DiningDash

Order Ahead & Dine Better

Transforming the dining experience through seamless pre-ordering

The Problem

Traditional dine-in experiences often involve long wait times: waiting for menus, waiting to order, and waiting again for food. This creates frustration for customers and inefficiencies for restaurants.

Possible Solution

As a UX/UI Designer, I decided to create a simple mobile app that allows restaurant customers to browse menus, pre-order meals quickly, and reduce waiting time while improving their overall dining experience.

Target Audience

Busy professionals
Families
Students
Travelers & tourists

Goals

Enable customers to browse menus and pre-order meals before arriving at the restaurant.
Reduce wait times between seating and food arrival.

Offer real-time order and prep updates.

Deliver a clean, intuitive app experience.

My Role

UX Research

User Persona

Prototyping

Competitive Analysis

Visual Design

Journey Map

Iteration

Wireframing

Usability Testing

01 Research

Qualitative Research

I conducted interviews with restaurant owners and people who have used e-commerce apps at a point in time in order to understand their needs. The interviewees ranged between 20 and 45 years of age.

Do you have a favorite food delivery or restaurant app? If yes, which one and why?

What challenges do you usually face when browsing the menu or placing an order?

Does your restaurant use a mobile app or delivery platform? Which one(s)?

How are online orders integrated with your kitchen workflow?

Quantitative Research

I conducted user research through a survey to understand users’ needs, opinions, and experiences when ordering meals online, focusing on their decision-making process, expectations, and challenges throughout the ordering experience.

Based on survey responses and interviews with customers and restaurant owners, several key insights were identified. These conversations offered a clearer view of how each group interacts with the ordering process—their expectations, motivations, and challenges. The findings below highlight the main themes that guided the design direction.

Key Insights from Customers

Most users prefer pre-ordering food to save time during busy schedules.

Limited or missing dish images and descriptions cause frustration.

Users value multiple payment options, including wallets and pay-at-restaurant.

Key Insights from Restaurant Owners

Real-time updates between kitchen and app are essential to avoid delays.

Owners want a simple dashboard to manage orders, availability, and promotions.

They receive complaints from customers about unclear menus or slow delivery.

02 Competitive Analysis

DiningDash vs concurrents

03 User Personas

My research revealed key patterns that informed my design direction. Using insights from surveys and interviews, I developed two personas representing the app’s target users. These personas provided a deeper understanding of user goals and motivations, helping shape a more effective and user-centered solution.

04 User Journey map

After defining the user personas, I mapped their journeys to understand how they interact with the product: the steps they take, their needs at each stage, and the pain points they experience along the way.