CLIENT
BonBon NYC, A Swedish Candy Shop
YEAR
2024
ROLE
UX/UI Design
Visual Identity
Creative Direction
Crafting the candy experience into the digital world
OVERVIEW
BonBon is a Swedish candy shop in NYC offering a unique shopping experience. The challenge was to bridge the gap between user experience and backend systems, creating a solution that enhances customer loyalty and streamlines operations for easier mobile shopping and improved customer service workflows.
ISSUE
The current BonBon shopping experience lacks a streamlined, accessible mobile platform, limiting customer engagement and loyalty. Backend operations are inefficient, leading to increased email inquiries and disorganized workflows. The challenge is to create a seamless system that enhances both user experience and internal efficiency.
DESIGN APPROACH
Develop a mobile app to enhance the customer experience with categorized product listings, search and filter options for faster browsing and purchasing. An AI-powered chatbot is integrated to handle quick inquiries, reducing email overflow and supporting the operations team. This approach aims to create a seamless, engaging experience for customers while improving operational efficiency.
Methodologies
User Interviews
Analytics Review
User Flow Maps & Journey
Prototyping in Figma
Project Overview
With the project goals defined, I focused on creating a seamless user experience that would not only delight customers but also improve backend operations. Here’s how I approached the challenge.
Mapping out BonBon’s milestones gave me a broader perspective on the project. My research then focused on identifying pain points from both customers and the operational team, helping me understand their needs and the desire for efficiency- key insights that guided the design of the app.
Methodologies
User Interviews
Analytics Review
User Interviews
Bridging the Gaps: How Functional Issues Lead to Emotional Frustrations
With the functional and emotional pain points identified, I moved into the Define phase to clearly outline the core challenges. This allowed me to pinpoint key areas where the user experience and backend operations intersect, ensuring that the solution would address both customer needs and business efficiency.
I translated the insights gathered from user research into actionable design concepts. By focusing on user goals and business needs, I explored several ways to bring the platform to life, ensuring seamless integration between the user experience and backend operations.
Visual Identity & Design
Translating Bonbon’s Brand Identity into the Mobile Experience
My main goal was to align and enhance the brand's vision and identity within the mobile design. I based my design concept on identifying the core elements that make the brand stand out and translating them into a unique app layout.
Colors & Typography
Bonbon’s brand is known for its bright, playful, and joyful colors. I translated this into the mobile app by selecting a vibrant color scheme and bold typography that conveys the sense of fun and indulgence that the brand represents.
I translated the wireframes and visual design into an interactive prototype, bringing the user flow and key features to life. This allowed me to refine the experience for both customers and BonBon’s backend team, ensuring smooth interactions, user-friendly navigation, and streamlined operational features like customer service workflows and order management, essential for improving internal efficiency.
From Concept to Final Design
Final Review
Successes
My role as the UX/UI Designer for this app was to approach the design process in a way that allowed me to think critically, with a strong focus on a user-centered approach.
The BonBon mobile app recreates the fun, hands-on experience of shopping in-store by incorporating the store layout, candy-picking process, and the brand’s playful style, making browsing both easy and enjoyable.
One of the major successes was how the app helped boost customer engagement and ease of access. With the addition of features like the chatbot and self-service options, customers were able to quickly find answers to their questions, which significantly reduced the volume of non-urgent email inquiries. This not only improved the overall customer experience but also allowed the backend team to focus on more complex issues, increasing operational efficiency and supporting the company's growing needs.
Challenges & Learnings
One of the key challenges I faced was limited iteration time post-launch. Due to the rapid development cycle, I didn’t have enough time to make significant updates after the initial launch. More time for A/B testing and analyzing user interactions would have allowed me to refine features further, especially when optimizing the backend for scalability as the customer base grows.
