Project Takeout: A Takeout Food App Case Study

Background

Project Takeout, a fictional takeout food restaurant chain in Jakarta, caters to office workers and busy individuals. To minimize rent and operational costs, they operate on a pickup-only model with no in-store dining. Currently, customers view the menu and place their orders directly at the restaurant, waiting in long queues for their meals.

Initially, this approach worked well. However, with rapid expansion into many offices and malls, it became apparent that this won’t be sustainable for long. Customers pour into the restaurant. Queues started to become overwhelming. The increasing dissatisfaction with long wait times clearly highlighted the need for change.

The stakeholders recognized the urgent problem and identified eliminating the queues as a critical goal. They hypothesized that removing the need for customers to wait in line and order in-person would significantly enhance the customer experience.

Key questions

Research

This step consists of user interview and competitor analysis that results in the creation of persona, storyboard, and user journey.

User interview

As a starting point, I began by exploring whether removing the need for customers to queue and order meals would indeed improve the customer experience.

I conducted interviews with office workers who have short lunch breaks and limited time for ordering food. From these interviews, I developed a detailed persona to better understand the needs and behaviors of this user group. The findings confirmed that eliminating queues would likely enhance the customer experience. However, the research also uncovered that queuing time was just one of several factors affecting customers’ decisions to order from Project Takeout.

Research insights

Persona

I imagined that the persona, who values efficiency and convenience, encountering a streamlined system for ordering takeout food. Here’s how the experience would unfold (excuse me for such a high-quality sketch). In summary:

• The persona could use an app or website to preorder their meals, eliminating the need to wait in line.
• With a more accessible and readable digital menu integrated into the app or website, the persona would be able to review their options easily.
• When the persona picks up their food, a simplified pickup confirmation process ensures food pickup speed while minimizing the chance of accidental pickup by other people.

Competitors

Project Takeout faces competition from both direct and indirect players in the food takeout industry.

Direct competitors have a similar business model and offer mobile apps that provide menu access, ordering capabilities, and loyalty point tracking. However, Dailybox and Box & Co do not offer pickup services. A significant drawback of these apps, however, is their complexity. Some users find them overwhelming; one participant even preferred to wait in line rather than use the app. Additionally, accessibility issues such as text smaller than 12pt, make these apps difficult to read—particularly for users with vision impairments like our persona.

Indirect competitors provides food pickup service, but they are not associated with a specific restaurant. While this can be a very compelling feature to some customers, they lack the level of food customization and personalization that Project Takeout is known for.

With these insights and competitive audits in mind, the goal is clear: design a solution for Project Takeout that allows customers to view the menu, preorder their meals, and skip the line. By doing this, we can something that answers Project Takeout’s customers needs and wants.

Early wireframes

I began by creating early wireframes by hand. I focused on key elements such as menu presentation, meal customization, preorder options, and pickup process, capturing the essence of what the final design should achieve.

Once the hand-drawn wireframes were complete and reviewed, I transitioned to Figma to develop a more polished and interactive prototype.

First usability testing

This activity is done using moderated remote usability study with 5 testers, 18-35 years old, and live in urban areas. Each session lasts 10-20 minutes and done without any additional tools. Here are the insights:

These insights highlight areas for improvement, mainly to focus on streamlining and reemphasizing of features.

Here’s the highlight of changes made in this iteration:

With the iteration complete, we can now advance to creating the high-fidelity prototype, incorporating the following key considerations:

Prototype

The prototype is an Android-based app and used Material Design 3 that was introduced in Android 12 as the design guideline.

The following recommendations are incorporated into the high-fidelity prototype:

Second usability testing

This activity is also done using moderated remote usability study with 5 testers, 18-35 years old, and lives in urban areas, now using Maze and Google Forms as the data capture tool. Each session lasts 20-40 minutes.

Overall, the results are promising. The average time on task is less than 10 seconds and the success rate of each task is 100%. The calculated Net Promoter Score (NPS) is 80 and the System Usability Score (SUS) is 82.5. It can be said that the app has gained Project Takeout customers’ trust and have met their needs and wants.

During the second round of usability testing, additional insights emerged that highlight areas for further refinement:

Final prototype

The prototype is finalized, implementing feedback that are captured.

Style guide

Typography

The app utilizes Outfit, a big, bold, geometric typeface for headings. This choice adds a strong presence and a modern feel, making important information stand out effectively.

Lato, a humanist sans-serif typeface, is used for body text. Known for its readability and versatility, Lato provides a subtle, clean look that complements the bold headings without being overpowering.

Color

The color palette is predominantly muted, featuring near-black and white tones. Occasional hints of color and varying shades of gray are used to highlight important elements or interactive features. The restrained use of color keeps the focus on the high-quality food images.

Conclusion: Rethink the way we order food

As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and people return to their offices, the food pickup business presents a promising opportunity. This case study demonstrates that even well-established processes, like ordering food at a restaurant, can be significantly enhanced with thoughtful design and innovation.

Initially, I assumed that developing a food takeout app would be straightforward, just try to replicate existing solutions. However, throughout the design process, I discovered that real improvements could be made. The insights gathered from participants revealed unique opportunities for refinement that go beyond what competitors currently offer.

This case study highlights the value of listening to users and addressing their specific needs to create a more effective and enjoyable food ordering experience. By focusing on accessibility, usability, and design improvements, we can transform the conventional food pickup process into something more efficient and user-friendly.

Thank you for reading this case study. I hope you found it insightful!