Define
The app didn’t suffer from a lack of features; it suffered from misplaced priorities. The tools worked, but they were buried under confusing layers.
So I reframed the challenge:
How might I reorganize the app’s menus so users can confidently track inventory and discover cocktails without feeling lost?
The Research Findings
From my observational research and competitor analysis, several patterns emerged:
Usability Findings
Navigation Confusion: Users often opened the wrong menu first and backtracked multiple times.
Hidden Inventory: Inventory — the heart of the app — was buried behind secondary menus, reducing its use.
Cognitive Overload: Too many nested options, inconsistent labeling, and unclear hierarchy caused hesitation and frustration.
Misaligned Flows: The app expects users to update inventory first, then browse recipes — but most users start by searching for a drink.
Behavioral Insights
Users think in scenarios (“What can I make with what I have?”), not categories (“Inventory,” “Recipes,” “Favourites”).
They value speed and simplicity over deep customization.
They want the app to act like a bartender, offering confident, immediate recommendations.
Business Insight
Improving discoverability and ease-of-use could increase engagement and encourage consistent inventory tracking — a key differentiator for this app.
Key Takeaway
The app’s success depends on restructuring navigation around user goals, not internal feature groupings.
Mapping the Journey
I mapped a typical user flow for “Find a cocktail I can make right now.”
Current Journey (Before):
Open app → 2. See overwhelming list of recipes → 3. Select option → 4. Check inventory → 5. Return to recipes → 6. Scroll extensively → 7. Finally land on a cocktail.
Pain Points:
A lot of choices presented at once, leading to choice confusion. Filters are work.
Confusing terminology (no education of what a highball glass is for beginners).
Cognitive fatigue after a few loops.
Ideal Journey (After):
Open app → 2. See personalized “Cocktails You Can Make” at the top → 3. Tap recipe → 4. Mix drink.
Shift: From 6–7 steps with high frustration → 3 seamless steps with clarity.
Research Goals
Determine what to simplify or change the app navigation to support users goals.
Research Objectives
Understand how users think about finding cocktails (by ingredient, by name, or by vibe).
Identify how the current menu structure supports common workflows.
Reveal any mental models users bring from similar apps or recipe experiences.
Competitor Research
I compared other available cocktail applications
User Interviews
To better understand who uses this app and why, I conducted 5 informal interviews with friends who regularly enjoy making cocktails at home. Each represented a slightly different user type, from aspiring mixologists to casual hosts.
Objective
Explore habits, frustrations, and expectations around cocktail-making and bar inventory management to validate my assumptions and uncover hidden needs.
Key Questions
How often do you make cocktails at home?
How do you currently decide what to make?
How do you keep track of your ingredients?
What frustrates you about your current process?
What would make a cocktail app most useful or delightful to you?
Are there steps of the process to making a cocktail that are currently taking place outside the application?
Insights
Decision Fatigue: Most users said they struggle to choose what to make, even when they have plenty of ingredients.
Inventory Management Is a Chore: Few track what they have accurately; manual entry feels tedious.
Recipe Overload: Current apps feel cluttered or too generic — users want relevance, not volume.
Delight in Discovery: When the app surfaces a cocktail they can make, excitement spikes.
Design Matters: A few noted they abandon apps that feel clunky or visually outdated — the experience should feel “crafty” and “premium.”
Key Takeaway
The app’s biggest opportunity isn’t adding new features; it’s about simplifying decisions, streamlining inventory, and delivering relevance and joy through thoughtful design and curated discovery.
Understanding Through Observation
To deepen understanding, I observed five friends using the app with a simple prompt:
“Find a cocktail you can make right now with what’s in your bar.”
I watched quietly as they tried to navigate the app.
Observations
Confusion: Several opened the wrong menu first, unsure where to begin.
Redundancy: Many circled back through multiple menus trying to find the same recipes.
Frustration: One participant sighed, “I just want it to tell me what I can make! Why is this so difficult?”
Workarounds: Two users resorted to jotting ingredients down elsewhere rather than updating inventory in-app.
Insights
Users expect one clear entry point for their primary goal: discovering makeable cocktails.
Information hierarchy doesn’t match user priorities; “Inventory” feels buried even though it drives recommendations.
Users think in tasks, not features; they don’t want to explore every menu; they want outcomes (“Show me what I can make”).
The current menu structure violates common mental models; users anticipate a “home → action” path, not deep nesting.