

YC Facelift: Instacart - micrypt
http://kyrobeshay.com/post/33771800624/yc-facelift-instacart

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whalesalad
The first problem that a lot of people make when designing iOS interfaces is
not testing them on the device. Those font sizes are so incredibly small.

You HAVE to look at it on a device (using something like Skala Preview[0]) and
you'll realize that what you have right now is actually not an improvement at
all. Rather it is harder to follow, appears cluttered, and probably doesn't
get the business any closer to their goal of x, y, or z, regardless of what
that may be.

I like to give the benefit of the doubt to most of these "redesigns" because
usually there is some decent thought put into them and they're pretty and all
... but really it seems like you took a step backwards in this one. And after
looking at the current UI [1], you indeed did take a step back.

Also, i'd have done some more exciting UI stuff here. for example, get rid of
the quantity stuff. Instead, when I tap "add to cart", ask me that in a modal
fashion with big fat juicy buttons.

With iOS/mobile you can get away with more taps if your UI is less complex and
provides clearer choice.

Finally, in what way is your design more intuitive than the original? People
throw that word around like a rag doll without really thinking about it.

[0]: <http://bjango.com/mac/skalapreview/>

[1]: <http://www.instacart.com/assets/instacart-screenshot2.jpg>

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PufferBuffer
One thing that is very good about this design and Instacart should adopt are
the promoted/discounted items on the top. If Instacart tracked my most
recurring purchases, and occasionally gave me this banner-like ads to
recommend a discounted product, I'd click on it. I like how Doritos, for
example, really stand out in this image.

That said, you know how clients sometimes say "Make everything bold so that
everything stand out!" Well, that's exactly what you did. because you
cluttered the entire interface with similar 'bold' content, everything now is
a blur. It's virtually impossible for my eyes to focus.

All-in-all, decent attempt, but in my opinion, you did not succeed.

~~~
icebraining
_I like how Doritos, for example, really stand out in this image._

It's funny, just today I was listening to a podcast[1] where a guy from Frito-
Lays talked about how they have a bunch of salespeople who are responsible for
discussing with each store manager the position of the chips, the amount of
stock, the promotions, etc.

I wonder if they're starting to reach out to Instacart and similar virtual
grocery shops.

[1]:
[http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/08/odonohoe_on_pot.htm...](http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/08/odonohoe_on_pot.html)

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guiseppecalzone
This is a nice looking design, but seems a lot less intuitive than the current
version. I use instacart all the time and have zero confusion about what to do
next. The added color in the redesign is interesting, but I think it has the
effect of not knowing what to focus on. It took me awhile to notice the bottom
nav. Regardless, I enjoy these redesigns, since it makes you rethink how you
approach things.

~~~
Firehed
Gotta agree here - I find Instacart easy (if not slightly tedious) to use.
There are some UX improvements to be made, but those are more around
optimizing the add-to-cart experience; both search and scrolling aren't a
problem for me.

This looks like it switches to horizontal scrolling which feels unnatural
after years and years of device use, and transitions to a slightly awkward
skeuomorphic design ("arranged like the aisles of a supermarket") that doesn't
really add value. Aisles are designed to be confusing in order to force
shoppers to browse more and buy crap they don't need; Instacart wonderfully
avoids all this by having a surprisingly accurate [1] search tool.

The real improvements, at least for me, will come from splitting the payment
across multiple cards or combining multiple orders into a single delivery
(housemates all shopping at once), and having the ability to modify an order
that's been submitted but not fulfilled.

[1] Amusingly, I searched for "poison" and the only hit was some $5.99 half-
gallon jug of wine. I think it was a close metaphone match on the name but
everyone at the table was laughing their asses off.

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andreasklinger
Minor suggestion: Add screenshots of the current look of the app. I haven't
seen nor used Instacart so far.

~~~
judofyr
<http://www.instacart.com/assets/instacart-screenshot2.jpg>

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anthemcg
It looks better, but I suspect that the usability would suffer. The data is
almost never as clean as it looks in the mock-up, especially with the large
segmentation of categories on Instacart, not to mention the lack of consistent
size, color and visual style of the photos. Having used it , it seems like the
bigger problems with the app have to do with functionality on the checkout
screen and screen flow into adding and removing items.

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yinyinwu
I'm a regular Instacart user, averaging 2x deliveries per week. It's awesome
that I don't have to make the trek to Safeway anymore and the prices are
reasonable. I find the Instacart design to be fine as is. The main problem
with the app is search. The facelift looks nice, but making the app prettier
ignores the bigger problem that I have of not being to find what I want.

~~~
helloayo
But Safeway has delivery, and you can use your coupons with it. What is
instacart's advantage over Safeway's delivery?

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Dystopian
I'm not the biggest fan of the Pinterest type layout that Instacart currently
has. I'd definitely prefer this.

Only change I'd discuss with Kyro is the addition of dividers in the gutters
between the rows [or shelves].

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joshfraser
One problem I see with this design is that it's now hard to tell which size
product you're picking. Is that a small bag of kettle chips or a big one? I
can't tell.

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kyro
Thanks for the feedback everyone. This was my first foray into iOS design, so
I expected a lot of criticism. You guys made some great points.

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lewisflude
It looks nice, but not sure if it's actually better than the current
implementation from a UX perspective.

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jeffrogers
I'll stick with Fresh Direct for now.

