My Story with Zazie

When I first stumbled upon Zazie restaurant in San Francisco, it was as if I had unearthed a hidden gem. Unfortunately, next time, my partner and I couldn't dine there or order a delivery from this place due to being unable to reserve a table online or order food via Doordash. We also couldn't waste our time waiting in a long line for a table! So, I couldn't shake away all my pain points for Zazie. When it came to choosing the project for the Google UX Design Certificate program, I didn't hesitate to delve into problem-solving for this restaurant, and, boy, it was one delicious journey!

Despite being an academic project, working on the Zazie app felt real, almost as if I were cooking up a storm in their kitchen. From entering the customer's shoes and understanding their dietary needs and schedules to designing a reward system that would have them returning for more, it was like creating the perfect recipe for a mouth-watering app. I still remember my first round of user testing - their approval and suggestions were the final garnish that elevated my design to the next level.

Project overview

Zazie is a popular French restaurant in San Francisco known for dine-in, delivery, and pick-up services. I also made it harder and added Zazie's locations in other states. Due to increasing demand, Zazie needs a tailored online ordering system addressing individual diet needs and customer schedules and offering engaging rewards.

Foundational Research

The research method I chose was decided by the question I was trying to answer. I did foundational research before designing anything to define the problem I would like to solve. The foundational research helped me empathize with users, understand their needs, and inspire design direction.

Some of the questions I hoped to answer during this type of research:

My most complex challenge and question was, "Am I aware of my own biases, and can I filter them as I do research?"

Process and Methods

In pursuit of meeting research objectives, I employed interview methods to gather data. I focused on actionable, precise questions, carefully avoiding any assumptions in my wording. I asked both quantitative and qualitative questions. 

My research goals

  • Understand User Needs and Pain Points: Identify users' primary pain points when browsing menus, placing orders, and making payments. Understand their expectations, frustrations, and any barriers they face during the dining experience.
  • Discover Navigation and Information Challenges: Assess users' navigation experience through menus.
  • Evaluate User Interactions and Feedback: Gather feedback on the usability of the restaurants' app interface, such as button placement, menu organization, and overall visual appeal. Understand how users interact with the apps and what improvements they suggest.
  • Uncover challenges: Understand common challenges people face when managing a busy schedule and meal planning. 

Participants profile

I was striving to create a “curb-cut effect” in the app design. The curb-cut effect is a phenomenon that describes how products and policies designed for people with disabilities often end up helping everyone. I chose people aged 25 to 65 with different socio-economic and professional backgrounds who order food from restaurants at least once a week. I included participants with different levels of tech-savviness, users with Special Dietary Needs (vegetarians, vegans, individuals with food allergies, users with GERD), and participants with disabilities.

Interview Questions according to my goals

Next, I found users who fit my criteria and compiled User Bios for each person.

Interview and Empathy Map

I conducted remote interviews with selected users. After interviewing each user, I wrote down how I would solve the user's needs, challenges, and concerns. I created an empathy map for each user that explained everything I had learned about each type of user. It consisted of four squares showing what the user says, does, thinks, and feels.

Analysis and findings during the Foundational Research

I made a mistake during the interview that led to uncertainty in people's responses. The problem was the complexity of my questions where I referred to terminology. The results broadened my perspective, highlighting issues that stemmed not only from limited time for cooking and usability problems but also from inclusivity and versatility, such as accessibility for people with disabilities and catering for special dietary needs. 

I gathered, grouped, and synthesized all the information I received, then identified the main findings:

  • Finding #1: Complex Menu Navigation. Users often find menu layouts confusing or disorganized, making it hard to locate specific dishes or categories promptly.
  • Finding #2: Insufficient Dietary Information. There is a lack of detailed nutritional information and allergen alerts.
  • Finding #3: Complicated Ordering Process. An inefficient ordering process that requires multiple steps or repetitive input of payment information is problematic (for pick-up or delivery orders).
  • Finding #4: Limited Customization Options. The inability to tailor orders through add-ons or removals disappoints users.
  • Finding #5: Lack of a Kid's Menu. Parents find it hard to identify restaurants offering kid-friendly options or a dedicated kid's menu.
  • Finding #6:Restricted Order Scheduling. Users face challenges when trying to schedule orders for specific times due to limited order timing options.
  • Finding #7: Insufficient Delivery Tracking. Users face uncertainty due to a lack of detailed delivery tracking that includes all steps, estimated delivery time, and map-based live tracking.
  • Finding #8: Accessibility Challenges. Existing food ordering platforms lack the necessary assistive technologies.

Starting this project reminded me of building a house of cards. The first few cards, the foundation - they're critical. That's how the initial research was for me when it came to understanding customers, their tastes, and schedules. The next research study I conducted was during the design phase of the product development life cycle. I invite you to explore the whole project here to provide a more comprehensive view of my journey.

