GIGI LIN

A food delivery app case study

Understanding The Market

Throughout the project, I conducted market and competitive research to understand the needs and gaps within the food delivery space. I also initiated multiple potential customer interviews to ensure I would meet business requirements.

My research process involved the following:

  • Define objectives

  • Outline hypotheses and assumptions

  • Select methods to meet needs

  • Conduct research and gather data

  • Synthesize findings

Goals

Examine top pain points in the process of ordering food delivery and create an end-to-end application that will enable users to order and track food deliveries efficiently and seamlessly.

Interviews

To gather qualitative data about potential user pain points and needs, I interviewed five New York and New Jersey locals who live and work in city areas. Most participants had experience ordering through food delivery apps and fell under the company’s target demographic. This demographic includes people of all ages, genders, and races who live or work in urban areas.

I wanted to answer the question:

“What would a customer need from an app for a delivery-focused food establishment?”

Interviewee Quotes

Overview

Role

Product Design (UX/UI)

Timeline

8 weeks/90+ hours

Tools Used

Miro & Figma

“I prefer ordering online. Sometimes when I have a lot on my plate between work and school, I need to order ahead of time so I don’t have to worry about it later.”

— Interviewee #1

“I use delivery apps because it’s more efficient for my day to day schedule. I don’t always have the time to go pick up food myself, so delivery is the most convenient option.”

— Interviewee #2

Insights and Issues

“Right now I’m dealing with a leg injury which makes getting to a food place and waiting in line difficult, so I rely heavily on delivery.”

— Interviewee #3

  1. Delivery is efficient, but expensive.

  2. Photos and detailed descriptions drive ordering decisions.

  3. Users expect apps to work quickly and efficiently. The user flow path needs to be simple and effective.

Information Architecture

User Journey Map

Based on the research and persona discovery, I proposed a site map that incorporated core content for ordering, checkout, and deliver tracking.

User Task Flow

I created the user task flow for the process of ordering baked goods from the mobile app. This task is the most important of the app’s functionality. The task flow assumes an app visit by a customer who has not ordered from the app before.

Sketches & Wireframes

Lo-fi Usability Test

After defining the main user task and flow, I created the first set of lo-fi wireframes and ran a test with five participants. Each participant was asked to follow the same user task flow that had been mapped out previously.

Although all participants had used online ordering apps before and seemed comfortable going into the study, each participant had feedback concerning the design and its functionality.

Idea Generation

For the initial sketches, my goal was to create freely while also keeping in mind the structure of prominent mobile ordering apps. I created multiple sketches using the Crazy8’s method and chose the best of those sketches to formulate my final concept.

“Many other apps will use a pop-up instead of a separate page. The constant back and forth to different pages feels like a lot of work just to order something you like.”

— Participant 1

“I like that you can track the order in the app, but I wish there was a better visual to show me what stage of the process my order is in.”

— Participant 2

“The process is familiar, but nothing about the app stands out to me right now. The basics are all there, it just depends on how you choose to brand it.”

— Participant 3

High Fidelity Prototype

Based on the feedback from my lo-fi prototype usability test, I created a high-fidelity prototype that addressed the concerns and unmet needs that participants in the study had noted.

View Final Prototype

Conclusion & Next Steps

Given the time constraints placed on the project, I focused only on the core aspects of the app’s functionality. If I were to continue testing and revising, I would implement a sign-in and personal account feature where a user’s homepage would curate specific recommendations based on past purchases. I would also look into creating an awards program based on ordering rates and specific purchases.

This project allowed me to dive into certain aspects of designing for touch screen and smartphones. Throughout this project I learned more about user behaviors when making decisions through a mobile interface, and learned more about accessibility concerns when swiping, scrolling, tapping, and reading text on a smaller device.

Test

I tested the final prototype on five participants, none of whom had participated in the previous study. Two out of five participants had never used a food ordering app before, while the other three considered themselves experienced users.

All five participants followed the same task flow as the previous study, and ended the test with a 100% completion rate.

Following the study, I asked participants to complete a survey to rate their experiences using the prototype.