Case Study

WineFind

Product for WineFind - making wine expertise accessible to everyone

Role Product Manager, Designer & Marketing Lead

Duration 12 week summer internship

Tools Figma

Website winefind.ai

During my time at WineFind, I defined the product vision and designed the complete user experience for a mobile app that makes wine expertise accessible to everyone. WineFind allows users to scan any wine label, menu, or store selection to instantly access critic scores, market prices, tasting notes, and personalized recommendations, solving the challenge of making informed wine choices in real-time situations. The work resulted in an MVP that successfully launched and attracted the backing of James Suckling, one of the world's leading wine critics, who became an investor after seeing how the product democratizes wine knowledge.

Background

The Problem

Wine consumers struggle to confidently choose wines because existing wine apps force them into fragmented, limited, or unreliable experiences. Beginner-focused apps oversimplify and rely heavily on crowdsourced reviews; expert-oriented tools are intimidating and inaccessible; and most platforms compromise usability with intrusive ads or inconsistent scanning technology.

The question driving the work: how do you build a product that meets users in the moment - standing at a restaurant wine list, browsing a bottle shop - and gives them the confidence to decide?

Research

User Research Findings

1. Users feel underinformed and overwhelmed, not uninterested

Across all experience levels, users described wine as "confusing," "intimidating," and "a guessing game."

2. The discovery process is fragmented and inconsistent

Users bounce between Instagram, friends, Google searches, store clerks, menus, and occasionally wine apps.

3. People forget what they enjoyed

Almost every user admitted they cannot remember wines they liked: "I recognize the label… but that's it."

4. Decisions feel most stressful in social or high-pressure scenarios

Users felt pressure to "get it right" when ordering at restaurants, choosing a wine for a gift, or buying for a dinner party.

5. Trust is earned through credible sources, not crowdsourced opinions

Users trust expert voices far more than crowdsourced reviews.

6. Users want to share wine experiences, but existing tools make it hard

Sharing discoveries and recommendations with friends is a common desire, but the friction in current apps kills the motivation.

Design Process

3 Iterations

Iteration 1 - Prioritizing Scanning on the Home Screen

The scan entry point was buried in the original design. Redesigned the home screen with a prominent "Quick Scan" button at the top - making the primary action immediately accessible from the moment the app opens.

Iteration 2 - Clarifying the App's Value Through a Guided Walkthrough

Users were unclear about what WineFind does differently from other wine apps. Added a guided onboarding walkthrough and redesigned App Store graphics to communicate the value proposition immediately.

Iteration 3 - Solving the "Now What?" Moment in Restaurant Menu Scanning

After scanning a restaurant menu, users didn't know what to do next. Added a "Find wine" feature anchoring the selected wine to its exact position on the scanned menu - connecting discovery to decision.

Marketing

App Store & Brand Identity

Beyond the app itself, I built the foundation of WineFind's brand identity - designing the marketing site, shaping the social media strategy, and creating the visual and verbal language that would carry the product to market.

Result

Outcome

Delivered a fully designed, validated MVP. James Suckling, one of the world's leading wine critics, became a financial backer of WineFind after seeing how the product democratizes wine knowledge.

Also built the foundation of WineFind's brand identity - designing the marketing site, shaping the social media strategy, and creating the visual and verbal language.

Wine knowledge shouldn't be gatekept. WineFind puts the sommelier in your pocket.