Critique & Redesign
Facilitating better visual communication and user preferences
Grubhub is an online food preparation and delivery app that connects diners to local restaurants. The platform faces a number of challenges in communicating information to its users during their mobile ordering experience. The platform has many opportunities for further customization that have not been leveraged as of yet.
This was a student project created as a part of an independent study focused on system and visual design.
Grubhub’s mobile experience presents a number of challenges to it’s users. Customers can easily send their orders to the wrong address and the process of redirecting the order is not supported. The apps process of indicating restaurant preferences to users is not able to be edited and users with allergies are not supported in their experience beyond having a phone number to call the restaurant.
Grubhub is an online food preparation and delivery app that connects diners to local restaurants. The platform faces a number of challenges in communicating information to its users during their mobile ordering experience. The platform has many opportunities for further customization that have not been leveraged as of yet.
This was a student project created as a part of an independent study focused on system and visual design.
Grubhub’s mobile experience presents a number of challenges to it’s users. Customers can easily send their orders to the wrong address and the process of redirecting the order is not supported. The apps process of indicating restaurant preferences to users is not able to be edited and users with allergies are not supported in their experience beyond having a phone number to call the restaurant.
Grubhub is an online food preparation and delivery app that connects diners to local restaurants. The platform faces a number of challenges in communicating information to its users during their mobile ordering experience. The platform has many opportunities for further customization that have not been leveraged as of yet.
This was a student project created as a part of an independent study focused on system and visual design.
Grubhub’s mobile experience presents a number of challenges to it’s users. Customers can easily send their orders to the wrong address and the process of redirecting the order is not supported. The apps process of indicating restaurant preferences to users is not able to be edited and users with allergies are not supported in their experience beyond having a phone number to call the restaurant.
To begin this project I mapped out the mobile app and conducted my own system review. I documented a number of issues, some that I had naturally come across as a user and others that only became apparent through the course of this mapping.
These are just my most recent orders. I have done nothing to say that these are my favorites.
I have ordered from here before but don’t know why it got called my go-to. Restaurants I have had a bad time at have also been called my go-to with no way for me to change this.
Inconsistent icons for labeling your go-to.
This pop-up appears if you enter the app from an address that is different from where you ordered from. It is not very visible, blends in with the button behind it, and disappears after a very brief period of time.
This is the only place I have seen my ratings. I would like to see them when I am browsing for restaurants.
Search filters are overridden by any other filter making their combination useless. Buffalo chicken pizza search with the filter show me the highest rating should not show an empanada place as the first hit.
I conducted a round of semi-structured interviews with working adults in their 20s and early 30s to understand their habits when using restaurant delivery apps. An interesting point to note is that the users always blamed themselves for sending the order to the wrong address rather than the app. If one has reached a high level of mental or physical exhaustion they will be more likely to use the app. It can be inferred then that using this app should not require a significant amount of`thought.
When unsure of if a meal would contain an allergen users would need to call the restaurant to ask. This proved to be a difficult experience as those that worked at the restaurant sometimes spoke English as a second or third language and had difficulty understanding the question and severity of the allergy.
- Orders getting sent to the wrong address
- Need a low cognitive load
- Users with allergies are not considered
- Difficulty communicating with restaurants
In order to facilitate greater tacit communication with users it was necessary to create a wide variety of iterations on ways to direct users attention to and from different areas. Some assets needed to draw attention while not overpowering the rest of the page. For allergies it became clear that it was necessary to warn users without detracting from their overall shopping experience.
To aid in communicating with users and to add moments of delight to the overall experience, I developed several micro interactions. These interactions are in line with Grubhub's current platform experience and brand.
To begin this project I mapped out the mobile app and conducted my own system review. I documented a number of issues, some that I had naturally come across as a user and others that only became apparent through the course of this mapping.
To begin this project I mapped out the mobile app and conducted my own system review. I documented a number of issues, some that I had naturally come across as a user and others that only became apparent through the course of this mapping.
These are just my most recent orders. I have done nothing to say that these are my favorites.
I have ordered from here before but don’t know why it got called my go-to. Restaurants I have had a bad time at have also been called my go-to with no way for me to change this.
Inconsistent icons for labeling your go-to.
This pop-up appears if you enter the app from an address that is different from where you ordered from. It is not very visible, blends in with the button behind it, and disappears after a very brief period of time.
This is the only place I have seen my ratings. I would like to see them when I am browsing for restaurants.
Search filters are overridden by any other filter making their combination useless. Buffalo chicken pizza search with the filter show me the highest rating should not show an empanada place as the first hit.
I conducted a round of semi-structured interviews with working adults in their 20s and early 30s to understand their habits when using restaurant delivery apps. An interesting point to note is that the users always blamed themselves for sending the order to the wrong address rather than the app. If one has reached a high level of mental or physical exhaustion they will be more likely to use the app. It can be inferred then that using this app should not require a significant amount of`thought.
When unsure of if a meal would contain an allergen users would need to call the restaurant to ask. This proved to be a difficult experience as those that worked at the restaurant sometimes spoke English as a second or third language and had difficulty understanding the question and severity of the allergy.
- Orders getting sent to the wrong address
- Need a low cognitive load
- Users with allergies are not considered
- Difficulty communicating with restaurants
In order to facilitate greater tacit communication with users it was necessary to create a wide variety of iterations on ways to direct users attention to and from different areas. Some assets needed to draw attention while not overpowering the rest of the page. For allergies it became clear that it was necessary to warn users without detracting from their overall shopping experience.
