AthlEats
Building a rapid prototype for an early startup concept
OVERVIEW
AthlEats
Athleats was an early startup run by someone I met while networking. The 2 founders wanted an early concept MVP to test out their new product idea. This product was a food prep service for local school sports team's away games & tournaments. The food prep packs were an easy way for sports teams to get the nutrition they needed on road trips. I was hired on to a 2-month contract position as the product designer.
TIME IN ROLE
2 months
ROLE
Product Designer | User researcher | Information Architect | Army of one
Key Accomplishments
Delivered a functional MVP for the CEO to use in early investment rounds
Worked with the two founders to meet user needs within a deadline
Ran user tests to ensure the product was functional and viable
Situation
BUSINESS NEEDS
I met with the two founders to build an S.O.W. I wanted to make sure we were aligned on deliverables and deadlines. The key pillars to success were: Ease of use, fast ordering experience, simple payment methods, and accurate order processing.
"Deliver an MVP to use in early product concept testing. Build an experience where athletes can order prepared food packs for away games. Coaches need to be able to manage orders and pay for the appropriate number of packs.
Not all users had cellphones so a website was the best option for the MVP.
Two different experiences were required. One for the athletes ordering and one for the coaches/admins to pay and set up events.
Setting up individual accounts would be expensive and time sensitive feature to build. So was delivery and shipping. The MVP wont have those features.
USER RESEARCH
I started my web MVP work by testing a pool of users that the founders had gathered. Early research consisted of moderated, attitudinal interviews. Questions revolved around sports culture, travel games, and pain points around e-commerce experiences.
Alot of users mentioned they have a strong experience in
e-commerce websites and like the catalog menu architecture.
Athletes were in grade school. The showed admiration for big pictures and less words in designs.
Setting up individual accounts would be expensive and time sensitive feature to build. So was delivery and shipping. The MVP wont have those features.
OUR FIRST PERSONAS
Athlete
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Age range: 10-18
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Not gender-specific
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Video gamer and online shopper
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Entry-level/mediocre e-commerce experience
Coach / Admin
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Age range: 30-60
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Not gender-specific
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Parent
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High level of experience in e-commerce websites
Design Deliverables
Clean, easy to navigate ui
Informative
Simple catalogue of product offerings
Personalized team pages
