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Eatery Compare Menus
A feature that allows users to refine their exploration of the 25+ dining halls, cafés, and restaurants on Cornell's campus, making the process of deciding where to eat simple and speedy.
food & drink app / new feature / end-to-end
Team
1 Product Manager, ​6 Developers, 1 Product Designer (me), 1 Marketer
Responsibilities
User Research, Interface Design, Interaction Design, Wireframes, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
12 weeks
Status
In development
What is Eatery?
Cornell University's premier Food & Drink app, enabling students to learn about eateries on campus. Features include browsing current and upcoming menus, viewing hours of operation, and mapping directions to specific eateries.
+45k
total downloads
12k
active monthly users
3k
active daily users
The Problem
College students want to easily browse menus and quickly make a decision on where to eat on campus.
But with 25+ eateries on campus, all boasting various cuisines, hours, and locations, it is overwhelming and difficult to weigh all the different dining options on Eatery.
The Solution
Compare Menus Popup
Click the “Compare menus” button to prompt a popup, enabling you to select the menus you wish to compare from the default list of the 5 closest eateries from your current location, or hunt for your favorites using the search bar.
Compare Menus Page
Click the “Compare now” button, to view all selected menus in a single, convenient page.
Remove Menus
Decide you don’t like the looks of a certain menu? Swipe right to eliminate it from your current comparison.
Research
My design philosophy is to truly understanding users through any means possible before I begin to design for them. That means taking a step back to answer the following questions:
"Why do users want a Compare Menus feature?"
"Why do users need a Compare Menus feature?"
User Interviews
Demographics: 7 users of varying grade levels, meal plans, living situations, and dietary needs.
Goal: To learn about current habits and patterns of usage, with specific focus on the process of comparing menus. I wanted to learn where Eatery excelled in helping users, and what areas of the app frustrated them or left more to desire. More broadly, I wanted to confirm the Compare Menus feature was a feature users truly needed.
Outcome: I confirmed the need for a Compare Menus feature, and collected an abundance of information that would inform design decisions later on.
Key Insights
3-5 menus
Average number viewed before deciding on an eatery
Users primarily use the Home page to compare menus
15%
Number of users who visit dining halls blind
Top priorities when deciding where to eat are proximity, item selection, and price
2-4 mins
Average time users spend deciding on an eatery
Current comparison of menus on the Home page is tedious
Refining the Problem
Key Finding: Users open Eatery with their dining options already narrowed down in some way, using the app to compare a select set of menus, enabling them to come to a final decision.
How might we... design a Compare Menus feature that allows users to explore a select set of menus and eliminate the inefficiencies of the current menu comparing process?
Preliminary brainstorming ideas
Designing the User Experience
Entry Point
Final Design: The main interaction begins with button that pops up at the bottom of the screen mid-scroll if user spends more than 10 seconds on a particular menu.
Menu Selection
Final Design: "Compare menus" button prompts a popup where users can search and select specific menus to compare.
Compare Menus Page View
Final Design: Menu cards that display the eatery's entire menu upon clicking the expand arrow.
Final Prototypes
Button popup
Select by proximity
Select by search
Expand to view menus
Remove menu
Results
2-4 mins
Time users spend on current menu browsing interaction
1-2 mins
Time users spend on interaction with Compare Menus feature
Upon initial usability tests, the Compare Menus feature decreased the menu browsing interaction by approximately 50%. This feature was released in Spring 2024.
What I Learned
Designing with intention
Through research I learned the need for a Compare Menus feature was very pointed. Through brainstorming and iterating on designs I learned that it is better to solve one problem very well, rather than solving multiple problems to a lesser degree of effectiveness.
Importance of non-designer opinions
Being the only designer on my team throughout the duration of this project, I consulted heavily with my Product Manager and developers for feedback. I learned there is value in asking non-designers for their opinions. They provide different perspectives, revealing findings I might not have identified otherwise.
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