Designing a Mobile Learning
Experience for Bartenders
Case Study and Design by Jeremy Weis
Role: Researcher and UX/UI Designer
Type: End to End Application
Duration: 8 weeks
The Problem
Information in the bartending industry isn’t the problem—connecting it is. Drawing from my 20 years of experience behind the bar, I’ve seen how new and veteran bartenders alike are forced to piece their education together from whichever coworker happens to be on shift, supplemented by scattered YouTube videos and scribbled notes.
The Challenge
Design a single, guided platform that connects learning, understanding, practice, and personal recipe management to help bartenders build lasting knowledge and confident execution.
Competitive Landscape
Strong tools solved different pieces of the problem
I reviewed BarSmarts, Difford’s Guide, and Mixel to understand where existing products succeeded—and where the learning experience still broke apart.
BarSmarts
provided structured professional education.
Difford’s Guide
offered deep recipe and reference content.
Mixel
made recipe discovery interactive and mobile-friendly.
The opportunity
Combine structure, depth, and interaction into one repeatable learning loop.
Understanding the User
Different experience levels, similar needs
Research showed that bartenders approached learning from different levels of experience, but shared a need for clarity, reliable information, better retention, and confidence.Interviews and competitive research revealed three patterns that consistently disrupted learning:
Newer
Bartender
Needs reliable fundamentals and quick reassurance while knowledge is still developing.
Developing Bartender
Wants to move beyond memorizing recipes and understand technique, balance, and adaptation.
Experienced Bartender
Needs an efficient way to organize knowledge, refresh skills, and continue developing.
Defining the Product
One connected learning loop
Research showed that bartenders approached learning from different levels of experience, but shared a need for clarity, reliable information, better retention, and confidence.Interviews and competitive research revealed three patterns that consistently disrupted learning:
Learn
Follow a structured path.
Understand
See why the drink works.
Practice
Build technique through guided repetition.
Save + Track
Keep useful recipes and make progress visible.
Structuring the Experience
Giving each need a clear place
The navigation was structured around the behaviors uncovered in research:
Home
progress and what to do next
Learn
structured learning paths
My Bar Book
saved recipes and personal reference
Inspire
discovery and exploration
Search
direct access when users already know what they need
