Kung Fu Tea
At Kung Fu Tea, I redesigned the client-facing application to optimize the drink ordering menu and user flow, enhancing efficiency and streamlining orders. I revamped key features such as location services, the rewards system, and menu navigation, improving the overall user experience.
During my time as a store manager at Kung Fu Tea, I gained firsthand insight into the company's app and website. My experience as both a barista and manager involved handling customer issues, repeatedly seeing complaints and frustrations among our customers. This led me to believe there was something fundamentally wrong with Kung Fu Tea’s platforms.
Turns out, the app had a poor 3.1-star rating in the App Store. After digging into reviews and speaking with customers in-person, it became clear that there were several major issues that needed to be addressed.
As users shared their experiences with the app, I conducted market research to identify the key issues they faced. By analyzing App Store reviews, I synthesized the complaints into four main problem areas.
Pinpointed Issues
After identifying key issues, it became clear that the current design needed a usability overhaul. While it offers baseline functionality for customers, several key elements required reworking.
Users' main complaint about the homepage is that it lacks sufficient useful information and cohesive usability, resulting in a poor user flow.
✅ Can access basic features of the app like location, rewards, and menu.
❌ Unable to view current location and cart.
❌ UI makes navigation more confusing and not obvious to users.
❌ Inefficient use of space for promotions, advertising, etc.
Kung Fu Tea's current menu is a clunky experience that makes navigation take longer and more frustrating.
✅ Drinks are categorized based off their type
❌ Unable to view full menu at a glance
❌ User flow takes unnecessary steps
❌ Lack of customizable features like filters and search.
Users' find that finding other locations is difficult and cannot view them at a glance.
✅ Can change locations
❌ Unable to view other locations quickly.
❌ Doesn't show locations intuitively like nearby or recent.
❌ No map view
Users found that rewards were confusing to redeem in-store and hard to track.
✅ Basic reward tracking
❌ Unable to view earned rewards
❌ No direct way to apply coupon, happens automatically
❌ Lacking visual indicators of reward progression
With our users' challenges in mind, I conceptualized my designs through real use cases and user flows, focusing on typical in-app customer tasks.
Introducing a user-friendly interface that loyal and new Kung Fu Tea customers can use to quickly order their favorite drinks.
Providing users with the simplest onboarding experience to help them order quickly. The homepage now includes more key features like location, offers, and cart access for a more efficient experience.
One Step Onboarding Process - new users can join Kung Fu Tea's rewards program by simply creating an account in just one screen. Giving them instant access to the app's deals, menu, and ordering system.
Overcoming limited information - the redesigned homepage presents essential details at a glance with a more cohesive layout, improving the display of rewards, offers, ads, and key features.
Working as a freelance designer for a company where I was also a barista, manager, and shift lead provided a unique opportunity to bridge both the UX and business perspectives. Managing a team, interacting with customers, and handling operations gave me firsthand insight into user behavior and business needs. This experience allowed me to integrate real-world problem-solving into my designs, shaping my UX career by applying hands-on knowledge to create more effective solutions.
