BiteDance

The Best Food Ordering App During Covid

Deliverable

Hi-Fi Prototype
Information Architecture
Design System

my part

Interview
Contextual Inquiry
Survey
UI/ UX Design

Team

2 User Researchers

Duration

3 Months

Project Overview

The project aimed to improve online ordering to meet customer needs and help restaurants stay open during COVID.

Background

As reported by The Seattle Times in 2020, more than 600 restaurants in Seattle have permanently closed since the pandemic began. However, consumers remain enthusiastic about ordering tasty and safe food from local eateries.

Problem

During COVID, consumers raised concerns about food safety, quality, and unreliable deliveries on existing food ordering platforms. These challenges significantly affected local restaurants, leading to a decline in customer numbers and disruptions in food supply chains.

Process

This three-month project encompassed the complete design process, from research to prototyping.

Discover

I used three research methods to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback, uncovering issues for both consumers and restaurants, identifying target users, and understanding their objectives.

Research methods

Interviewed 6 consumers and 2 restaurant owners

120 Consumer surveys

Contextual inquiry with 1 consumer

Due to COVID, I recruited my roommate as a participant.

Consumer journey map

Using my roommate's persona, I created a consumer journey map to show her food ordering experience with DoorDash from start to finish. It highlighted her needs, pain points, emotions at different stages.

Define

After synthesizing the research data, I developed 3 personas to represent the target users, and identified 5 key problems.

Primary personas

"Food is the utmost priority for people."

A busy engineer enjoys exploring and tasting new cuisines

Needs

Place daily food orders ahead of time in a single go.
Ensure food quality and safety standards are met.

pain points

Difficulty finding parking during pickup.
Longing for the dine-in experience.

"Working and schooling from home keeps me busier than ever, I just don't feel like cooking or doing the dishes every day"

A housewife feels exhausted from the daily routine of cooking

Needs

Provide meals that please every family member at an affordable price.
Show support for her favorite local restaurants.

pain points

Many restaurants do not provide delivery services due to distance limitations.
Takeout meals often lack the freshness of dining in at the restaurant.

Secondary persona

"We've kinda been left out on an island to survive on our own"

A restaurant owner is determined to rescue her struggling business

Needs

Draw in more customers.
Generate profits to sustain her business.

pain points

Significant reduction in customers.
Insufficient cash flow.
Challenges in managing inventory.

Target Problems

Unable to pre-order multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously

Cannot submit additional requests to restaurants

Concerns about parking & Covid safety during pickup

Struggle to properly reheat and prepare takeout meals

Restaurants face challenges with cash flow and managing inventory effectively

How might we improve restaurant online ordering services to satisfy customer needs and support restaurants in staying operational during COVID?

Develop

I explored business models, service blueprints, and platforms, ultimately choosing a mobile app integrating food ordering with meal subscriptions due to time constraints. Three usability tests refined the prototype.

Sketches

Decisions and rationale

usability tests

Deliver

I created a high-fidelity prototype with five key features to solve major issues, backed by a design system that emphasizes sustainability with green branding and fosters team collaboration.

Hi-Fi Prototype

Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.
Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.
Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.
Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.

Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.
Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.
Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.
Arrange multiple orders simultaneously
The Calendar View enables consumers to efficiently choose a date and time and schedule multiple meals from various restaurants simultaneously.
Offer explicit instructions to the restaurants
The Note Input Field enables consumers to effortlessly provide clear instructions to restaurants.
Offer customers clear guidance for order pickups
Offer nearby parking options, mask reminders, and ensure social distancing with remote order progress tracking.
Provide customers with food preparation instructions
Provide final food preparation instructions and videos to enhance quality and overall experience.
Make advance payments to help restaurants
Meal plans help restaurants secure upfront payments and manage inventory, while offering consumers savings when purchasing more meals.

Design System

Evaluation

Since it is a school project, we devised potential success metrics for evaluation.

Reflection

What could I have done differently?

Transform it into a service design project

Incorporate both restaurant and delivery aspects into the service blueprint to ensure smooth operations and enhance the overall experience for everyone involved.