A café companion for people who keep ending up at the same place.
Volta is a café-finding app built to enhance the coffee experience for working professionals by addressing a common friction: limited awareness of nearby coffee shops. Because coffee preferences vary widely, the app examines what actually drives people to a café — then connects them with nearby options that match, easing crowding and inconsistent service during busy periods.
My role spanned founder, designer, wireframing, prototyping, and user interviews — working alongside a project manager and a researcher.
Mapping the journey
We built a customer journey map from user interviews and external research to surface where finding a new café breaks down. Two frictions stood out:
- 01Comparing menus, prices, and ratings between cafés is stressful and confusing.
- 02Approaching a new café — and asking a barista — can feel intimidating.
Preference-first, by design
Onboarding leads with the user's own taste, so recommendations feel personal from the first session — and location is used transparently, only while the app is open.
01 · Explore and find cafés in your area
Find the perfect coffee shop or café to work in.
02 · Add your coffee preferences
The algorithm uses your preferences to generate custom recommendations.
03 · Save your favourites
Find a place you like? Save it and go back to visit it later.
