The Wooly Coconut.

I led the full design of The Wooly Coconut’s app and website, building a fresh, intuitive experience for a brand offering superfruit bowls, smoothies, cold-pressed juices, and cold brew. From creating the design system from scratch to developing interactive prototypes and polished visuals, I ensured the final product reflected the brand’s vibrant energy. Users can explore the menu, save their favorites, and easily order ahead for pickup

Project type: End-to-End Web and Mobile Application

Duration: 3 weeks

Team: 1 founder, 1 developer, 1 project manager

Roles: UX Design, UX Research, Visual Design, Branding

Gimme the TLDR

Insights > Assumptions

The Wooly Coconut is an early-stage startup created by people passionate about superfruits and healthy living aiming to bring fresh, nourishing options to their community. However, the stakeholders planned to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) on an assumption without any research, leaving them open to building something that doesn't have a wider product-market fit.

They assumed:

Users would intuitively understand how to navigate the app without much guidance simply because the layout was "simple and clean"

I had to:

Ensure the user experience was truly intuitive by testing early prototypes, identifying friction points, and designing clear navigation cues

Turns out, what felt obvious to us wasn't always obvious to users, they needed a few extra hints to navigate with confidence.

User interviews revealed that users sometimes abandon their online ordering process, leaving them confused and discouraged for two reasons:

1 - They weren't sure where to start, no clear CTAs

2 - They couldn't easily find ingredient or nutritional details

To avoid confusing or incomplete menu details, most users chose not to explore new items at all. Instead, they stuck to familiar orders or relied on memory, which limited their ability to discover and try new offerings.

How do you get people to explore new menu items, promise them a confident ordering experience, and deliver satisfying, health-conscious results?

Through collaboration with stakeholders and regular agile meetings, I designed The Wooly Coconut's MVP, a vibrant ordering app that encouraged users to confidently explore the menu by clearly showcasing ingredients, highlighting health benefits, and allowing them to save favorites for effortless reordering. The experience was intentionally crafted to feel fresh and uplifting from start to finish, ensuring that even first-time users felt supported and excited to try something new.

Scroll for Process

Research

Houston, we think we might have a problem.

To build a product people actually want to use (and come back to), you have to understand what they really value in their food choices and ordering experience.

You have to ask:

How do people currently discover new menu items? What makes them hesitate? What builds trust in a food brand?

And most of all: WHY?

Research Goal

How do users currently browse, decide, and place orders for health-focused food options; so that we can design a more intuitive, crave-worthy experience that feels worth coming back to?

I interviewed health-conscious, on-the-go users aged 18-60 who reguarly order smoothies, bowls, juices, and cold brew coffee, but often feel overwhlemed by too many choices or unsure about ingredients - and are seeking a quick, trustworthy way to order food that matches their lifestyle.

What was really preventing users from exploring the full menu?

1 - The lack of ingredient transparency:

4 out of 5 participants said they avoided ordering new items because they couldn’t easily view detailed ingredients or nutritional benefits. For health-conscious users (especially those with allergies or dietary goals) this missing information made ordering feel risky or frustrating. Instead of experimenting, they stuck to a few safe, familiar items.

I just want to know what's in it before I commit, I'm not trying to guess what's in the 'Mermaid Juice'. Along with that, I have to be careful with my nut allergy.

2 - Overwhelmed with too many choices:

Users reported feeling decision fatigue when presented with a large, unstructured menu. Without smart filters, clear categories, or highlighted recommendations, 3 out of 5 participants admitted they gave up on exploring and simply reordered something they've tried before - even if they had initially wanted to try something new.

There were so many options that I ended up picking the one I always get, it just felt easier. I would like to search by ingredient and see what comes up.

3 - No "Make Your Own" option:

3 out of 5 participants expressed frustration at not being able to fully customize their bowl or smoothie. While the preset menu options looked appealing, many users wanted the freedom to build their own creations based on personal tastes, dietary needs, or mood, and were disappointed that the app didn't offer that flexibility.

Sometimes I just want to build my own, like I know what I'm craving and none of the pre-made options hit it.

Why would anyone scroll through an unorganized menu if they're left guessing what's inside, just to end up ordering the same thing again?

Houston, we have a research-backed problem.

How might we help users feel curious (not confused), empowered to customize, and totally stoked about what they're getting?

Finding marketplace opportunities:

After reviewing competitor food ordering apps, health-focused juice bar platforms, and local smoothie shop websites, the team and I identified key gaps in the current market that The Wooly Coconut app was uniquely positioned to fill:

Establishing project goals

The Wooly Coconut's product has to:

• Show what's inside

• Spark curiosity

• Let users customize

• Feel fresh & fun

• Make reordering easy

MVP must-haves:

1 - Full menu with ingredient details – so users know exactly what they’re getting

2 - "Build Your Own" feature – for customizable bowls, smoothies, or juices

3 - Favorites system – to easily save and reorder go-to items

4 - Modern, mobile-first UI – vibrant, clean, and on-brand

5 - Quick order for pickup – seamless experience from browse to checkout

Sketching Solutions

To meet the stakeholders' timeline for a scrappy MVP, we prioritized lean testing and key changes.

After three rounds of low-fidelity iterations and meetings, we identified and resolved confusing, clunky, or unnecessary elements.

Task flows and site mapping were also worked out while sketching.

Branding

The Wooly Coconut's top 3 brand values are:

Fresh & Honest

Clear ingredients, no weird stuff - just clean, feel-good fuel

Ride Your Wave

It's your wave, customize your order to fit your flow

Easy Energy

Our experience is light, bright, and effortlessly refreshing

Visually, I wanted the Wooly Coconut to feel right at home in a vibrant, sun-soaked juice bar: bright, energizing, and full of life . It's bold blue and punchy pink palette reflect the brand's core: fun, fresh, and full of feel-good energy.