Usability Study (Low-fi prototype)

I created a low-fidelity prototype (Figma link) using the completed set of paper and then digital wireframes. The primary user flow I connected with was choosing, customizing, and checking in order to use the prototype in design research.

When it came to testing the lo-fi prototype, I turned to usability studies. This research aimed to inform how the product should be built. Each time I created a new version of the app design, new research was done to evaluate what worked well and what needed to be changed. Here are the main milestones during the usability-study:

During this phase, I conducted two rounds of tests on my low-fidelity designs to validate their effectiveness before developing high-fidelity prototypes.

#1 Planning Phase

  1. Project background summarized the situation that led to the need for this research. It was basically a brief explanation about why I am doing the research. The project background included the following introduction: title, author, stakeholders, date, project description.
  2. The main research goal of the usability study was to determine if users can complete core tasks within the current lo-fi app prototype. Determine if there are any usability issues causing difficulty or confusion.
  3. Research questions I tried to answer:
  • How long does it take a user to find and order meals in the app?
  • 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?
  • How easy is it for them to customize an order? 
  • Are users able to find and set dietary preferences in the app? 
  • What difficulties are encountered during the ordering process? 
  • How do users find the order tracking process, and does it meet their expectations?
  1. I defined the main KPI's which included: time on task, user error rates, and system usability scale.
  2. I chose to conduct a remote Moderated usability study.
  3. I chose five participants. Participants were a mix of professionals, such as marketing specialists, business owners, and individuals (some of them with specific health restrictions or sensory impairments):
  • Persona 1: A busy marketing specialist trying to keep a work-life balance.
  • Persona 2: A dyslexic father of twins
  • Persona 3: A tourist who doesn’t speak English
  • Persona 4: A person who has health problems with her stomach (GERD), gluten and lactose intolerant
  • Persona 5: Non-tech-saavy person
  1. Here is a sneak peak to my script

#2 Research Execution

During the usability study, I used a note-taking method which further helped me to organize and synthesize all the information on miro.com. The link to my note-taking spreadsheet is here.

#3 Analyze and synthesize results (Miro.com)

First, I gathered all of the data from our usability study in one place.

Second, I organized the data. I used affinity diagramming and spreadsheet note-taking.

Third, I found themes in the data.

I created a list of insights based on the themes grounded in accurate data and answered the research questions in my plan.

#4 Share

After analyzing and identifying all the insights, I created a presentation with findings and recommendations.

Following the initial usability study, I went back to the drawing board to apply the test findings to my low-fidelity prototype. Here's what emerged after the iterative improvement of my design, all while keeping users' feedback at the heart of the process.

Finding 1.0 Scheduling issues

I had thought about filling the entire page with specific information. However, it turned out that users prefer the design with a better visual information hierarchy.

Finding 2.0 Order Tracking issues

Users struggled to locate the order tracking feature that was initially in the Account section on the home screen.

Finding 3.0 Navigation Issues

4 out of 5 participants found setting dietary preferences confusing or hard to find, stressing it should be more intuitive.

Finding 4.0 Menu Issues

This was a moment of insight for me: users want more context or visuals to understand menu items, especially when naming French dishes for Americans.

Finding 5.0 Accessibility

3 out of 5 participants noted issues with accessibility in different areas of the app. There was an urgent need for overall accessibility improvements on the lo-fi and future design. This included text size adjustments, better screen reader compatibility, and more visually comfortable options like contrast.

Final design

After several rounds of research, I created mockups and a hi-fi prototype, which I tested several times using usability studies before the final app design was ready. I wish I could show you every single part of the process! After analysis of research findings and users' pain points, I prioritized these problems based on importance. Subsequently, I crafted solutions for each issue and integrated them into the final design.

Takeaways

I grew up in Russia, and my grandmother always encouraged me with a saying, literally, "The first pancake is lumpy." So, the beauty of working in design is a lot like making pancakes. The first one you pour out - it might look good, but chances are it's a bit lumpy or not cooked just right. And that's what I learned from getting the usability studies. You start with what you think is a terrific design - it looks cool, it's cutting edge, it's got all the bells and whistles. But, just like that first pancake, there can be hiccups. And that's where the real magic happens - the stirring, tweaking, and flipping based on real-world user feedback.

So, just like turning a complicated pancake recipe into a straightforward, delicious breakfast, iterating a design principle smoothes out the complicated quirks, making it more appealing, accessible, and just plain user-friendly.

UX Research (Menu & Ordering App)

Timeline: July 2023 — November 2023
Role: Product Designer
Project type: UX research for the app
Responsibilities: User Research, Concept Development, Wireframing and Prototyping, UX/UI, Customization Planning, Design Testing (Usability Studies), Accessibility Consideration, Iteration on Designs