David 
Walker-Lečić


How the leading coffee roaster decided to take on food delivery

Role: Experience Director & Research Lead
Agency: Publicis Sapient
Cast: Starbucks Product, Creative & Technology Teams + PS Product & Creative Teams



The ask

Starbucks, the leading coffee company in the world, faced a challenge in introducing its new food service offering, "Marketplace." They were up against established competitors who were already excelling in this area. The question on everyone's minds was, what could Starbucks do differently to set itself apart?
Backstory

The product strategists and creatives at Starbucks were busy cooking up some exciting ideas to take their offerings to the next level. They set out to entice customers with an array of new food options that included leveraging some partnerships for a new dine-in experience. They were also considering ways for customers to enjoy their Starbucks favorites and more from the comfort of their own homes.
The approach

With only 8 weeks from the "Define" to "Final Concept" phase, our team faced a challenging timeline and had to act swiftly. To maximize our time, we decided to adapt the well-known Google "Sprint" method, making adjustments to suit our specific needs. To ensure the successful execution of our Design Sprints, we identified several crucial components that we needed to establish beforehand, including defining the interaction model, selecting a target audience, and inviting the appropriate participants to test and validate our work.



Day 1: Unpack
Dig into the design problem through research, reviewing competitors and strategy exercises.

Day 2: Sketch
Rapidly develop as many solutions as possible.

Day 3: Decide
Choose the best ideas and hammer out a user story.

Day 4-5: Prototype & Test
Build something quick and dirty that can be shown to users




The Interaction Model

We explored 3 varying interaction models before sprints began. Some of the biggest considerations were understanding if we were going to leverage the existing Starbucks app or create a stand-alone experience.




Listing Model



Unfolding Model (Selected)



Layering Model


Unpacking

I led the team in an exercise of competive analysis and creative inspiration based on our customer themes. However different, Starbucks had clear competition with Postmates, Uber eats and GrubHub. 





Breaking down the user story

We created a persona and actor map to quickly identify the who, why, and how so we could begin our storyboard and scenario sketches.

 
Sketches & Storyboarding & Critiquing & Voting




The Prototypes

Completed & tested 3 prototypes with customers.


Search


Order


Browse

The Final Layer

Home Screen


Anticipatory, contextual recommendation based on day part, location, weather and personal preference.

Easily accessed menus that anticipate need state and maximize brand equity.


Brands

Easily accessed menus that anticipate need state and maximize brand equity.


Item Detail

Food items are easily accessed inline and carry brand equity and premium image style.





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Copyright 1998-2025 David Walker-Lečić