barilla restaurant experience strategy
for barilla, Italy & us
user research
customer experience strategy
customer journey map
mobile app concept
sketching
wireframing
Project: Customer experience strategy for a restaurant chain with a focus on loyalty.
Goal and Problem statement: Barilla asked us to think through their US based restaurant chains’ customer experience with an emphasis on digital loyalty. Their loyalty program consisted of traditional punch cards and the need to digitize it was obvious. The second part of the brief was to change the customer perception as they were seen as a “pasta company” in the US. They wanted to bring forth their heritage in mediterranean diet, and wanted to inspire customers to follow it for a healthier lifestyle.
Process: We started a 7 week program by conducting customer and staff interviews, gathering understanding of the existing customer behaviours. Participatory design exercises provided us further insights, all of which was used for fast concept iterations with clients. We delivered an ideabook to inspire various programs and a concept design for a mobile app. Which featured practical tips and knowledge on mediterranean diet while nudging users to the loyalty program.
My role and responsibilities: I co-led with an Associate Creative Director in Milan. I planned and conducted research in NY, then worked with the Milan team to run client workshops. I created the final concept interactions in collaboration with a visual designer and an interaction designer. Hardest challenge was convincing Barilla to shift from their original nutritional tracking app idea to new concepts rooted in user insights.
Project highlights
Research to understand food & restaurant related habits, and test initial concept
Client was solely focused on their initial idea for nutritional tracking app. We wanted to run it by users but also wanted to gather insights around food habits: what made people choose one type of meal or restaurant, were people more habitual during the week then the weekend, how does being at work affected food choices? etc.
Very quickly it became obvious that users did not see how a restaurant chain related to their holistic nutritional tracking. The visits to the restaurant were not frequent enough nor was connection to the brand. Plus, nutritional tracking was meaningful only for a very specific user type (we called them wellness advocates), but did not appeal to everyday customer.
2. experience mapping and concept co-creation to bring along the client
On our client workshops, we delivered the research findings. To make client fully embrace the findings, we conducted co-creation sessions using 4 user archetypes all based on field research.
We also used experience maps of the customer restaurant journeys. Based on 4 types of visits (Eat-in, pick up, order ahead with pick up and order ahead with eat-in). Key moments of the service (pre, during and after visit) were highlighted to ideate around.
Insights from the field embedded in archetypes and key moments of the user journey helped client put themselves in users’ shoes. 50 ideas expanding touchpoints varying from mobile app, in-store augmented furniture to social campaigns were captured.
Idea Book for concept documentation: Taking all concepts initiated during workshop, we built on each and documented in a comprehensive idea book
Prioritization and focus area: With the Barilla team, we decided to focus on on a customer experience that highlights discovery of Mediterranean food and nutrition. We produced conceptual designs for the mobile app and the loyalty program.
Mobile app concepts: We created three restaurant and one canteen concept with key user journey and initial strategies for loyalty and launch.
3. Final product concept
A way of eating designed around two main concepts: pleasure of food and Mediterranean nutrition.
Pleasure of food: Flavour profile is a new way to select Barilla dishes. Generated and based on past customer orders and favourited dishes. It is a visualisation of individual taste as well as a recommendation engine to explore and enjoy new dishes from Barilla's seasonal menu.
Health: Each dish has three components: the flavours, ingredients and the Mediterranean guidelines. Guidelines are based on the Mediterranean nutritional pyramid, and users get loyalty boosts as they make healthy choices accordingly.
Loyalty mechanics: Customer loyalty is driven by small and frequent challenges aimed at supporting good & healthy eating habits based on Barilla’s heritage Mediterranean diet culture.