Designing an online takeout ordering system.
THE CHALLENGE
Yang Chow Restaurant is a fixture of classic Chinese-American cuisine in Los Angeles. It's a popular tourist destination for dining in and has been successful for decades.
The restaurant does not currently offer takeout options and they are interested in expanding their business to include this.
Yang Chow believes that an updated website that includes takeout options is important to their business success.
Yang Chow Restaurant
MY ROLE: UX DESIGNER
SOFTWARE USED
Through research and synthesis I determined the problems diners face when they order food for takeout.
With this information I designed an updated website for Yang Chow that will allow them to successfully expand their business into the takeout market.
RESEARCH
Heuristic Evaluation, C&C Analysis, Surveys, Interviews
SYNTHESIS
Affinity Mapping, Card Sorting, Feature Prioritization,
Persona Development, Journey Mapping
PROTOTYPING & DEVELOPMENT
Paper Prototyping, Design Iteration, Mid-Fi Wireframing,
Hi-Fi Wireframing, Wire-Flows, Usability Testing, Visual Design, User Flow
LET'S START WITH A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Chinatown classic Yang Chow is a hit with tourists and anyone needing a nostalgia kick. The place does classic Chinese-American dishes with swift, friendly service — including the iconic and addictive slippery shrimp.
yangchow.com
Slippery Shrimp
WHAT THE WEBSITE LOOKS LIKE NOW
HEURISTIC ANALYSIS: What's not working and what areas could be improved?
CATASTROPHIC
It is currently not possible to order takeout online. The only way to order is calling on the phone.
SO WHAT'S THE COMPETITION DOING?
DETERMINING BEST PRACTICES
COMPETITIVE AND COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS: LA Chinese restaurants that offer takeout
Many use photography, especially in the form of a hero carousel.
NOW LET'S SEE WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ORDERING TAKEOUT
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
QUANTITATIVE DATA : A survey of 15 people revealed actionable insights
People have concerns about their orders but for various reasons
SYNTHESISING THE DATA
MEET DAVID DOUBTER
PERSONA: A user profile that aligns with my research results
DAVID DOUBTER
Graphic Designer
"I expect everything to go wrong"
Age: 27
Status: Single
Overview
David has had a lot of restaurant takeout deliveries arrive with something wrong. Wether it’s the wrong item, a missing item, or even his own mistakes, he has been burned so many times that he is very picky about what restaurants he will order from.
Behavior and Habits
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Foodie and likes to try new things
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Spends time at friend’s houses all over the city
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Orders takeout food 2-3 times per week
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Has 2-3 drinks with friends before dinner
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Paranoid he will mess up the food order
Goals and Needs
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Only orders food online, will not use phone
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Wants to know as many details about the food as possible
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Relies heavily on social media and reviews to choose a restaurant
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Ordering process needs to be simple enough to do it while slightly tipsy
A JOURNEY INTO FRUSTRATION
JOURNEY MAP: Following David Doubter's path as he orders takeout from Yang Chow
THE PROBLEM IS REVEALED
People who order takeout food from restaurants are concerned that their order will not meet their expectations.
How might we help people order takeout food with confidence?
DESIGN THINKING >>
WHY
HOW
WHAT
Based on Quantitive and Qualitative data analysis we will include these features:
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Online ordering
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Photos of each menu item
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Written descriptions
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Ratings/reviews
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Updated design
People are concerned that their order won’t meet their expectations
Give users the features they need to order with confidence.
STEPPING BACK TO MOVE FORWARD - USING AGILE
SURVEY #2: A group whiteboarding exercise revealed there are many ways to structure a restaurant's menu. I needed to identify the most useful way to define my navigation schema.
DETERMINING THE NAVIGATION
NAVIGATION SCHEMA: Armed with quantitative data that was clear, I was able to create a schema for navigating the restaurant's menu.
CONDUCTING A MORE FOCUSED C&C
WHO DOES IT BEST?
C&C #2: I wanted to look beyond immediate competitors and see what the industry leading takeout ordering sites do when it comes to features
Persistant order ticket
THE MAP TO SUCCESS
SITE MAP: Now that navigation schema and site features are clear, I am able to create a site map of the flow to order food online
MAKING SURE IT WORKS
WIREFRAMING AND USABILITY TESTING: A key learning was that my sketching skills are so poor that I had to move to mid-fi wires to conduct usability testing. Once I did this, the testing confirmed that my prototype was easy to navigate and accomplish a goal.
GREAT, NOW WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
ITS GOTTA HAVE STYLE
Yang Chow was around during the golden age of LA glamour when Chinese restaurant menus had a really graphic and memorable style.
I looked to this era for inspiration.
The signage of the original Yang Chow restaurant is bold and iconic. I'd like to incorporate this element into the website design too.