CREW❕
Restaurant recommendation app in the Seattle area
Restaurant recommendation app in the Seattle area
My Role
User Research Usability Testing Product Design Prototyping
Team
David Hyun Collin Kim Grace Yim Hanara Nam (me!)
Timeframe
12 weeks
Tools
Figma
PROBLEM
Students at the University of Washington faced difficulties in deciding where to eat throughout the day
The average American spends approximately 30 minutes a day deciding what or where to eat. This is mainly due in part to the Paradox of Choice, which suggests that an abundance of options makes it more difficult for an individual to decide. In deciding where to eat, this issue is amplified in group settings as people are more considerate of one another, significantly prolonging the decision-making period. This often leads to unnecessary conflicts and a waste of quality time.
INTERVIEWS
Optimizing Dining Decisions: Addressing Student Needs for Quick, Fun, Curated, and Detailed Restaurant Recommendations
Although I saw from research accountability was important, I've conducted interviews with 8 students. I've asked some questions below to find trends on why students prioritize efficiency and come across decision paralysis in their restaurant selection process.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
How much time do you typically spend deciding which restaurant to go to?
What factors are most important to you when choosing a restaurant? (e.g., cuisine type, price range, location, ambiance)
Do you prefer personalized restaurant recommendations based on your preferences and needs, or do you prefer to explore options on your own?
How do you usually gather information about restaurants before making a decision? (e.g., online reviews, recommendations from friends, social media)
On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is it for you to have a quick and easy way to select a restaurant when you're hungry? (1 being not important at all, 5 being extremely important)
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS + THE GAP
The competition had NO PERSONALIZED & STREAMLINED aspect.
While keeping the above statistic in mind, we analyzed two most popular apps surrounding this restaurant recommendation space. We found that almost none of them had this aspect of catering towards community on college campuses and improving decision paralysis.
WHITE PAPER RESEARCH
A way to navigate choice overload…
Starting with white paper research, we began to draw from research articles on the topics of paradox of choices and motivations — when we stumbled upon an eye-opening statistic from The Atlantic: a grocery store field study showed that cutting down a customer’s choices by 75% led to a 1000% increase in the likelihood of a customer purchasing one of those products.
SOLUTION
Simple, fun, efficient restaurant recommendation app
1
Users answer three yes-or-no questions catered toward college students and provide three restaurant options based on their responses
The quiz can be played in a solo or multiplayer setting. This reduces an otherwise expected 30-minute decision window down to 15 seconds
Quick 15 second quiz
2
User can narrow down what they want (dessert, food, ethnicity, etc.) and get recommended three restaurant options based on their response.
Filter Function
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
None of the previous apps my interviewees used worked well due to a LACK of quick, fun, personalized recommendations based on their specific preferences and needs
1) QUICK
Students want to decrease the time in selecting which restaurant to go to
2) FUN
Students find the process to be stressful when deciding where they are going to eat at
3) CURATED
Students want to be recommended a restaurant that fits to all their wants and needs.
4) DETAILED REVIEW
Students want a non-filtered, honest, and detailed review about restaurants
DESIGN QUESTION
How might we design a restaurant recommendation app that offers fun, quick, and personalized suggestions tailored to users' preferences, reducing decision paralysis and enhancing efficiency?
TESTING & ITERATIONS
3 major improvements in my design
Implemented customizable filters (dessert preferences, ambiance, dining options) post-beta testing.
Aiming for personalized restaurant recommendations, streamlining choices.
Complements 5-second quiz with specific options for particular cravings.
Adding Filter Feature
1
Implemented illustrations for enhanced visual appeal and increased user engagement.
Implementing Visual Elements
2
Added a flexible user experience allowing users to stop answering questions at any time and proceed directly to "show my list."
Included an "I don't care" option to accommodate varying preferences and incomplete answers.
Implementing 'Show My List' &
'I Don't Care' Options
3
FINAL SCREENS
CREW!
FIND US ON THE APP STORE
Tap the CREW! icon below to download from the app store!
