project
product design
contributions
product design, data analysis, ui/ux
deliverables
initial layout and documentation
FindFood — design case
FindFood is an app that helps users find and book meal reservations at restaurants.
This case is about a fictional product, Find Food, used in an application for a job, and exemplifies my design thinking and process.
In this design case I'll explore a few opportunities to reach our goal at FindFood: increase utilization among existing users. By analyzing information how often people are making reservations, which restaurants they're booking, most used features and what users have been saying about the app, I was able to identify some opportunities to work on.
The background data shown here, as well as the current version of the search screen provided on the design prompt I've received.
Everything else was created by me including the improvised logo and the interface layout :P
challenge
How do we revamp shopping experience and increase utilization among existing users?
Background data
2
bookings per week, on average
50%
of bookings are for same day
70%
of reservations are in restaurants that that user previously ate at
30%
bookings are restaurants with "Favorites”
40%
of bookings includes interaction with search filters
(among app sessions that result in a reservation)
Persona information
“I love FindFood because I know every restaurant in my town is on the platform, so I’m not going to be missing out on anything. Sometimes, however, the choice can be overwhelming… my partner and I will just scroll around and look at a ton of stuff and debate options for thirty minutes, and then it’s basically too late to go out. I’ve definitely had a couple unexpected grocery store frozen dinners because of that!”
Frequent user
“I usually use FindFood after a long day at the office, when I know I’m going to be too tired to cook at home, to find open reservations really quickly. At this point it’s muscle memory: I open the app, sort for less than 2 miles, sort for rating > 4 stars, scroll down to the third card, and book at Gregory’s Greek Kitchen. If they’re fully booked, I’ll try Great Wall Chinese Restaurant instead. I prefer Gregory’s though – it might not be the best food, but it sure does the trick.”
Casual user
“It’s funny, my FindFood friends aren’t really people I’m close to in real life. I just sent friend requests to a couple people whose reviews I really agreed with, so I can see where they’re eating and what they think. Normally I just stick to my trusty Pho 63, but when I’m feeling fancy, I’ll scroll through my news feed and find a place Anton recommended that I haven’t eaten at before. His 3 stars is like my 5 stars, so any place with a good review from him has never let me down.”
Influenced user
“I don’t really use FindFood much at all – probably less than once a month – because I don’t have an easy way to figure out whether a restaurant can meet my dietary restrictions or not. Sometimes I’ll get lucky and the Highlights will mention it, but otherwise there isn’t really a good way for me to filter for what I need.”
User with restrictions
I analyzed behavioral data to generate four hypotheses about potential problems, which I would test to confirm or refute.
Hypothesis 1
Users would like to be able to access restaurants they've already visited more easily.
One of the personas mentions the reasonably large path they take in the filters to find the restaurant they always go to.
Hypothesis 2
It would be more practical for users to be able to search for a restaurant by name.
Today there is no search field in the Search tab. The 40% of reservations made through filters may be true only because it is the only way to search for new options.
Hypothesis 3
Filter options would be more effective if included more scenarios.
Users with dietary restrictions cannot easily find out whether they can eat at a particular restaurant (data from a persona).
Hypothesis 4
Users don't feel motivated or forget to rate the restaurants they visit.
Users post only 1 review for every 5 reservations made.
Based on these hypotheses my goal would be answer a few questions to help me prioritize solutions and create a plan to make changes on the app.
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Which steps are taken to make a reservation in a restaurant that the user has already been at?
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How easy and intuitive is it to find an specific restaurant in the app?
-
Do filters help find a restaurant?
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Is there any friction in the process of making a reservation?
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Is it possible to find all the information that an user is looking for? If not, what's missing?
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Why do users book and cancel reservations? They forget about it?
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What would encourage users to write reviews?
To do this, I would use tools such as recordings of user sessions (if available), funnel analysis (if elements were tagged), and surveys with a small sample of users.
opportunities
How do we turn data into opportunities to increase user engagement?
Initial actions
To avoid investing time and, design and development resources, without knowing if it will work, it is important to start with a simpler version and improve it as you gain information and data about the app's usage.
A cheap and simple way to start could be using push notifications. However, these strategies will only be effective if a large portion of the user base had allowed the app send notifications.
Restaurant reviews
Encourage users to review restaurants on the day of the reservation by sending a notification that cross-references data such as the date and time of the reservation and the user's location some time after the reservation to evaluate if the number of reviews increases.
Also, if the location data at the time of the reservation is not the same as the restaurant, send a notification asking if the person did not actually attend. This way, we might gather information and learn why this happens.
Reservation reminders
Send a reminder 1 day and 8 hours before the reservation and measure if the number of no-shows decreases.
Seasonal campaigns
Encourage restaurant reservations based on holiday and festive dates. For example, on National Pizza Day, bring a selection of restaurants to celebrate.
Encourage reservations
Establish partnerships with restaurants to offer exclusive discounts or promotions.