Bawarchi
A food delivery and seat reservation app for a local restaurant
HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE
6 WEEKS
April - May 2022
MAKE OF THE TEAM
Solo Project
SOFTWARE'S USED
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator
Overview
Bawarchi is an online ordering and seat reservation platform for a hypothetical restaurant chain "Bawarchi". It enables users to order food online for delivery or takeaway or book a table at the restaurant, all at one place.
Challenge
In the fast-paced modern world, time is a precious commodity. While many people have a favorite restaurant they enjoy dining at, the inconvenience of commuting or cooking at home often outweighs this desire. Additionally, waiting in long queues outside restaurants can be frustrating.
Key Goal
Bawarchi's primary goal is to provide a hassle-free experience for ordering food online or booking a table at a restaurant with just a few clicks. The app aims to save people from waiting in long queues or spending time cooking at home, instead delivering food directly to their doorsteps.
MY ROLE
UI/UX Designer
​
Design Process
For this project I chose the classic 5 step Design Thinking process, which helped me to come up with actionable solutions that are desirable for users and Technologically feasible
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
To connect with my users and know about any potential gaps in market I did some competitive analysis and interviewed 5 participants. This helped me in creating personas, story boards, user journey maps and Information architecture.
Competitive Analysis
I downloaded 3 apps of both direct and indirect competitors to see the ordering and seat booking experience as a new user and as a returning user. I also read some comments on Play Store to understand the problems being faced by users and to learn about the gaps present in the market.
On the basis of this information, I decided on my target audience and conducted personal interviews with 5 participants to learn about their pain points while using these apps and about their motivations. This helped me to create user personas to build empathy with my end users.
Using my personas, I created Empathy maps, user journey maps, and storyboards. I also did Affinity mapping to get my problem statement, Goal statement, If/Then statement, and the most repetitive pain points (themes) users are facing.
Big Picture Storyboard
Close-up Storyboard
Based on my above research I decided on a user flow and made Information architecture (changed after the usability study).
.png)
Making P&P Wireframes
After sketching lots of paper wireframes on the basis of initial user flow. I decided which features are missing, what information information in irrelevant and should there be some change in user flow based on user personas.
Then I made digital wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes and conducted an unmoderated usability study with 5 participants. The research insights were -
Style Guide
After iterating on my designs, now I have to select colors, typography and icons for my app. I wanted to keep a minimalist look with warm and joyful colors to convey a feeling of comfort to my users.
The UI
Solution In detail
Food Ordering Flow
For ordering food online, users can select food items directly from the homepage or the menu review the order summary, add an address, and place their order. They can also track their order in real time.
Seat Reservation Flow
For reserving a seat at a restaurant, users have to go to the dine-in section, enter details, (can pre-order dishes too to save time), and make payment. Users can also get the location of the restaurant directly from the homepage.
Getting Feedback
Insight
I conducted a second round of unmoderated usability testing with five participants and utilized affinity mapping to identify themes and insights.
Key research insights emerged from this process, including:
​
Solution
To improve user flow, I added a "Dine In" section to the home screen. This allows users to book a seat and decide on pre-ordering dishes. The separate section streamlines the process, resulting in a smoother and more efficient user experience.
I added a "Locate Us" section to the Dine-in page, allowing users to access the restaurant location on a map, directions, and ETA before reserving their seats. This feature streamlines the process and provides users with a more efficient and satisfactory experience.
The study revealed frustrations with the Reservation flow.
Users wanted a map feature that will provide an Estimated Time of Arrival and directions.
THESE WERE SOME MAJOR POINTS I WANTED TO CALL OUT
Accessibility Considerations
- I added a "change language" option at the top of home screen, which will help the next billion users who are not familiar with English language.
​
- Used Images and icons
​
- Contrast Ratio 8.3:1
Sorted Reservation Process
All the participants were happy with the new flow for reservation.
​
"The Dine In feature is quite useful, It will same me a lot of time"
Next Steps
- I have to work on the Reward section. use different techniques like gamification to increase users loyalty and make them regular.
​
- Introduce some of the new features requested by users like "customization at checkout window"
​
LESSONS LEARNED
-
This was my first UX/UI project. It was really an enjoyable and insightful experience.
-
I learned several valuable lessons like the importance of conducting thorough user research and testing to identify and address design challenges.
-
Through this project, I gained a deeper understanding of user-centered design principles and their role in creating intuitive and engaging user experiences.
-
I also discovered the value of iteration and refinement in the design process, as well as the need to consider accessibility and inclusivity for all users.
-
Overall, this experience helped me develop important skills and insights into the field of UX design that will benefit my future projects.