REFLECTION
Navigating Firsts and Embracing Structured Design Methodologies
Obstacles Encountered:
As this project marked several firsts for me, including working on a significant undertaking, collaborating on an app development team, conducting interviews to pinpoint pain points, and going through the entire user-centered design process, I encountered a few challenges and inefficiencies along the way.
One notable aspect was skipping the user flow and low-fidelity wireframing stages and directly diving into high-fidelity prototyping. This approach proved more complicated, making it difficult to design from the users' perspective and meet their specific needs effectively. Afterwards, I came to understand the significance of user flow and low-fidelity wireframing stages. This realization taught me the importance of incorporating these essential steps into the design process.
Key Learnings:
Nevertheless, I consider this experience to be crucial in my learning journey. The hands-on nature of the project allowed me to gain valuable insights and knowledge that traditional classroom settings couldn't offer. It highlighted the importance of a structured and systematic approach to the design process. In the future, I plan to adopt a more disciplined and organized methodology.
Future Outlook:
My plan is to commence projects by thoroughly researching and conducting interviews to gain a deep understanding of users' core issues. This groundwork will serve as a solid foundation for the design process, enabling me to create solutions that are not only functional but also efficient and effective. By adhering to a more structured approach, I am confident that my future projects will yield more successful and impactful outcomes.
CREW❕
Restaurant recommendation app in the Seattle area
My Role
User Research Usability Testing Product Design Prototyping
Team
David Hyun Collin Kim Grace Yim Hanara Nam (me!)
Timeframe
12 weeks
Tools
Figma
CREW❕
Restaurant recommendation app in the Seattle area
Restaurant recommendation app in the Seattle area
My Role
User Research Usability Testing Product Design Prototyping
Team
David Hyun Collin Kim Grace Yim Hanara Nam (me!)
Timeframe
12 weeks
Tools
Figma
PROBLEM
Students at the University of Washington faced difficulties in deciding where to eat throughout the day
The average American spends approximately 30 minutes a day deciding what or where to eat. This is mainly due in part to the Paradox of Choice, which suggests that an abundance of options makes it more difficult for an individual to decide. In deciding where to eat, this issue is amplified in group settings as people are more considerate of one another, significantly prolonging the decision-making period. This often leads to unnecessary conflicts and a waste of quality time.
WHITE PAPER RESEARCH
A way to navigate choice overload
Starting with white paper research, we began to draw from research articles on the topics of paradox of choices and motivations — when we stumbled upon an eye-opening statistic from The Atlantic: a grocery store field study showed that cutting down a customer’s choices by 75% led to a 1000% increase in the likelihood of a customer purchasing one of those products.
FIND US ON THE APP STORE
Tap the CREW! icon below to download from the app store!
INTERVIEWS
Optimizing Dining Decisions: Addressing Student Needs for Quick, Fun, Curated, and Detailed Restaurant Recommendations
Although I saw from research accountability was important, I've conducted interviews with 8 students. I've asked some questions below to find trends on why students prioritize efficiency and come across decision paralysis in their restaurant selection process.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
How much time do you typically spend deciding which restaurant to go to?
What factors are most important to you when choosing a restaurant? (e.g., cuisine type, price range, location, ambiance)
Do you prefer personalized restaurant recommendations based on your preferences and needs, or do you prefer to explore options on your own?
How do you usually gather information about restaurants before making a decision? (e.g., online reviews, recommendations from friends, social media)
On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is it for you to have a quick and easy way to select a restaurant when you're hungry? (1 being not important at all, 5 being extremely important)
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS +
THE GAP
The competition had NO PERSONALIZED & STREAMLINED aspect.
While keeping the above statistic in mind, we analyzed two most popular apps surrounding this restaurant recommendation space. We found that almost none of them had this aspect of catering towards community on college campuses and improving decision paralysis.
SOLUTION
Simple, fun, efficient restaurant recommendation app
Users answer three yes-or-no questions catered toward college students and provide three restaurant options based on their responses
The quiz can be played in a solo or multiplayer setting. This reduces an otherwise expected 30-minute decision window down to 15 secondsQuicker response time and more efficient access to assistance.
Quick 15 second quiz
1
User can narrow down what they want (dessert, food, ethnicity, etc.) and get recommended three restaurant options based on their response.
