Ninthgrid specializes in offering a diverse range of Afro-centric stock images tailored for businesses and creative projects. To facilitate seamless operations, Ninthgrid required an admin dashboard for efficient monitoring and management of backend activities. The dashboard needed to encompass vital functionalities including statistics, top contributors, trending images, payments, image uploads, top users, and overall activities.

Approach and challenges

Understanding stakeholder Needs

We initiated the project with an in-depth meeting with the stakeholders to comprehend their workflow and the specific requirements for the admin dashboard. This vital step allowed us to gain crucial insights into the functionalities and features needed.

Information Architecture and Navigation

Leveraging a class diagram process, we meticulously broke down and organized the navigation and all dashboard activities. This ensured an intuitive user experience, allowing for easy access to critical functionalities

The Design

Ninthgrid possessed an established color style and style guide. While this seemed advantageous, we encountered a challenge with the predominant use of white, black, and grey. Achieving a balance between accessibility and maintaining a clean UI design became paramount.

Design Considerations

Adapting to the Existing Style Guide

Ninthgrid possessed an established color style and style guide. While this seemed advantageous, we encountered a challenge with the predominant use of white, black, and grey. Achieving a balance between accessibility and maintaining a clean UI design became paramount.

Outcome and Impact

The resulting admin dashboard successfully integrated all required functionalities, allowing for efficient monitoring and management of Ninthgrid's backend activities. By prioritizing accessibility and clean design, we ensured that users could effortlessly navigate and utilize the dashboard.

Lesson Learned

I created two detailed personas that show exactly who our users are, using a lot of info I found in my research. These personas have all the important traits, needs, and likes that I learned about during my research. It will help me really get who our users are, so when I'm making design choices, I know what they'll like and find easy to use.

I've explored various apps focusing on food management, recognizing their strengths in delivering timely alerts about expiring food items. However, I noticed certain gaps in these apps, particularly in their user interfaces and organization features, which I believe can be significantly improved for better usability and efficiency. 

Strengths

• Prompt Notifications: Both competitors send timely alerts about food expiration.

• Comprehensive Database (FoodExpiryAlert): One competitor contains an extensive database of food items with expiration dates.

• User Reviews and Feedback (FreshTrackerPro): One app offers a section for users to review and share their experiences.

• Reminder Customization (FreshTrackerPro): One competitor allows some degree of customization in setting reminders.

Gaps

• Limited User Interface: Both apps lack an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making navigation challenging.

• Complex Navigation: Users find it difficult to navigate due to multiple menus and options.

• Lack of Customization: Users face limitations in customizing alerts and organizing food categories.

• Limited Food Database: The apps lack an extensive range of food items, limiting their effectiveness.

Opportunities

I crafted a user flow focused on simplicity and ease, ensuring a seamless journey for users to effortlessly add, track, and promptly receive alerts about their stored food items. 

I used brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for improving the app's interface, organization methods, and notification systems.

Mid Fidelity Design

I developed mid-fidelity designs based on the user flow, focusing on a visually simple yet information-rich interface to aid users in managing their food inventory efficiently.

I  developed an interactive mid-fidelity prototype for user testing, allowing for early feedback on functionality and design.

Usability Testing

I conducted usability testing on the mid-fidelity prototype, gathering feedback on ease of use, clarity of notifications, and overall efficiency in food management.

Refining the Design

I iterated designs using insights from user testing  to improve user experience.

I iterated based on the feedback that was collected from the Usability study.

I Integrated user feedback into high-fidelity designs, refining the interface, notification system, and organization features for a seamless user experience.

Impact

Freshalerts' design led to a user-friendly interface, aiding in efficient food management and reducing wastage. Users reported increased awareness of food expiration and better organization of their stored items.

Key Learnings