Yumdy Food🍲 Ordering App

I designed the User Experience for this product in 5 core stages; EMPATHIZE, IDEATE, DESIGN, PROTOTYPE AND TEST.

The problem

Most Awka residents in the working class find it hard or almost impossible to get good food during working hours due to busy schedules.

The goal

Design a food ordering and delivery app for Yumdy Kitchen to help all levels of the working class stay productive.

My role

Brand Design, UX Design, UX Research, UI Design - from concept to delivery.

UX Writing by Somto Igboamaeze.

User Research goals for Yumdy Food Ordering App:

1. Understand the processes and emotions that people experience around the problem Yumdy App is trying to solve
2. Identify common user behaviours and experiences with tasks that Yumdy App is trying to address
3. Identify and understand scenarios that make users want to use Yumdy App
4. Understand what culminates in a happy user for Yumdy App

User Groups

In my interviews with people who said they were very likely to use a service like the Yumdy Kitchen app, I was able to identify the following user groups:

Group 1: Working adults who would like a healthy lunch during work hours but are not able to leave their workplace. These users:

• Tend to be less advanced in their careers.
• Have additional obligations, interests, or challenges that make it difficult for them to get food.
• Would use an app to place orders while they are working to order for lunch.

Group 2: Working adults who would like a healthy dinner during the work week but are not able to cook most nights. These users:

• Tend to be more advanced in their careers.
• Vary in age, occupation, and number of family members in their home.
• Often work later hours or have a commute that prevents them from getting home from work early enough to cook.
• Have additional obligations, interests, or challenges that make it difficult for them to get food.
• Would use an app to place orders while they are “on the go” and pick up the order on their way home.

User Research Summary

I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for their needs. A primary user group identified through research was working adults residing in Awka city who don’t have time to cook meals.

This user group confirmed initial assumptions about Yumdy Kitchen customers, but research also revealed that time was not the only factor limiting users from cooking at home.

Other user problems included obligations, interests, or challenges that make it difficult to get groceries for cooking or go to restaurants in-person during working hours or breaks.

Link to the full User Research

Competitive Audit

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I carefully picked 3 competitors, which are; Ofiaku Kitchen, a city-popular kitchen that offers hygienically prepared local dishes, BukkaHut, a people-centric brand that offers a wide variety of meals that delivers an original taste of homemade meals while prioritising health hygiene, and Blucabana Restaurant and Café, a relaxed restaurant with an international flair that offers a wide selection of local and international delicacies. 

Ofiaku Kitchen is a direct competitor to Yumdy Kitchen, while Bukka Hut and Blucabana Restaurant and Café are indirect competitors to Yumdy Kitchen.

Link to the full Competitive Analysis

Link to full Competitive Audit Report

User Personas

Storyboarding

I used the big-picture storyboard approach for ideation

Flow Diagram

I made a straightforward flow diagram of the key things the user can perform to show all the capability. Here is a diagram of one of the flows

Paper sketches

Digital wireframes

As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from user research.

Usability Study

I conducted two rounds of usability studies involving 5 participants whom I chose via a survey.  

Study Goal

Determine if users can complete core tasks within the prototype of the Yumdy Kitchen app. Determine if the Yumdy Kitchen app is difficult to use.

Study Questions

• How long does it take a user to find and place an order in the app?
• What can we learn from the user flow, or the steps that users take, to order food?
• Are there parts of the user flow where users get stuck?
• Are there more features that users would like to see included in the app?
• Do users think the app is easy or difficult to use?

Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to mockups. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.

Round 1 findings:

1. For most users, changing their location was easy enough
2. Most users found the payment flow intuitive
3. Users want to have a variety of payment options

Round 2 findings:

1. The app’s overall design was appealing
2. The app’s main flow was easy to complete
3. The process of changing location was intuitive enough

Hi-Fi Mockups

Early designs allowed users to browse through valuable health information, also helped returning customers easily reorder their previous order. I revised designs to give users the ability to also order through a menu in the footer. 

High Fidelity Prototype

Accountability Considerations

1. Designs were made with WebAIM. WCAG standards were strictly adhered to for colour contrast. 
2. Provided access to users who are visually impaired through adding alt text to images for screen readers.
3. Alternative options were provided for gestures, like; clicking outside and overlay to close it. Used icons to help make navigation easier.
4. W3C recommendation for duration (150ms - 500ms) of motion was strictly adhered to.

Link to the Project Presentation Slides

Based on user feedback from the 2nd usability study, the Yumdy experience is intuitive, the App is easy to use, and helps accomplish the goals of the end user.

Prototype: Mobile 📱 App Prototype link

or simply interact with the Hi-Fi mobile app prototype below 👇

Takeaways

Impact:

The app makes users feel like Yumdy Kitchen thinks about how to meet their needs. 

One quote from peer feedback

"Overall, I'd say that errm in terms of using the app, it was easy for me. I don’t think any one that makes use of mobile apps will find it hard. I love the choice of colours."

What I learned:

While designing the Yumdy Food Ordering App, I learned that the first ideas for a design project are only the beginning of the process. Usability studies and peer feedback influenced each iteration of the app’s designs.

Next Steps

1. Conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points users experienced have been effectively addressed.
2. Conduct more user research to determine new areas of need.
3. Add more features and flexibility backed by research.