Part
01
Overview
Embedded Files
Background
Today’s food experience isn’t just about taste — it’s about trust, nutrition, speed, and experience. Whether you're a traveler looking for a quick, clean bite near your hotel, or a health-conscious local trying to tweak your meal macros — Best Food brings the food world to your fingertips.
It's more than just ordering food. It's about: “Discovering the best-rated local spots”, “Seeing actual kitchen photos”, “Personalizing meals based on your preferences or diet” , “Getting nutritional breakdowns”, “Navigating as a first-time visitor in a new city”
Scope
Design an app that’s intuitive enough for a first-time traveler but rich enough for a seasoned foodie. Make discovery effortless, ordering customizable, and experience delightful — across all user types.
My Role
Lead User Experience Designer
Team Size
04 (Lead UX Designer, Product Owner, Technical Architect, Content Strategist)
Targeted User
Travellers, Foodies
Tools Used
Figma, Microsoft Forms, Chrome, Google Sheets, Microsoft Teams
Part
02
D-Thinking
Design Thinking Process and Lean UX
Part
03
Research
Research — Survey
To validate assumptions and discover gaps in current food ordering experiences, focusing on more quantitative results. The survey is
Goals
Trust
Health-conscious decisions
Customization
Travel support
Questions and Results Summary of 200 Respondents
Do you check nutrition when ordering food?
74% (Y) ✦ 26% (N)
Would you use real-time meal customization?
86%(Y) ✦ 14%(N)
Do you avoid places without kitchen visibility?
68% (Y) ✦ 32% (N)
Would you use an app that supports travelers?
84% (Y) ✦ 16%(N)
Do you care about ingredient-level swaps?
71% (Y) ✦ 29% (N)
Would behind-the-scenes content increase trust?
88% (Y) ✦ 12% (N)
Do you trust photos & ratings on current apps?
18% (Y) ✦ 82% (N)
Key Takeaways
Most users don’t trust current platforms’ reviews and visuals.
There’s a huge appetite for meal-level customization and nutrition insight.
Features like behind-the-scenes videos and traveler-friendly suggestions could be major differentiators for Best Food.
Research — Interview
Now this step go beyond assumptions and truly understand the emotional, functional, and contextual needs of our two core user groups.
Travelers unfamiliar with a city, looking for clean, trustworthy food options.
Health-aware food lovers, who want to customize meals based on nutrition goals.
Goals
Trust barriers with current food delivery apps.
Pain points around nutrition & customization.
How users choose restaurant in new location.
Interview Format
12 participants (6 travelers, 6 fitness/health-focused users).
1:1 in-person or virtual interviews (30–40 minutes).
This research will inform design decisions, shape key features (like nutrition customization, traveler mode, recommendations), and build a system that puts human needs at the core.
Below is the analyzed information.
How do you usually discover a new place to eat when you’re in a new city?
I check Google Maps or ask the hotel staff. I avoid delivery apps because I can’t trust the hygiene.
Do you trust photos and ratings on current food apps? Why or why not?
Not really. Some photos look staged. Reviews feel fake or bought.
Have you ever avoided ordering from a place because you couldn’t see how the food was prepared?
Yes. If I don’t get a sense of how clean or real it is, I skip it.
Do you care about the nutrition value of your food when ordering online?
I try to eat clean, so yes — but most apps don’t show any macros or ingredients.
Would you use a feature that lets you customize ingredients and see real-time nutrition info?
Definitely. That’s a dream feature for someone trying to eat healthy.
Have you ever avoided ordering because you couldn’t remove or swap an ingredient?
Yes! Especially when I’m trying to avoid sugar or dairy — it’s frustrating.”
What’s your biggest challenge when finding food in a new place?
Cleanliness. And I don’t know what’s ‘safe’ to eat — especially in small cities.
Would you find it useful if the app could detect that you’re traveling and suggest trusted spots nearby?
That would be amazing. I don’t want to spend 30 minutes searching on blogs or Reddit.
Insights
Verified visual reviews, video-first profiles.
Traveler Mode.
Health filters, customizable meals.
Ingredient-level control with real-time preview.
Show real chefs, kitchens, preparation steps.
Research — Competitive Analysis
Insights
Most competitors rely on third-party photos & generic data.
Only Yelp and Google Maps really attempt to show the “place” behind the food. Even then, there's no sense of hygiene, staff, or kitchen.
Opportunity for Best Food: Use first-party restaurant-generated content — real kitchens, real people, real food.
No platform truly addresses health-conscious eaters.
Uber Eats sometimes tags “healthy” restaurants, but there’s no calorie breakdown, macro tracking, or custom ingredient handling.
Opportunity for Best Food: Own the nutrition-first UX — especially for travelers and fitness-aware users.
Travel support is barely a consideration in any app.
At best, users see what’s nearby. But no app adjusts experience based on travel context (e.g., short trip, airport proximity, unfamiliar city anxiety).
Opportunity for Best Food: The Traveler Mode is gold. Build in tips, location-based ratings, walkability scores, language translation — no one else does this.
Customization UX is clunky or absent.
Swiggy and Uber Eats offer some item-level options, but it’s inconsistent and doesn’t connect to user preferences or dietary needs.
Opportunity for Best Food: A delightful customization journey with live nutrition updates gives users both control and insight.
Part
04
Define
We knew that to create meaningful designs, we had to start with our users. Through detailed research, we built personas and empathy maps, which shaped our approach to information architecture.
Persona
Empathy Map
Information Architecture
Part
05
Mockups
Paper Mockups
Low — Fid Mockups
Mid — Fid Mockups
High — Fid Mockups
Mobile — Mockups
Part
06
Prototype
Prototype — Screenshot
Part
07
Design Doc
Part
08
Whiteboard
Conclusion
The project focused on improving meal personalization through Lean UX, enabling rapid iteration from sketches to high-fidelity mockups. While traditional design thinking helped shape the overall vision, Lean UX allowed us to quickly test and refine ideas. The app includes smart customization features for taste, allergies, and fitness goals. It also supports travelers by offering location-based suggestions within a set radius—making healthy, tailored food choices more accessible wherever users go.
Thank you
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