To aid in communicating with users and to add moments of delight to the overall experience, I developed several micro interactions. These interactions are in line with Grubhub's current platform experience and brand.
To begin this project I mapped out the mobile app and conducted my own system review. I documented a number of issues, some that I had naturally come across as a user and others that only became apparent through the course of this mapping.
These are just my most recent orders. I have done nothing to say that these are my favorites.
I have ordered from here before but don’t know why it got called my go-to. Restaurants I have had a bad time at have also been called my go-to with no way for me to change this.
Inconsistent icons for labeling your go-to.
This pop-up appears if you enter the app from an address that is different from where you ordered from. It is not very visible, blends in with the button behind it, and disappears after a very brief period of time.
This is the only place I have seen my ratings. I would like to see them when I am browsing for restaurants.
Search filters are overridden by any other filter making their combination useless. Buffalo chicken pizza search with the filter show me the highest rating should not show an empanada place as the first hit.
I conducted a round of semi-structured interviews with working adults in their 20s and early 30s to understand their habits when using restaurant delivery apps. An interesting point to note is that the users always blamed themselves for sending the order to the wrong address rather than the app. If one has reached a high level of mental or physical exhaustion they will be more likely to use the app. It can be inferred then that using this app should not require a significant amount of`thought.
When unsure of if a meal would contain an allergen users would need to call the restaurant to ask. This proved to be a difficult experience as those that worked at the restaurant sometimes spoke English as a second or third language and had difficulty understanding the question and severity of the allergy.
- Orders getting sent to the wrong address
- Need a low cognitive load
- Users with allergies are not considered
- Difficulty communicating with restaurants
In order to facilitate greater tacit communication with users it was necessary to create a wide variety of iterations on ways to direct users attention to and from different areas. Some assets needed to draw attention while not overpowering the rest of the page. For allergies it became clear that it was necessary to warn users without detracting from their overall shopping experience.
To aid in communicating with users and to add moments of delight to the overall experience, I developed several micro interactions. These interactions are in line with Grubhub's current platform experience and brand.
To begin this project I mapped out the mobile app and conducted my own system review. I documented a number of issues, some that I had naturally come across as a user and others that only became apparent through the course of this mapping.
These are just my most recent orders. I have done nothing to say that these are my favorites.
I have ordered from here before but don’t know why it got called my go-to. Restaurants I have had a bad time at have also been called my go-to with no way for me to change this.
Inconsistent icons for labeling your go-to.
This pop-up appears if you enter the app from an address that is different from where you ordered from. It is not very visible, blends in with the button behind it, and disappears after a very brief period of time.
This is the only place I have seen my ratings. I would like to see them when I am browsing for restaurants.
Search filters are overridden by any other filter making their combination useless. Buffalo chicken pizza search with the filter show me the highest rating should not show an empanada place as the first hit.
I conducted a round of semi-structured interviews with working adults in their 20s and early 30s to understand their habits when using restaurant delivery apps. An interesting point to note is that the users always blamed themselves for sending the order to the wrong address rather than the app. If one has reached a high level of mental or physical exhaustion they will be more likely to use the app. It can be inferred then that using this app should not require a significant amount of`thought.
When unsure of if a meal would contain an allergen users would need to call the restaurant to ask. This proved to be a difficult experience as those that worked at the restaurant sometimes spoke English as a second or third language and had difficulty understanding the question and severity of the allergy.
- Orders getting sent to the wrong address
- Need a low cognitive load
- Users with allergies are not considered
- Difficulty communicating with restaurants
In order to facilitate greater tacit communication with users it was necessary to create a wide variety of iterations on ways to direct users attention to and from different areas. Some assets needed to draw attention while not overpowering the rest of the page. For allergies it became clear that it was necessary to warn users without detracting from their overall shopping experience.
To aid in communicating with users and to add moments of delight to the overall experience, I developed several micro interactions. These interactions are in line with Grubhub's current platform experience and brand.
User testing to determine the impact of the heightened visibility and added functions would be the natural next step of this project. Follow up interviews with the previous users would also help in understanding if the users pain points were met. While I did go through several iterations to deemphasize food with allergens, further experimentation would most likely create some more satisfying visuals. Building out the side of the app that the restaurants use would also create a number of opportunities for further research and designs. Another aspect to consider is the onboarding process of this app and when to introduce users to the allergy information so they know it is available to them.
This project was a great opportunity to perform some light research and hone in on developing UI experiences. As this solo project was only 4 weeks it felt like the amount of progress made was appropriate. Performing a system review also allowed me to refine my mapping user flows and examining the information architecture.
User testing to determine the impact of the heightened visibility and added functions would be the natural next step of this project. Follow up interviews with the previous users would also help in understanding if the users pain points were met. While I did go through several iterations to deemphasize food with allergens, further experimentation would most likely create some more satisfying visuals. Building out the side of the app that the restaurants use would also create a number of opportunities for further research and designs. Another aspect to consider is the onboarding process of this app and when to introduce users to the allergy information so they know it is available to them.
This project was a great opportunity to perform some light research and hone in on developing UI experiences. As this solo project was only 4 weeks it felt like the amount of progress made was appropriate. Performing a system review also allowed me to refine my mapping user flows and examining the information architecture.
