Caribbean eatZ App

Food Ordering & Delivery APP

Project Overview

The Product

Caribbean eatZ is an online food order and delivery mobile app for a fictitious restaurant that serves Caribbean food to its customers

Problem Statement

Caribbean eatZ is looking to improve its online presence by offering food ordering and delivery services through a mobile app. The restaurant needs a user-friendly app that is both easy to use and efficient in processing orders and deliveries.

Project duration

Overall: 2 months
Discovery & Research: 2+ weeks
Design & testing: 6 weeks

My role

Lead UX designer for Caribbean eatZ from conception to delivery.

Responsibilities

User research, conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.

Tools

Figma, InDesign and Usability Hub

Market Research

In 2022, the global online food delivery sector is expected to be worth 130.2 billion US dollars. By 2027, this figure was expected to rise to 223.7 billion US dollars. Over the study period, the market was expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.44 percent. (Source Statista)

User Research

In order to understand the needs of Caribbean eatZ's customers and to design a user-friendly app, user research was conducted with people who have ordered food delivery from Caribbean eatZ in the past. The research involved surveys, interviews, and observations of food ordering and delivery processes. The following insights were gathered:

Familiarity with Caribbean Cuisine: Users were familiar with the types of cuisine offered by Caribbean restaurants, but some were not familiar with the specific dishes offered by Caribbean eatZ.
Desired Delivery Options: Users preferred to have the option of either delivery or pick-up, with delivery being the most popular option.
Importance of Order Accuracy: Users emphasized the importance of accurate and correct orders, as they wanted to ensure that their food was prepared and delivered as they requested.
Convenient Payment Options: Users wanted a simple and secure payment process that is quick and hassle-free.

Solution

Based on the insights gathered from user research, the following changes will be made to the app to improve the user experience:

Descriptive Menu: The app will be designed to include a detailed menu that provides information about the dishes offered by the restaurant, including descriptions and images of the dishes.
Delivery and Pick-Up Options: The app will be designed to provide users with the option of either delivery or pick-up, with delivery being the most popular option.
Order Accuracy: The app will be designed with order accuracy in mind, with features such as order confirmation screens and real-time updates to ensure that orders were processed correctly.
Secure Payment Options: The payment process will be made simple and secure, with quick and hassle-free payment options available.

User Research: Pain Points

Complex Ordering Process

Poor Delivery Experience

Long Wait
Times

Inaccurate
Orders

Limited Payment
options

Customers find the ordering process confusing, especially because they are unfamiliar with the menu or have specific dietary restrictions.

Customers may have negative experiences with delivery, such as food arriving cold or late.

Customers are frustrated by long wait times for their food to arrive.

Incorrect orders sometimes result in frustration for customers and lead to wasted time and food.

Customers are put off by a lack of payment options or difficulty in entering payment information.

Solutions

Customers find the ordering process confusing, especially because they are unfamiliar with the menu or have specific dietary restrictions.

The app will allow customers to rate and provide feedback on their delivery experience, and use this information to improve future deliveries.

The app will provide accurate wait time estimates and allow customers to track their order in real-time

The app will have clear confirmation screens and allow customers to easily review and modify their order before submitting it.

The app will offer multiple payment options and have a secure and straightforward payment process.

By addressing these pain points through the design of the Caribbean eatZ app, the restaurant can provide a more enjoyable and efficient ordering experience for their customers.

Personas & Problem Statements

Problem Statements:

Young Professional: The user struggles with finding the time to visit their favorite Caribbean restaurants to order food and wants a convenient way to order and receive their meals.
Family of Four: The user has a hard time finding restaurants that cater to their family's needs and preferences, as well as ensuring their orders are accurate and delivered in a timely manner.
Caribbean Food Enthusiast: The user is looking for a platform that provides comprehensive information on Caribbean restaurants and their menu offerings, making it easy to discover and try new Caribbean dishes. Additionally, they want an easy way to order their meals for delivery or pickup.

Personas:

Young Professional: Busy, tech-savvy individual who frequently orders food for delivery or takeout from their favorite Caribbean restaurants. They are looking for an app that is quick, efficient, and easy to use.
Family of Four: A family with young children who are looking for an easy and convenient way to order meals from their favorite Caribbean restaurants. They value the ability to customize their orders, track delivery in real-time, and pay for their orders easily.
Caribbean Food Enthusiast: A foodie who loves to try new Caribbean restaurants and dishes. They are looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly app that provides information on various Caribbean restaurants and their menu offerings.

I wanted to form a deeper understanding of our users' goals, needs, experiences, and behaviors. So, I created three (3) personas for each of our user segments. They were based on user interviews and surveys, and I kept updating them throughout the project as I gathered more data.

In order to come up with a solution that truly helped solve the problems the restaurants faced, I needed to understand more about the restaurant's users. I started out by creating user personas to personalize the experience.

Nicole is a busy professional who requires meals in 30 minutes or less and easy access to healthy food ordering options.

“I don't have enough time to go get my lunch today”.

Goals

To easily order her favorite Caribbean dishes for delivery or takeout.
To customize her orders to her preferences.
To track her delivery in real-time.
To have multiple payment options.
To have a comprehensive list of her favorite Caribbean restaurants.

