PERSONAL PROJECT | 2017 - 2018
The more I became more engaged with a community of cigar aficionados, the more it became apparent that there wasn't a great solution to note which cigars were enjoyable, which ones were not, and which ones friends recommended. My goal was to create a way for cigar smokers to keep track of their favorite cigars and to avoid having to recall brands that others recommended.
Conducted comparative analyses.
Created low fidelity sketches and high fidelity mock ups.
Developed mood boards to solidify the brand identity.
Designed a custom set of icons for the app.
Created personas based on interviews.
Conducted moderated + unmoderated usability testing.
Wrote code in React Native
Create a comprehensive and searchable list of cigars available to the market.
Develop a way to save cigars that had been tried, but also could be tried at a later date.
Enable a ratings system to allow other cigar aficionados know what others thought of a specific cigar.
Provide a community aspect to see other aficionado lists and recommendations.
Develop a strong brand identity that broke the traditional notion that cigars are a "manly thing."
Build a truly iterative product that met the basic needs sooner and could incorporate more complex features in the future.
I wanted to break the traditional mold of dark colors and masculine imagery associated with cigars, after being a part of community that included a growing female audience.
Starting the project from scratch.
Lack of development knowledge.
Identify if there was adequate market opportunity.
One person trying to tackle the product from beginning to end.
Took courses to learn React Native from the most basic level.
Interviewed cigar shop owners and aficionados to identify market opportunity and interest.
Identified a beta group of aficionados who would provide feedback during the process.
Honed my own design process by incorporating best practices used by successfully launched products.
This project was an incredible learning experience for me. From diving into React Native, something I had never done before, to taking the time to understand the interest and opportunity behind the product. The project ended up being far larger than I had anticipated, but is something that I would like to complete—in fact, I still have people ask me when it will be done so they can start using Maduro.
