Blue Apron: Destination
A meal-kit service concept to create a better customer experience
Problem
Create a new experience for an existing brand that can add more customers and increase its annual revenue. My team chose Blue Apron, the first meal-kit subscription service in the USA.
Timeline
Spring 2018
7 weeks
Project Team
Ashesh Gohil
Matthew Chen
Yitong Wang
My Role
User Research
User Journey
Brand Evaluation
Experience Design
Market Analysis
Design Process OverviewGetting Started
We spoke to the customers to identify how to create a better Blue Apron experience. Our initial conversations with the users revealed that they liked trying something new, but soon grew tired of the limited cuisine options offered by Blue Apron.
Brand EvaluationUnderstanding the user
Over time, the cooking process became mundane and the meals start piling up. So we looked at how long people continued to use Blue Apron before discontinuing it.
User Journey after receiving the box
Comparing weekly schedules of users vs non-usersMarket Analyses
We decided to look at other brands to understand where Blue Apron stood amongst its competitors
Market Categories for subscription models
We analyzed other meal kit subscription services to find that Blue Apron's identity hovered between convenience and variety. By diversifying the meal choices that are authentic and create an experience rather than a chore, Blue Apron's identity could be solidified.
We also looked at how long people continued to use Blue Apron before discontinuing it, as well as the customer retention rate over a period of 12 months.
Over a year, only 12% of the users continue to use Blue Apron. This helped us to focus on creating a memorable experience from an emotional lens to help Blue Apron's declining user base.
Ideation
By diversifying the meal choices that are authentic and create an experience rather than a chore, Blue Apron's identity could be solidified. We focused on experiences centered around sharing meals, as well as making the event of receiving a box more memorable.
Over a two-week period, we narrowed down on reintroducing the idea of picnicking and arrived at experiences.
Final Concept
Blue Apron Destination was created to establish better user relationships and create an additional revenue stream for the company based on an existing model.
This picnic was inspired by Michelin star Chef Boulud’s picnic created together with the magazine Bon Appétit. The meal is intricate but still follows a basic premise - tart and crisp, to savory and substantial, sweet and refreshing. Following this structure, we created a meal that is perfect for a beautiful summer day yet simple enough to be created by anyone.
This box was inspired by the tradition of Hanami viewing that is celebrated all across Japan, from Tokyo to Okinawa. Bento boxes are specially made for picnicking while watching Cherry Blossom Tree, celebrating the onset of Spring. These boxes focus on color and ingredients to reflect the beauty of the coming of spring. Although not everyone can enjoy the full extent of Hanami viewing, anyone can enjoy this bento.
In the state of Kerala in South India, it is customary to eat with one’s hands. You thoroughly wash your hands, sit on the floor, and eat off a plate or banana leaf. There are few experiences like eating with your hands and subsequently licking the delicious curry and rice from your fingers. Experiences like this, are rare around the world, so it was a no-brainer to include them in this project.
