Trader Joe's App
This is a case study on Trader Joe's — an American grocery store chain with a fiercely loyal fanbase yet surprisingly lacking digital presence.
We wanted to find out: Could we create a mobile app to enhance customer experience while staying true to Trader Joe's devotion to in-store shopping?
Trader Joe’s is famous for their private label products, friendly and retro atmosphere, and focus on organic and natural ingredients.
As an avid Trader Joe's fan, I felt compelled to explore what a Trader Joe’s app could look like. As the co-lead for this project at Design Innovation, I led my team through the design process throughout the semester, yielding a prototype for a fun, experiential mobile application.
Role
Project Co-Lead
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Adobe FireFly
Team
Co-Lead: Adaeze
Designers: Calista, Esther, Julia, Kaitlyn
Timeline
January 2024 - May 2024
01 identifying constraints
Why no app, Trader Joe's?
If you look at Trader Joe's competitors, Whole Foods, Target, Aldi, Meijer (your average regional grocery store), they all have an app, and the apps all serve a similar purpose of online ordering.
So it's easy to think: "Simple, let's a design a Trader Joe's app for ordering groceries."
But wait! There must be reason as to why Trader Joe's doesn't have an app already. Lo and behold:
02 Inspiration
What kind of app could this be?
If online ordering was out the window, what could an app for a grocery store entail?
03 User Interviews
How do fans perceive Trader Joe's?
Through 12 interviews asking questions about personal and online experience with Trader Joe's, we found some valuable insights about fans' perceptions that could translate in our app design. Here are some commonalities we found amongst our interview insights:
04 Establishing purpose
The mobile app as an extension of the in-store experience
Trader Joe's Branding
Customers prefer Trader Joe’s for its quirky personality: a sense of local community and a handcrafted feel.
In-Store Experience
Although customers may have products in mind, they enjoy the treasure hunt of discovering new products.
Despite Trader Joe’s lack of practicality, customers still appreciate Trader Joe’s for its specialized products.
How might we create a mobile app that aids the in-store shopping experience while incorporating unique interactive elements that resonate with the TJ brand?
05 Information Architecture
Combining practicality with fun
We wanted to be sure to include the website's practical functions such as the shopping list, product directory, and recipes to aid the user when shopping on the go. The challenge was in figuring out where to place the interactive elements amongst the practical elements.
We ultimately went with a more interactive Home page that pushed both new products in an engaging way through the Fearless Flyer, as well as our games/quizzes in an adjacent tab.
My favorite feature is the Hidden Monkey, which can live anywhere throughout the app!
06 App Overview
Our Trader Joe's App
After some lo-fidelity iterations, here are the final prototypes we came up with.
I took ownership of Play page, the Crossword, and the Paint by Number while also overseeing the designs for the rest of the app.
Home - Discover
This is where…
Home - Play
This is where…
Products
This is where…
Lists
This is where…
Recipes
This is where…
07 Design process - Play
Gamifying the Trader Joe's experience
…
08 Takeaways
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Thx for visiting, come again soon!