A founder-led 0→1 concept, taken from user research to a tested, interactive prototype.
Solo-initiated and built with a three-person team (design, PM, research). I owned the UX end to end.
People keep ending up at the same café.
Volta helps working professionals find coffee shops that match how they work and what they drink. Most people default to one place because comparing options is tedious and trying somewhere new feels intimidating. That keeps them in crowded rooms at peak hours and leaves good cafés nearby undiscovered.
Research, then design
I led the project as founder and designer through the Spring 2023 term (BET350), working with a project manager and a researcher. We mapped the customer journey from user interviews and secondary research to find where finding a new café breaks down. Two frictions stood out:
- 01Comparing menus, prices, and ratings across cafés is stressful and confusing.
- 02Walking into a new café, and asking a barista, feels intimidating.
From there I wireframed and prototyped the flows, then tested them with users to refine the onboarding and recommendation experience.
Preference-first onboarding
Onboarding leads with the user's own taste, so recommendations feel personal from the first session. Location is used transparently, only while the app is open. Three steps get someone from install to a saved shortlist:
01 · Explore cafés in your area
Browse coffee shops and workspaces nearby.
02 · Add your coffee preferences
Recommendations are generated from what you actually like.
03 · Save your favourites
Keep the places that fit and return to them later.
