METHODOLOGY

Greggs is the fastest growing fast food chain in the UK. Traditionally on old fashioned bakery,  they changed focus and became a value brand for a much younger generation.

I had to incorporate the brands refocus and user insights into everything I did.

Regular visits to their Head Offices in Newcastle, it was useful to in helping me collaborate with them successfully.

Knowing the mission and purpose of the brand as well as the needs of the consumer are vital in producing the very best product possible!

The Greggs Rewards app was challenging  because there were so many factors to consider.

The inception of the project was based on user stories that incorporated personas that were not only already existing Greggs customers, but customers they were

aspiring to attain. 

Using these scenarios, with Greggs, I mapped out best case scenarios for user experiences.

Their strong Visual Identity and Tone of Voice were a great guide and influencer on UX and UI decision making. However, as was often the case during the beginning of app work, the brand guidelines weren’t focused towards digital and were more often than not, 88 pages on how to use the logo in print and a colour palette!

Working with Greggs and giving them the benefits of our experience, I helped create a Design System that was geared toward digital. User flows were the basis of initially creating all the wireframes. Progression, user testing and re-iteration helped me discover that not all wireframes could be done in isolation. 

Although a modular flow is good, consideration needs to be given to the app as a whole product. The app wasn’t just a passive viewing experience. Interactivity included search functionality, filtering, store finder, account data and payment information. Hierarchy and importance of information was governed by user data and feedback. 

Greggs was going through a transition in so much as it needed to respond to a change in healthier living lifestyles. Weight was put on product nutritional information, as well as value for money. I also had to work with 3rd parties to help incorporate payment gateways. This process went through various iterations, to help achieve a better flow, but also remaining compliant with legal  limitations of payment gateways.

Reviewing flows and having a re-iterative approach helped me understand and have greater insight on what was technically achievable versus what the consumers wanted.

It’s often a fine balance keeping all stakeholders happy!

The UI went through many rounds and whilst you can give justification and reasoning to layout, sometimes this may not lend a design to be the most aesthetically pleasing.

Purpose and reasoning versus what’s visually pleasing is another fine balance. I also had to take into consideration Greggs brand identity and the rules they adhere to, for continuity purposes. Also accessibility is important, along with design trends and best practises!

Consideration was given to a tabbed versus hamburger menu approach. At the time, hamburgers were relatively new. Research and data showed that hiding important information can be a barrier to functionality and speed of use.

Increases in downloads, user engagement, sales, and positive customer feedback, meant a lot of re-iteration and updates were done based on the introduction of new products and client changes.

After the success of the App, I was also given the opportunity to redesign their website, and although the purpose was slightly different for the site, the same design system and principals were adhered to.