INTRO:

A Client Creating Curated Experiences

Craft Notes is a local company in the Twin Cities offering people knowledge of the best new and staple bars and restaurants in their communities. Customers use Craft Notes because they are looking for adventure in their own city, wanting to feel like a part of a community, and interested in getting exciting deals on drinks. 

Currently customers interact with the Craft Notes brand while at events such as farmers market booths, on the company’s website, and through usage of their drink passport book, and mobile app. 

The business is considering expanding in the next 6 months - 1 year and would like to look into increasing engagement with the app, hosted events, or other opportunities that allow insights, feedback, and data to be shared among and across users

Coming Across Connections

In 2014 when I moved to the Twin Cities, my friends and I were always trying to one up each other by knowing the best happy hour places. Every time it was my turn to pick, everyone would say “how did you even know about this place?” I was reluctant to reveal my coveted secret; I had been using a website called Thrifty Hipster. It listed all happy hour times, deals, and you could narrow down your options through filtering by dive bars, patios, free parking, and type of food. It was a site that locals could use to explore their city on a budget. It helped me maintain my existing friendships and create new ones with locals throughout the city.

Leading a Legacy

Founder of Thrifty Hipster, Matt Dowgwillo, went on to create Craft Notes. Craft Notes’ goal is to connect local people with unique craft makers in the brewery, distillery, and cafe industry in hopes of fostering a sense of community and trust among Craft Notes users.

Since there are many drink passports available to consumers that provide a list of exciting new places to explore in addition including enticing drink deals, how can Craft Notes create an experience for users that will make them want to keep coming back? 

RESEARCH

Sympathizing with the Stakeholder

A stakeholder interview was held that allow us to engage with the client and understand the background of his business and where they are going. Through asking questions and recognizing how Craft Notes came to be and how it was perceived by the stakeholders, a clear picture of the interconnectedness between user and client emerged.

Matt, the founder, has over 16 years in the industry and has a passion for the individuals behind the bar. He wants people using Craft Notes to have a curiosity and desire to learn more about how food and drink experiences are curated for people in this vibrant community.

Constructing Context 

With these insights in mind, our team evaluated other sources of information that provided context and understanding of the space we are working on. Our team dove into the competitors’ websites, apps, and social media, coupon culture, other local communities, visual design, and how to foster engagement. 

A journey map was created to understand how users were discovering and interacting with Craft Notes across all touchpoints. The current state of Craft Notes includes: passport book, website, and app. All of these items are interconnected under the brand and serve different functions. Our group aimed to simplify the complexity of this system to allow the user to effortlessly move through all platforms. 

Examining the Experience

With the journey map, we were able to examine the entire experience of the customer and understand where there may be gaps in the process. We wanted to ensure we were creating a seamless experience across all platforms. In order to do this, we decided to focus on ensuring users were able to feel adventurous and connected to a larger community while engaging with Craft Notes. Our team divided to focus on specific touchpoints and create prototypes that were centered around fluidity. A strategy statement was developed to help guide our efforts: 

DESIGN:

Creating a Change

Our prototypes encompassed revisions to the website and the app. The changes would highlight the site’s mission and create a clear and consistent path for users to access information while fostering a sense of community and repeat engagement. 

I was responsible for revising the existing About and Local Maker pages on the website, so they contained information and images that developed trust and connection between Craft Notes and user. I also reworked the explore area of the app to allow users to easily search for places to visit, highlight what makes each maker unique, and view where their friends have been. 

In addition to the changes noted above, my team created prototypes to address the following : 

PROPOSE:

Presenting our Proposal

We wanted to take pressure off the user, so they were able to easily discover local gems and collect rewards along the way. All suggested changes meld together to create the feeling of a local scavenger hunt to discover the best the Twin Cities has to offer and connect people with other craft lovers. This information was shown to the client through a video presentation along with an annotated packet of the prototypes. 

With Craft Notes in their back pocket, people will have a reason to get out into their community, learn more about the makers behind their drinks, and be the person in their friend group who constantly knows the best place to go for any occasion.

CONCLUSION:

Knowing What to do Next

Because Craft Notes is a relatively small start up with around 5 employees, these changes will need to be strategically implemented to ensure their success over time. This industry is constantly changing, and with the addition of each new brewery, distillery, and cafe, there needs to be a clear trajectory for the execution of these adaptations. A Phased Roadmap was created to provide the founder with a clear picture of how to carry out the suggestions provided by my team.