Munch

Overview

Munch is a conceptual UX solution designed to support families and caregivers in ICU waiting environments by enabling easy access to food and essentials without leaving the hospital.

It addresses the emotional and logistical challenges faced by caregivers who must remain close to critically ill patients while managing basic needs like meals and groceries

Research and Discovery

• Limited access to food inside hospital ICU environments

• Caregivers cannot leave patients unattended for long periods

• Late-night food delivery options are unreliable

• Need for quick access to essentials, especially for families with children

Problem Statement

Design Concept

A virtual grocery experience embedded in ICU waiting rooms using a physical poster with QR codes linked to a mobile app.

Users scan items, place orders, and receive delivery directly in the waiting room via hospital cafeteria staff.

Obervation

• Interviews with ICU doctor and Health Informatics faculty

• 15 survey participants with ICU waiting experience

• Users experience emotional stress when leaving ICU areas

• Need for fast, simple, low-cognitive-load ordering systems

Storyboarding

Based on user scenarios and workflow analysis, I created a storyboard illustrating:

1. User notices the ICU waiting room poster

2. User scans QR code of desired meal or grocery item

3. User browses and places order through the app

4. User confirms delivery details and payment

5. Hospital cafeteria prepares and delivers the order to the waiting room

This helped visualize the emotional and functional journey in a high-stress context.

Conceptual model

Field study, observation, data gathering, flow model, users scenarios and storyboarding helped me to design a conceptual model.

• The user downloads and installs the app on his/her mobile device by following instruction from a designed poster.

• The user scans the QR codes of the meal or available groceries he/she wishes to order.

• User checkouts the order, confirms delivery details and pays for the order by using his/her debit/credit card or Pay-Pal account.

• The hospital’s cafeteria will be responsible for receiving orders, meal preparation, packing and delivering the orders to the customers in the waiting room.

• The responsible cafeteria worker will brings the order to the customer, to the waiting room.

PROS: Expenses and time for the order delivery will be minimal.

CONS: Not all individuals are completely satisfied with food prepared in the hospital cafeterias

Design Mockups

Converting the thinking into layout

Low-Fidelity Wireframe

Initial sketches focused on:

• Simplified QR-based ordering flow

• Minimal navigation steps

• Clear categorization of food items

High-Fidelity Wireframe

Focusing on:

• Clean UI for high-stress environments

• Large touch targets and readable typography

• Simple checkout flow

• Clear feedback at each step

User Testing

• 7 participants (ages 20–60+)

• Task-based usability testing

• Think-aloud protocol

• Pre- and post-task questionnaires

• Metrics: SUS, task success rate, time-on-task

Methodology:

Key Findings:

• Users preferred clearer instructions for each step

• Search functionality needed enhancement (support for product names, not just codes)

• Overall experience was intuitive and well-received

• 6 out of 7 participants said they would use the system in real ICU environment

Usability Insights

• Clarity is critical: Users need explicit guidance in high-stress environments

• Search flexibility matters: Users expect natural language product search

• Trust is essential: Hospital-based systems must feel reliable and simple

• Emotional context influences UX: Reducing cognitive load improves adoption

Outcome

The final design demonstrated that a location-based, QR-enabled virtual grocery system can meaningfully reduce stress for caregivers in ICU waiting rooms.

The project validated that even small UX improvements in healthcare environments can significantly improve emotional and functional user experience.