Nicole Adams

Age:28

Education: B.S.

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Family: Single

Occupation: Public Relations Specialists

Frustrations

Inconvenient ordering process that requires her to physically visit the restaurant.
Limited payment options.
Inaccurate or delayed deliveries.
Lack of information on menu offerings and restaurant availability.
Difficulty in customizing orders to her preferences.

Meet Nicole, a young professional in her late 20s who works long hours at a busy corporate job. She loves Caribbean food and frequently orders from her favorite restaurants for delivery or takeout. However, with her busy schedule, Nicole finds it challenging to take time out of her day to physically visit the restaurants to place her orders. She is looking for a convenient and efficient way to order her favorite Caribbean dishes without having to take time away from her busy schedule.

User Journey Map

The user journey map outlines the steps that Nicole goes through when using the Caribbean eatZ app to order her favorite Caribbean dishes for delivery. By understanding her needs and pain points, the app can provide a seamless and enjoyable experience, leading to customer loyalty and repeat business.

Paper Wireframes

Sketching was an essential part of my design process. Essentially, sketching the wireframes provide a visual representation of the user's requirements and how the app should function to meet those requirements.

To encourage rapid iteration, I sketched up the early wireframes by hand to identify any potential issues before moving to the more time-consuming and costly stages of app development.

Digital Wireframes

My digital wireframes reflected user research:

The Challenge:

Customers are having a hard time locating previous orders (they don’t exist at all or are too complex to locate)
How can I put this feature in place and make it easily accessible?

The Results:

I included "Your Favorite" in the bottom navigation for quick visibility and accessibility, by clicking on any of the previous orders, the user can view details of the order and reorder.

This button at the top of the home screen makes it fast and easy for users to order (5).pn

In addition I also added recommended categories — the user can easily view categories and their content. For example: Breakfast — the most popular meals users have for breakfast would be under this category and the user can make a choice if he/she is indecisive.

Low-fidelity Prototype

Using Figma, I translated my first sketches into low-fidelity wireframes to be used in a usability study. The primary user flow I connected was simple and consistent navigation to help users flow through the app.

View low-fi prototype here

Usability Study: Findings and Results

Usability Study: Parameters

Study type: Unmoderated usability study

Location: United States, remote

Participants: 6 participants, three(3) males and three (3) females between the ages of 25 — 65

Length:10—15 minutes

Usability Study: Results

Round 1 findings

Users want to order food quickly
Users want more customization options
Users want a delivery option

Round 2 findings

Users need a more detailed description of dishes to make better informed decisions.
Users need to get feedback after successful completion of each task.
Users need a more intuitive sign-up/ sign-in process

Insight Identification - Restaurant App

Mockups

Mockup 1

The information I uncovered helped me rework my screens to provide a better experience. I made some changes to correct the usability issues identified:

I created a screen to give users more details, to help inform their decisions. When a user clicks on any of the dish names or images, the user gets to see a picture of the dish, the name of the dish, price, and full description, along with recommended dishes.

The Result

The new design is more inclusive as it contains images, text and icons in the description screen helps make the design more inclusive.

Before Usability Studies

After Usability Studies

Usability Study 2: Findings

Poor color contrast ratio

The color contrast in the design is insufficient for users with low vision.

Think about returning customers.

There are no plans in place to speed up the onboarding process for returning users.

Mockup 2

I darkened the accent color to improve the color contrast ratio.
I added a "Remember me" feature which allows returning users to bypass the sign-in process.

Result

The new color passed the accessibility test.
A faster onboarding process.

This button at the top of the home screen makes it fast and easy for users to order.png

High-fidelity Prototype

The final high fidelity prototype addresses the main user pain points by providing an accessible and inclusive design that is easy to use.
I created a quick ordering process by using the least number of steps possible to complete a task.

Using Figma, I created the high-fidelity prototype that follows the same user flow as the low-fidelity prototype, including design changes based on the usability study.

**View the interactive prototype HERE**

Evaluation

The changes made to the app were evaluated through user testing with people who have ordered food delivery from Caribbean eatZ restaurants in the past. The following outcomes were observed:

Increased Menu Awareness: Users appreciated the detailed menu that provided information about the dishes offered by the restaurant.
Satisfied with Delivery Options: Users were satisfied with the option of either delivery or pick-up, with delivery being the most popular option.
Accurate Orders: Users appreciated the order accuracy features in the app and reported that their orders were processed correctly.
Convenient Payment Options: Users found the payment process to be simple and secure, with quick and hassle-free payment options available.

Conclusion

By conducting user research and designing a user-friendly app with features such as a detailed menu, delivery and pick-up options, order accuracy, and secure payment options, Caribbean eatZ restaurant was able to offer a convenient and efficient food ordering and delivery service through its mobile app. The app has been well received by customers, who appreciate the detailed menu, convenient delivery options, accurate orders, and easy payment process.

Let’s connect!

Thank you so much for taking the time to ready Caribbean eatZ App cast study!

I had a lot of fun working on this project, and I hope you did as well.

If you'd like to contact me, my email address is:

Email: lorrainemillerhenry@gmail.com