Mobile app designed to aid groups in selecting a restaurant to dine at
We’ve all been there at one point in time, struggling to decide where to dine with friends, family or a significant other.
Dine Time is an app designed to combat this challenge by helping small groups select a restaurant they can all enjoy. This project was completed as a 1 week design sprint.
DISCOVER
Deciding on a Restaurant
I conducted a survey to better understand how people go about choosing a restaurant when dining out or order in.
Key Findings:
According to respondents the most important variables to consider when choosing a place to eat were cuisine, location, price and whether the individual was dining with others. In fact, 76% of participants reported that dining with others made the decision more difficult.
The Difficulty of Dining With Others
During interviews and a literary review I further explored why dining with others made restaurant selection more challenging.
Findings:
Besides the fact that more people meant more preferences, many interviewees also mentioned that there was often a general indecisiveness amongst the group, with no one wanting to make the final decision. This was because no one wanted the responsibility or burden of choosing a restaurant everyone would like, they feared others wouldn’t enjoy or approve of their choice.
“I don’t want the responsibility of deciding for the group. I'd feel at fault if they didn’t end up liking the restaurant I chose.”
-Interviewee
DEFINE
User
Target users are young adults who are dining in groups of 2-3. They’re looking for an enjoyable experience from start to finish which means finding a restaurant they will all be happy with.
Problem
Group members prefer not to take on the responsibility of choosing a restaurant in fear their peers will disapprove of their choice. Consequently, the decision making process becomes lengthy and frustrating.
Need
Users need a way to choose a restaurant they can all be happy with without placing responsibility on one single member.
IDEATE
Competitive Analysis
My ideation process began by looking into apps aiding in the decision-making process, especially those that target pairs and/or groups. Apps such as Zomato, Open Table, and Unstuq all contributed to my initial design decisions, but the most influential was an app called Netflip.
Netflip works to help pairs find a movie on streaming platforms that both would like to watch. Each member privately chooses options they’re interested in and is notified when they have a match. It uses a card stack design to present options to the users, from which they can swipe right for yes and left for no.
Feature Prioritization
After contemplating and designing a range of features, I decided to focus on creating a minimal viable product due to the short timeframe I had. It would include the following features; applying filters, providing options, restaurant info, recommendations, a decision wheel, and booking reservations.
DESIGN
How It Works
Similarly to Netflip my design focuses on streamlining the decision-making process by eliminating social pressure. Additionally, it works to reduce cognitive overload by helping narrow down the list of options at each step in the process.
The final screen designs as well as the details of the design process will be added to this case study within the upcoming week!
Stay tuned!
