Grocery Shopper With Substitution Approval
Design a grocery delivery flow where a shopper follows a detailed list and receives timely decisions about unavailable items.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
A grocery list becomes a live collaboration when prices change, products sell out, produce quality varies, and the customer cannot respond immediately. Substitutions affect dietary safety and the final total.
User context
Amin orders weekly groceries for his household. His child has a peanut allergy, his budget is $95, and he will be in a meeting during part of the shopping window.
Product problem
The design must let Amin express item-level substitution rules before shopping and help the shopper act safely when a response is unavailable.
Objective
Create list setup, shopper assignment, live substitution approval, budget tracking, and delivery handoff.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Detailed grocery list
- Shopper assignment and progress
- Substitution request
- Delivery review
Screens and states
- List builder
- Shopping progress
- Substitution decision
- Budget summary
- Delivery issue report
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Amin adds products and default rules
- 02
A verified shopper begins the order
- 03
An allergen-safe cereal is unavailable
- 04
The shopper follows the no-substitution rule and completes delivery within budget
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Support exact item, flexible item, and no-substitution rules
- Keep allergy notes prominent
- Show price changes and running authorization total
- Set a response deadline for live questions
- Record shopper and customer decisions
Constraints
- Inventory is known only in the store
- The shopper has limited time
- Fresh item quality is subjective
- Payment authorization has a fixed buffer
Reality check
States worth considering
Ready-to-use content
Mock data
Use this content to test hierarchy and realistic data states. You can expand it when the concept needs more depth.
Shopping list
- Oat cereal, exact brand, no peanut facility
- Bananas, 6, slightly green
- Tomatoes, up to $5, shopper may substitute
- Current total: $82.40 of $95 budget
Finish line
What to deliver
- Five mobile screens or states
- An item-level substitution rule and decision component
If you want more
Optional extensions
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.
Open Sans & Libre Baskerville
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.
Open Sans & Libre Baskerville
Clear interface writing gives people the confidence to understand what changed and decide what to do next.