Mobile Food Ordering Feature within Mobile App for Theme Park
Overview
This project was with a notable theme park in the heart of the Midwest that recently updated its application. They wanted to improve the mobile food experience for the end user by developing a feature that is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and customizable to meet the users' needs. This feature will then be rolled out into other theme park applications that the parent company oversees.
Problem Statement
Elevate the guest experience and increase pass-holder value while generating more revenue for the theme parks by integrating the new commerce platform and introducing mobile food ordering into the mobile apps. Improving mobile food experience for the end user, by developing a feature that is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and customizable to meet the users' needs.
UX Process
Assumption-based User Journey Mapping revealed that park-goers were confused by the pick-up process and prompts within the feature. The next step was to conduct usability testing to validate these assumptions and provide recommendations to the client.
I conducted light user interviews to validate the design from the previous team of designers. I had to get creative with users to interview as the client would not give access to any park-goers. I ended up relying on teammates from my organization to assist with the usability testing for the mobile food ordering feature. I created an outline of questions, set up high-fidelity wireframes to walk users through, and scheduled time on each person's calendar.
Meeting with each user individually, I explained the purpose of the research, walked them through a high-level view of the overall mobile food ordering process, and then walked them through three different scenarios around picking up their order once it had been placed. I validated that the pick-up process is confusing for users.
Usability testing revealed that park-goers were confused by the pick-up process and prompts within the feature.
Outcomes
Knowing that there is a set of APIs to work within for the pilot release, I provided the client with changes that could be implemented now to improve the user experience and made recommendations on what they could add to the product backlog.
The research shows that more user research is needed on this feature to better understand the relationship between the restaurant and the app; the park-goer and understanding the pick-up process; and provide the user with more transparency into the step that their order is currently in.
Roles and Responsibilities
I started on this project at the beginning of 2023, as oversight and management of UX resources across a portfolio of applications within the client organization. I met with the team of UX designers bi-weekly to support the work within this space. Ensuring that their product met best practice standards and client expectations. Guiding, reviewing, and providing feedback to push them to create a better product and become better designers.
About six months into the oversight role, I then rolled onto the project to help with UX research of a mobile food ordering feature within one of the applications. The plan is to pilot this feature within one park in the fall of 2023. Collecting data and feedback during this piloting timeframe, we will then tweak and modify the feature to enhance it before releasing it to the six additional theme park applications within this portfolio.
UX Activities and Deliverables
• User Journey Map
• High-fidelity wireframes
• User Interviews
• Affinity Mapping
• Recommendation Readout
• Opportunities for Product Backlog