Shaq App
Summary
This case study explores the design and development of the Shaq App, an all-in-one mobile platform that brings together food, groceries, pharmacy, shopping, and bill payments into one place. Originally starting as Shaq Express, a delivery-focused service, the product later evolved to separate delivery from e-commerce to give each area the right focus. As part of the design team, I helped shape the transition from the old Shaq Express model into the new Shaq App, which provided a more organized and scalable experience.
What I worked on
- 1. Assist in conducting user and competitor research
- 2. Collaborated in developing project and design strategy
- 3. Collaborated in developing a design system
- 4. Designed a mobile app
Introduction
Shaq Express began as a delivery company in Ghana, helping people move items quickly and reliably. Along the way, the team added new features like bill payments, online shopping, and pharmacy orders. But while delivery gained strong traction, the extra services did not reach their full potential because the platform was too delivery-focused. To address this, the company made the decision to create the Shaq App, a restructured platform that could give e-commerce, groceries, food, and bills their own space while still connecting to delivery. This change was not just about adding more features — it was about making life easier for users who wanted a single trusted app for everyday needs. As a junior product designer, I joined the team during this transition. My role was to help redesign the user experience so that customers could move smoothly between different services in one app, while also making the platform more scalable for the business.
The Challenge
The challenge was to design an all-in-one mobile platform that helps everyday users in Ghana easily order food, groceries, pharmacy items, and pay bills, while also keeping the process fast, reliable, and simple. Users wanted convenience, but the old Shaq Express app was mostly known for delivery, which made it hard for the other services to gain attention or traction. At the same time, the business needed a design that could scale across multiple services without overwhelming users. The real challenge was balancing simplicity for customers with the flexibility the company needed to grow into e-commerce, ultimately creating a platform that could improve access to daily services and support merchants in reaching more customers.
Objectives we aim to achieve
Simplify Access to Services
Create a single platform where users can order food, groceries, pharmacy items, and pay bills without juggling multiple apps.
Deliver a Smooth User Experience
Design clear and easy flows so users can move between different services without confusion.
Build a Scalable Platform
Structure the app in a way that supports adding new services in the future without clutter.
Support Business Growth
Shift the brand perception from being only a delivery app to becoming a trusted e-commerce platform.
Research process
Our research started by looking closely at how people in Ghana were already using Shaq Express and similar service apps. The goal was to understand why users mostly associated the app with deliveries, and why other features like pharmacy, bill payments, and shopping were not gaining traction.
Key research steps and findings included:
1. User Observations & Feedback: We observed how customers interacted with the old Shaq Express app. Most users said they opened the app mainly for deliveries, while other services were either “irrelevant to them” or “not clearly explained.”
2. Stakeholder Conversations: We spoke with internal teams and merchants to understand what was working and what wasn’t. Merchants wanted more visibility for their products, but the app’s structure made it difficult to highlight non-delivery services.
3. Competitor Scan: We reviewed other local and international super-apps to see how they balanced multiple services. This gave us insights on organizing features in a way that felt simple and easy to navigate.
4. Journey Mapping: We mapped the steps users took from opening the app to completing a service. This showed clear drop-off points, especially when moving between categories like delivery, shopping, and payments.
These findings guided us to redesign Shaq App with a clearer structure, separating services into easy-to-find “Light” modules (Food, Shop, Groceries, etc.), so users could access what they needed without confusion.
Identified pain points
Unclear Service Focus
Users mainly saw the app as a delivery tool, so other services like pharmacy, bills, and shopping were ignored. This limited adoption beyond deliveries.
Cluttered Navigation
Services were grouped together without clear separation, making it hard for users to find what they needed quickly.
Low Merchant Visibility
Vendors offering products or services outside deliveries struggled to stand out, reducing sales opportunities.
Drop-offs Between Services
When switching from delivery to shopping or payments, users often got confused or dropped off, showing a lack of smooth flow.
Brand Confusion
The app’s identity was too tied to deliveries, which weakened the company’s effort to grow into a wider e-commerce platform.
Solution Design
The main challenge was making the app feel simple for users while still being flexible enough for the business to grow into full e-commerce. Our guiding principles were clarity, accessibility, and scalability. We re-organized the app into clear modules (Food, Groceries, Shop, Bills & Payments, Pharmacy) so users could quickly find what they needed, and the business could showcase each service without confusion.
Problem Solved
Users didn’t know where to start or how to find non-delivery services.
A simple starting point for everything.
The homepage now works as a central hub, showing all services in a clean grid. This Increases visibility of all services separating delivery entirely and focusing on lifestyle services.
Problem Solved
Services were hidden and felt secondary.
Clear separation allows task completion without confusion.
Each service got its own dedicated flow (browse, cart, checkout, payment, order tracking). This reduced drop-offs when switching between services and makes it a scalable structure that can expand with more services in the future.
Problem Solved
Vendors offering non-delivery services had low visibility.
Vendors offering non-delivery services had low visibility.
The new design highlights vendors and their products within each module, giving them space to be discovered.
Problem Solved
Users didn’t always know the status of their order.
Peace of mind and confidence in the platform.
Real-time notifications and tracking give updates on deliveries, purchases, and payments.
Onboarding
Homepage
Food delivery
E-commerce (shop)
Grocery delivery
Pharmacy (Medication delivery)
Bills and payment
Order Tracking
General Settings
Impact & Results
Improved Everyday Convenience for Users
People in Ghana could now order food, shop for groceries, buy pharmacy items, and pay bills in one single app. This saved users time, reduced the need to switch between multiple platforms, and made daily tasks faster and less stressful.
Expanded Service Adoption Beyond Delivery
Before, most users only associated Shaq Express with deliveries. After the redesign into Shaq App, the structured service modules made it easier for customers to try other features like food, groceries, and bill payments. This shift helped increase service adoption rates and reduced over-reliance on just delivery orders.
Stronger Merchant Engagement and Revenue Growth
By giving vendors more visibility in their own dedicated sections, Shaq Express improved merchant performance. Vendors could now showcase products more clearly, which led to higher transaction volumes and better retention of partner businesses on the platform. This positioned the company as not only a delivery service but also a growing e-commerce marketplace.
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