Intro
Research
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
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Yakitori NYC is a fictional name representing a restaurant in NYC. Their reservation entails a phone booking and requirement to order food before arrival. The process strains both the restaurant and customers and highlights a need for improvement. I embarked on a 4-week solo project as a UX Researcher and UX/UI Designer to address the operational challenges of the restaurant.
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My goal in this project was to address Yakitori NYC's reservation inefficiencies through a responsive website. By simplifying the booking and food selection process, I aimed to enhance customer satisfaction and ease the operational burden for both business and customers.
I compiled a list of objectives to guide my research, aiming to understand various perspectives involved in restaurant reservations, including both staff and customers.
I engaged with the restaurant through phone calls to experience the reservation process firsthand. I identified four roles involved and created a swimlane diagram to illustrate their tasks.
3 individuals were interviewed on their dining experiences, aiming to uncover additional challenges faced when dining in large groups.
Users need to track personal and group orders.
Visibility of remaining spending helps planning.
Access to restaurant information is crucial for coordination.
Pseudo personas were created to concentrate on specific customer scenarios. The "Collaborators" persona was chosen for the project because the scenario was most present in user research.
Aiming to minimize reliance on intermediaries, I redesigned the reservation process using a new swimlane diagram.
A sitemap of the original Yakitori NYC website was created for me to analyze user page navigation. Based on the research data, before users select a restaurant, they need to know the style of cuisine and menu that is offered.
I worked on a sitemap redesign that aimed to prioritize user needs based on research data.
The purpose of my homepage is designed to communicate the type of dining experience Yakitori NYC can offer to visitors. That way they can decide if the restaurant is worth visiting.
Users can select party size, date, and time, and view available tables.
Enables tracking of orders, collaboration, subtotal, total, and meeting minimum spending.
I looked at apps such as Splitwise, Grubhub, Toast, and Gloria Foods for ideas on responsive design and to solve these design problems:
3 participants were recruited for testing. These were the following objectives used to measure success:
Found the online reservation page faster than original website.
Rated the prototype at least 4 out of 5 in helpfulness in conveying what food is being served.
Found there was enough information to determine if they would dine at the restaurant or not.
Users found the prototype easy for booking reservations online.
Users found the prototype helpful with keeping track of group spending requirement.
Because the original website’s reservation form was labeled under “Contact Us”, users were hesitant to approach the page because they associate that label with filing complaints.
Because a restaurant reservation is a time sensitive event, users need a deadline reminder when filling out their order form.
Although users felt that viewing a group order list to be most helpful when collaborating with their friends, users still want access to a personalized order list breakdown per person.
Users need to be able to find essential restaurant information with the least amount of clicks. That way they can quickly retrieve and forward that information faster and plan their next visit without hassle.
During reservation booking, users need buttons and tabs to not share the same name. That way they can book a reservation without any confusion and stress.