablets and desktop and made sure our owner-facing apps are compatible.
Inform, Engage and Collaborate
AI conversation manger in business' existing social media platform to connect with customers to find solutions and make decisions together. Results are guaranteed as customers' preferences are considered in the process.
Gather and Visualize Data
Conducting primary research for businesses, the visualization of data is also customizable to best fit each business' needs.
Our Team
Like any other UX project, it is never a one-man show, please check out their work as well if you enjoyed our collaboration!