Redesigning how we eat

Exploring mobile product design with Ryan Scott Tandy

Ryan Scott Tandy, our new Director of Product Design just joined to lead the team that’s designing the app millions of our customers use to browse and order groceries. Mobile’s nothing new for RST — he’s designed experiences for feature phones, iPhones, cameras and everything in between, with stints at Adobe, Apple, R/GA, and Instagram. We sat down with him to talk about the future of food, the power of simple design, and (of course) what’s in his cart.

You’ve had a long career spanning startups, agencies, and big corporations — what are your learnings from each phase of it?

I’ve been designing for a long time. I got my start in the dot-com 1.0 era! I took a pause from college when I was 20 to work for a digital sports streaming startup that was pretty ahead of its time, given that the technology and bandwidth just weren’t where they are nowadays. Back in the late 90s, we tracked sailing races around the world and live-streamed a mountaineering ascent!

From early on, I was fascinated by the stories that could be told by design and using technology to create memorable digital experiences. Later, I found myself at Adobe’s Experience Design team, where we thought a lot about reimagining experiences for mobile phones — making things like messaging apps and online banking work on those tiny screens with four-way keypads. Yes, this was in the pre-smartphone era.

It was awesome to work on something millions of people use every day — a tool that people rely on.

It was the iPhone that later drew me to Apple where I began to focus on designing consumer products, working primarily on mail, as part of the redesign of MobileMe (predecessor to iCloud). It was one of the least flashy things in Apple’s entire lineup, but from a design perspective, it was awesome to work on something millions of people use every day — a tool that people rely on.

For the last 3 years I led design on the Sharing team at Instagram, which spanned a range of new product initiatives like Stories, Live, Direct, and Profile that focused on self-expression and communication. I joined Instagram at a time when things were still very simple, there was only one way to share and the entire company fit inside a small room at Facebook. It was awesome to be part of that chapter that really brought the service several jumps forward making Instagram a place for you to share something every day with your closest friends.

What project are you most proud of?

While I was at R/GA I was lucky enough to lead the design team behind the Nike+ running app. We assembled an interaction design, visual design and copywriting triage team, and devoted 100% of our time to the app. We designed it, built it, ran with it, deployed it, and then iterated on it again. It was a truly hands-on and iterative process, which is so rare in an agency setting.

What I’m most proud of is how my team stayed ahead of the technology, not just building web and mobile, but building for newer (at the time) wrist-based wearables, smart-watches, and connected retail. I’m very interested in health and fitness, and it was so exciting to build something that empowers everyday athletes to achieve more and live better.

What brought you over to Instacart?

A well-designed product or service can be healing — it can give you control over your time and your physical health and I think that Instacart has the power to do both of those things.

I’m excited for the team to evolve it from a simple utility to a service that people turn to for inspiration

Currently, Instacart’s a tool that has given me and my family a lot of time back into our day. Right now, it plugs easily into that one moment of our day when we realize something’s missing and we need to order groceries. I like the fact that you can shop at Costco, CVS, and Safeway in 15 minutes on the app — something that would take me half a day to complete otherwise.

…but there’s a lot more potential locked away in the app. I’m excited for the team to evolve it from a simple utility to a service that people turn to for inspiration around what we eat and how we shop. Aside from ordering groceries, there are so many other food-related moments in our day that Instacart could plug into: discovering new brands and products, exploring new recipes, meal planning for that new keto diet, planning a dinner party, and more. I’m excited to simplify and perfect how people order groceries… and I’m really excited to explore how we can bring those other moments of food inspiration and discovery to life in the product.

On top of that, Instacart’s on its way to becoming a household name — we’re in growth mode. In my first month here, I fell in love with being hands-on again, the rapid pace, the cross-functional teams, and the friendly, collaborative people.

What’s always in your cart?

Doughnuts. Always doughnuts. 🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩🍩

Want to design products with RST ? Instacart Design is hiring! Check out our current openings.

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.