UI / UX

Einstein Bros.
App Redesign

Case study

Toolkit
Figma ∙ Miro

Timeline
Jan 2024 – Mar 2024

Transforming a beloved brand

Einstein Bros. Bagels is a popular café with over 700 locations across the US. Whether you're grabbing a quick breakfast before work or treating your family to fresh-baked goods, this chain has a lot to offer – and their digital experience should too.

This project is a redesign of the Einstein Bros. mobile experience, focused on reimagining the ordering process and building a more consistent style system.

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Kicking it off

This redesign began with my own experience. I used the Einstein Bros. mobile app to place a pickup order for a quick bite, and faced various challenges as I was doing so – and I couldn't help but notice a lack of brand cohesiveness.

I started the project by taking a step back and examining all the screens, noting UI and UX concerns. This would provide a foundation for the project, allowing me to focus on clear objectives.

Listening to real users

To conduct user research, I combed through over 20 app store reviews and gathered the most prominent complaints. The app store is one of the primary spaces where users will go to leave feedback on apps, so in turn, it provides a lot of useful insight.

The most common complaints were:

No in-progress screen, or anywhere to see recent/past orders
Confusing app navigation and menu structure
Difficulty customizing menu items
No method to contact support if things go wrong

What did we learn? The ordering process needs to be clear and convenient, the overall app flow must be simplified, and the UI should make viewing easier.

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Key objectives

1
Review competitors & create
user journeys

2
Simplify flow and test for usability in different scenarios

3
Create styleguide that utilizes
brand effectively

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Competitor analysis

I reviewed various different café apps that are popular among iPhone users. I decided to take most of my inspiration from Panera and Starbucks, as the ordering process and overall setup provide the convenience that the Einstein Bros. app needs.

Meet the users

I then built user personas and journeys based off of the target audience, based off from data from Einstein Bros. and the competitors (Panera and Starbucks). Meet Myra, a 31-year-old office worker, and Fred, a 20-year-old college student.

The redesigned app will be catered towards ordinary professionals in their 20s to 30s.

Mapping it out

I created a map of the different screens needed before starting the wireframing process. The intuitive structure is simple and allows users to navigate the app seamlessly.

Build it!

I built a styleguide of components to make design consistent across all screens. I used Einstein Bro's existing branding and provided a fresh look by updating the typographic styles.