Filter Function
2
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
None of the previous apps my interviewees used worked well due to a LACK of quick, fun, personalized recommendations based on their specific preferences and needs
1) QUICK
Students want to decrease the time in selecting which restaurant to go to
2) FUN
Students find the process to be stressful when deciding where they are going to eat at
3) CURATED
Students want to be recommended a restaurant that fits to all their wants and needs.
4) DETAILED REVIEW
Students want a non-filtered, honest, and detailed review about restaurants
TESTING & ITERATIONS
3 major improvements in my design
Implemented customizable filters (dessert preferences, ambiance, dining options) post-beta testing.
Aiming for personalized restaurant recommendations, streamlining choices.
Complements 5-second quiz with specific options for particular cravings.
Adding Filter Feature
1
Implemented illustrations for enhanced visual appeal and increased user engagement.
Implementing Visual Elements
2
Added a flexible user experience allowing users to stop answering questions at any time and proceed directly to "show my list."
Included an "I don't care" option to accommodate varying preferences and incomplete answers.
Implementing 'Show My List' &
'I Don't Care' Options
3
DESIGN QUESTION
How might we design a restaurant recommendation app that offers fun, quick, and personalized suggestions tailored to users' preferences, reducing decision paralysis and enhancing efficiency?
ITERATIONS
Navigating Firsts and Embracing Structured Design Methodologies
Obstacles Encountered:
As this project marked several firsts for me, including working on a significant undertaking, collaborating on an app development team, conducting interviews to pinpoint pain points, and going through the entire user-centered design process, I encountered a few challenges and inefficiencies along the way.
One notable aspect was skipping the user flow and low-fidelity wireframing stages and directly diving into high-fidelity prototyping. This approach proved more complicated, making it difficult to design from the users' perspective and meet their specific needs effectively. Afterwards, I came to understand the significance of user flow and low-fidelity wireframing stages. This realization taught me the importance of incorporating these essential steps into the design process.
Key Learnings:
Nevertheless, I consider this experience to be crucial in my learning journey. The hands-on nature of the project allowed me to gain valuable insights and knowledge that traditional classroom settings couldn't offer. It highlighted the importance of a structured and systematic approach to the design process. In the future, I plan to adopt a more disciplined and organized methodology.
Future Outlook:
My plan is to commence projects by thoroughly researching and conducting interviews to gain a deep understanding of users' core issues. This groundwork will serve as a solid foundation for the design process, enabling me to create solutions that are not only functional but also efficient and effective. By adhering to a more structured approach, I am confident that my future projects will yield more successful and impactful outcomes.
FINAL SCREENS
CREW!
PROBLEM
Students at the University of Washington faced difficulties in deciding where to eat throughout the day
The average American spends approximately 30 minutes a day deciding what or where to eat. This is mainly due in part to the Paradox of Choice, which suggests that an abundance of options makes it more difficult for an individual to decide. In deciding where to eat, this issue is amplified in group settings as people are more considerate of one another, significantly prolonging the decision-making period. This often leads to unnecessary conflicts and a waste of quality time.
SOLUTION
Simple, fun, efficient restaurant recommendation app
1
Users answer three yes-or-no questions catered toward college students and provide three restaurant options based on their responses
The quiz can be played in a solo or multiplayer setting. This reduces an otherwise expected 30-minute decision window down to 15 seconds
Quick 15 second quiz
2
User can narrow down what they want (dessert, food, ethnicity, etc.) and get recommended three restaurant options based on their response.
Fiter Function
3
Provide users with three restaurant options based on their answer.
User can click on each restaurant to see more details on the restaurant (e.g., general information, our one-liner take on the restaurant, etc.)
User can click "Show New List" if they don't like any of the options.
WHITE PAPER RESEARCH
A way to navigate choice overload…
Starting with white paper research, we began to draw from research articles on the topics of paradox of choices and motivations — when we stumbled upon an eye-opening statistic from The Atlantic: a grocery store field study showed that cutting down a customer’s choices by 75% led to a 1000% increase in the likelihood of a customer purchasing one of those products.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS + THE GAP
The competition had NO PERSONALIZED & STREAMLINED aspect.
