DiFluid specializes in precision coffee analysis technology with the goal of improving consistency in brewed coffee by making data accessible and understandable.
The Challenge
DiFluid was eager to establish themselves as an international brand, selling professional smart-hardware for testing the concentration of brewed coffee to achieve a more consistent brew quality for coffee growers, roasters, shop owners, and enthusiasts. As a new company however, they not only had trouble developing a consistent brand language, but also had extreme communication problems resulting in an overwhelming amount of wasted time.
As a Chinese company, none of the existing employees were aware of how to advertise products and communicate to a western audience. This was preventing them from becoming a respected and reputable brand.
Research
It quickly became clear when interviewing employees that poor communication between teams was resulting in countless hours of wasted time. After a discussion with various teams, we discovered the problem was largely due to the lack of a standardized way to collect and share information.
Some of the communication problems were due to the use of outdated software being utilized for the design process. Compatibility issues were resulting in the need of redundant workers to transition from one part of the process to the next. This was leaving the company with limited resources, forcing the wrong people to deal with issues outside of the scope of their job, thus experiencing easily avoidable issues with customer satisfaction.
Finding Solutions
After some extensive research on design processes and helpful tools, we decided to switch the whole UX design team over to Figma rather than the Chinese equivalent. I took the lead by redesigning the new app while teaching them how to use the software.
Meanwhile, I found ways to better utilize the company’s communication software “Feishu,” teaching employees how to work together more effectively without creating any sense of resentment or defensiveness.
I also identified a lack in necessary skill for web design, social media design/management, and Shopify store design/management, requiring me to take charge of all of them.
The Outcome
Identifying a lack in strong leadership and communication as the main issues, I took charge, going far beyond my original duties, to guide product development and create a consistent brand image across multiple languages.
A New Website
In China, websites are not commonly used. I lead the website team in a complete redesign, following their new style.
I was also responsible for redesigning the existing website and product pages from the ground up, constructing a new Shopify store, setting up a marketing dictionary, enhancing the UX and UI design for both the companion app and the product’s build-in screen, and teaching new software, all while implementing strategies for stronger communication between teams.
Iterative app redesign
The design team, UI team, and coding team were so segmented that the overall look of the app really suffered. Using communication tools, strong leadership, and design skills, our final product became something we were all proud of.
Instagram optimization
Instagram isn’t used nearly as much in China as it is in other countries. Through a complete redesign, I was able to dramatically boost followers from just over 2,000 to well over 13,000 in a few months.
Device UI Redesign
The original UI design included extraneous information, resulting in limited space for data display.
We were able to launch our Coffee Refractometer, Brew Tracking Scale, and Companion App to a customer base hungry to buy, while achieving an extremely high level of customer satisfaction. The company as a whole was then able to take the skills learned throughout my time there to save money by implementing new software, using current software to its fullest potential, and avoiding wasting time working out mistakes.
Final Presentation