Summary

Role & Team

My Role: UX Designer
Team: Solo project - I led the full end-to-end design process

What I did:

• User interviews & research synthesis
• Personas & journey mapping
• Wireframing (paper & digital)
• Usability testing (2 rounds)
• UI design & high-fidelity prototyping
• Accessibility improvements

How I used AI in the design process:

• Summarized interview transcripts
• Generated early affinity clusters
• Identified patterns & user sentiment
• Created first-draft personas
• Evaluated clarity of early flows
• Flagged accessibility issues like low contrast

Using AI allowed me to spend more time designing meaningful solutions instead of manually processing repetitive research tasks.

Understanding Users

Research Summary:
I interviewed working adults—parents, teachers, and busy professionals—who often need fast meals for themselves or their families.

Key Insights:

• Need for speed (minimal steps)
• Desire for clear pricing and no hidden fees
• Preference for customization (easy modifications)
• Need for simple navigation due to low tech-confidence in some users
• Importance of fresh, healthy options within a budget

Pain Points:

1. Cluttered interfaces on other food apps made ordering slow
2. Time constraints, users need rapid re-ordering
3. Accessibility gaps (contrast, icons, screen-reader support)

User Personas

Emily, The Working Mom
Needs a fast, budget-friendly way to order dinner without hassle.

Jack, The Non-Technical Teacher
Needs a simple, intuitive interface because he’s not tech-savvy.

User Journey Overview

Mapping Emily’s path revealed critical friction in typical food apps—too many steps and unclear pickup/delivery options. This guided a simpler, more linear flow.

Initial Design

Paper Wireframes:
Explored layouts emphasizing quick ordering, easy category browsing, and visible customization.
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Digital Wireframes:
User feedback drove early changes:

• Added a bottom navigation bar for clarity
• Introduced a prominent search bar
• Simplified menu grouping
• Added visible order modification buttons

Usability Testing

Two rounds of studies shaped the design significantly.

Round 1 findings:

• Users wanted a faster ordering path
• Needed better customization options for meals
• Preferred guest checkout without account creation

Round 2 findings:

• Color contrast failed accessibility standards
• Pickup vs Delivery flow was confusing
• Some labels were unclear and caused hesitation

Refining the Design

Design Decision #1 — Quick-Add Buttons

• Problem: Users weren’t sure how to add items quickly.
• Solution: Added visible “+” icons on all menu items.
• Impact: Reduced add-to-cart time and increased clarity.

Design Decision #2 — Simplifying Pickup/Delivery

• Problem: Users found the two-step flow confusing.
• Solution: Consolidated both options into the product details screen.
• Impact: Reduced steps from 4 → 2, improving flow efficiency.

Mockups & High-Fidelity Prototype

Final Mockup Designs:

• Higher color contrast
• Larger selection images for clarity
• Clearer price visibility
• Consolidated delivery options
• Improved navigation structure

Final Designs

Accesibility Considerations

1. Improved color contrast to meet WCAG guidelines
2. Added clear icon labels for assistive technologies
3. Included voice-to-text search for visually impaired users
4. Enabled quick translation options for non-English speakers

Impact

The updated design created a smoother, more intuitive ordering experience:

• Reduced ordering steps
• Clearer distinction between delivery and pickup
• Faster re-ordering with customization chips
• Better accessibility for diverse users

Next Steps

To continue improving the experience:

1. Conduct another usability study with a larger sample
2. Test menu categorization and layout options (A/B testing)
3. Explore loyalty program integration
4. Add delivery tracking and improved order history