While keeping the above statistic in mind, we analyzed two most popular apps surrounding this restaurant recommendation space. We found that almost none of them had this aspect of catering towards community on college campuses and improving decision paralysis.
INTERVIEWS
Optimizing Dining Decisions: Addressing Student Needs for Quick, Fun, Curated, and Detailed Restaurant Recommendations
Although I saw from research accountability was important, I've conducted interviews with 8 students. I've asked some questions below to find trends on why students prioritize efficiency and come across decision paralysis in their restaurant selection process.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
How much time do you typically spend deciding which restaurant to go to?
What factors are most important to you when choosing a restaurant? (e.g., cuisine type, price range, location, ambiance)
Do you prefer personalized restaurant recommendations based on your preferences and needs, or do you prefer to explore options on your own?
How do you usually gather information about restaurants before making a decision? (e.g., online reviews, recommendations from friends, social media)
On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is it for you to have a quick and easy way to select a restaurant when you're hungry? (1 being not important at all, 5 being extremely important)
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
None of the previous apps my interviewees used worked well due to a LACK of quick, fun, personalized recommendations based on their specific preferences and needs
1) QUICK
Students want to decrease the time in selecting which restaurant to go to
2) FUN
Students find the process to be stressful when deciding where they are going to eat at
3) CURATED
Students want to be recommended a restaurant that fits to all their wants and needs.
4) DETAILED REVIEW
Students want a non-filtered, honest, and detailed review about restaurants
DESIGN QUESTION
How might we design a restaurant recommendation app that offers fun, quick, and personalized suggestions tailored to users' preferences, reducing decision paralysis and enhancing efficiency?
TESTING & ITERATIONS
3 major improvements in my design
Implemented customizable filters (dessert preferences, ambiance, dining options) post-beta testing.
Aiming for personalized restaurant recommendations, streamlining choices.
Complements 5-second quiz with specific options for particular cravings.
Adding Filter Feature
1
Implemented illustrations for enhanced visual appeal and increased user engagement.
Implementing Visual Elements
2
Added a flexible user experience allowing users to stop answering questions at any time and proceed directly to "show my list."
Included an "I don't care" option to accommodate varying preferences and incomplete answers.
Implementing 'Show My List' &
'I Don't Care' Options
3
FINAL SCREENS
The new DRS application
FIND US ON THE APP STORE
Tap the CREW! icon below to download from the app store!
REFLECTION
Navigating Firsts and Embracing Structured Design Methodologies
Obstacles Encountered:
As this project marked several firsts for me, including working on a significant undertaking, collaborating on an app development team, conducting interviews to pinpoint pain points, and going through the entire user-centered design process, I encountered a few challenges and inefficiencies along the way.
One notable aspect was skipping the user flow and low-fidelity wireframing stages and directly diving into high-fidelity prototyping. This approach proved more complicated, making it difficult to design from the users' perspective and meet their specific needs effectively. Afterwards, I came to understand the significance of user flow and low-fidelity wireframing stages. This realization taught me the importance of incorporating these essential steps into the design process.
Key Learnings:
Nevertheless, I consider this experience to be crucial in my learning journey. The hands-on nature of the project allowed me to gain valuable insights and knowledge that traditional classroom settings couldn't offer. It highlighted the importance of a structured and systematic approach to the design process. In the future, I plan to adopt a more disciplined and organized methodology.
Future Outlook:
My plan is to commence projects by thoroughly researching and conducting interviews to gain a deep understanding of users' core issues. This groundwork will serve as a solid foundation for the design process, enabling me to create solutions that are not only functional but also efficient and effective. By adhering to a more structured approach, I am confident that my future projects will yield more successful and impactful outcomes.
Let's collaborate & create something together!
I'm always up for a chat, especially about design related topics : )
Let's collaborate & create something together!
I'm always up for a chat, especially about design related topics : )
Let's collaborate & create something together!
I'm always up for a chat, especially about design related topics : )
Let's collaborate & create something together!
I'm always up for a chat, especially about design related topics : )