The problem
Counterfeit products continue to enter the retail market, with more brands experiencing customer backlash from receiving knockoff items. Real wants to put the power back in the consumers' hands and help brands rebuild the reputations they once had.
Job roles: IA and user flow, Design system, UI design, Visual direction
Team: David McCloskey, Founder and President ; Corey Earwood, VP of software engineering; Madison Salavec, Marketing strategy and Product management
Identifying problem areas
The initial ask was to create a new visual style for the app. But before I could implement a visual solution, I had to understand what was driving the need. I worked with the team to identify problem areas within the current version of the app. This helped identify key visual problems. I also wanted to know what the main purpose of this app was. The minimal viable product (MVP) that was identified to me was the ability to scan a proprietary QR code that only this app could read. By having the proprietary code, Real is able to identify and verify the scanned product, as well as give in-depth information about the product and company scanned, thus solving a huge problem in the area of counterfeit.
Starting to solve
Once we identified some problem areas, we were able to work out a perspective user flow. This focused around on the apps scan functionality, which uses proprietary algorithms to create a secure authentication system.
Next steps
The Real App has been an amazing product to work on. I have continued to work with Real to create a smoother user experience with more consistent visual design. The new version of the app is currently live on the App store and Google play store! With the consumer facing product in a good spot, we will continue to monitor and gather research for the next iteration and move our focus to the B2B experience!
