Tap That Beer is a mobile app that allows people to discover local beers and craft breweries.
This project started with a lot of research from competitor analysis to user interviews to reading about brewing beer. I visited breweries, read books about brewing, and tested current apps. Then, I started designing. This is a huge side project that I can’t wait to one day pick back up.
Discover Local Craft.
Timeline
December 2019 - May 2020
Concept Ideation
Ethnographic Research
Personas
Journey Maps
Sitemap
Low-fi Wireframes
Team
Tools
Solo Project, directed study
Adobe XD
Adobe Illustrator
The Challenge
The Craft Beer Production industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. According to the Brewers Association, in 2014, the average American lived within 10 miles of a brewery. Today, there are over 130 breweries in Massachusetts, almost half of which are in the Greater Boston area. There are also over 80 different types of beer including pale ales, dark lagers, Belgian styles, wheat beers, IPAs, porters, stouts, and specialty beers. Many people don’t know the difference between these types of beers, let alone how they’re made.
Long beer menus can be very overwhelming as most are nondescript and assume basic knowledge. It can be too crowded or even intimidating to ask about beer sometimes in brewery, so it would be helpful to be able to have an app where you can see the tasting notes and details about a beer and be recommended one.
Not only will it recommend and encourage users to try new local breweries and taprooms, but once you’re there, it will help you decide what you should try and keep track of what you’ve liked and disliked.
App Goals
Discovering local beers and breweries around Boston.
Building a tasting profile and finding recommendations based on what you’ve liked or disliked
Recommendations through friends, seeing what they’ve liked or reviewed
Process
Survey
Research
I didn’t want to begin this project working off of just my assumptions. This idea was very personal to me and started based off of my experiences and those of my friends’.
Therefore, to get started with a broader user base, I conducted research in a few different ways.
I talked to people around campus. This showed me that I was not alone in my experiences. There were people who felt very similarly to me. However, we were all of a similar user group.
Talking to professors… My Capstone professor was assisting me in this directed study. A craft beer enthusiast, he provided a completely different perspective for me, and I was able to interview him for stories, observations, experiences of his friends.
Going to breweries. I observed what people ordered… who talked to the bartender, asked questions, etc. How many people ordered flights to try different beers, how many seemed to order the same things.
Sending out a survey. This was sent out to family and friends on Facebook, and people in my design course. I also posted it on a Reddit threads: one of surveys for general population and another on a craft beer thread.
Reading up. I read about different types of craft beer and how it’s made.
Craft Beer for the People
By Richard Taylor
with James Watt and Martin Dickle
The Oxford Companion to Beer
By Garrett Oliver
Craft Brew
By Euan Ferguson
The Beer Bible
By Jeff Alworth
Personas
Nathan
is a 22 year old newly graduated student living in Boston. No longer on a tight student budget, Nathan can afford to go out more often and not drink the cheapest beer that he used to pick up from the corner store on his way home (PBR). He has tried a variety of beers, but most within the same beer style and has yet to venture into craft beer. He’s adventurous and tries new beers when he goes out with his friends, but never remembers which ones he liked and which he didn’t. So when he is looking to try a new beer, he’s not always sure he’ll like it.
Maria
is a 21 year old student in Boston. Her concept of beer is limited to PBR and Heineken. However, she just started her co-op at a startup in the city and wants to be part of the group when she goes out with her coworkers. When they visit bars or even breweries after work, she wants to drink a beer with them, but she has no idea what to order or what she might even actually like. Being the youngest one in the group, newly 21, she is too intimidated to ask her coworkers what to order and doesn’t want to embarrass herself. She keeps ordering the same beer that she knows she likes.
Jack
is a 32 year old working in sales in Boston. Originally from Vermont, Jack moved to Boston 8 years ago and has immersed himself in the city, continuously exploring local joints. He is a beer aficionado and loves to try new beers. Jack is often visiting the local brewery by his workplace with his coworkers. He knows exactly what beers he likes, but he still ventures out to try new ones most nights. He has tried a wide variety of different beers and likes recommending new ones to his friends as he has a good understanding of what they might like based on their current favorites. He enjoys beer and sharing his passion for it with others.
User Journey
Branding
The app serves two distinct user bases:
Those wanting to try new local beer, learn more about beer, find local breweries…
And the local breweries themselves looking for customers and advertising their beer.
Photo Credit: Lamplighter Brewery
Photo Credit: Barcelona Beer Project
Color Exploration
My original vision was to create a vibrant, new app appealing to a young generation, those in their mid-twenties who are learning more about craft beer. However, through research, I discovered that my initial user base wasn’t the target audience.
I shifted gears. Instead, the app became more of a tool, a guide. The colors needed to stand on their own, yet highlight the breweries’ designs. I admire the branding and design that goes into beer cans and bottle labels. Those became my vibrant, fun colors to work with giving an edge to the app, but not taking over.
Icons I created for Navigation
Profile Icon influenced by a beer tab