Choosing where to eating is often more frustrating than it should be. Whether it's digging through old saved spots across different apps, or trying to make a decision in a group chat, the process if often disjointed and frustrating for planners.
Over 10 weeks, this project examined how individuals and groups search for, save, and coordinate restaurant choices. The goal was to identify key pain points and design a more streamlined, personalized experience to support better decision-making and reduce the challenges in everyday food discovery.
Over 10 weeks, this project examined how individuals and groups search for, save, and coordinate restaurant choices. The goal was to identify key pain points and design a more streamlined, personalized experience to support better decision-making and reduce the challenges in everyday food discovery.
“It’s frustrating to remember
where you’ve saved the post later—
especially when you're on the go.”
where you’ve saved the post later—
especially when you're on the go.”
THE CHALLENGE
Manually filtering through restaurant options can be both overwhelming and time-consuming. While platforms like Yelp or Google Maps offer discovery tools, their filters are often too broad to address specific user needs or preferences. Many users end up with a long list of saved places across multiple apps, yet struggle to recall or access them when needed. In group settings, restaurant suggestions are often dropped in chats all at once—too many to realistically review one by one, especially when it comes to checking menus or locations. This often leads to repeated back-and-forth and indecision in groups.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
To inform the design direction, qualitative user research was conducted, including analysis of comparable platforms and structured interviews.
Apps such as Yelp, Google Maps and Instagram were reviewed to understand existing search filters, bookmarking tools and sharing features. Meanwhile, the goal of interviews was to identify the current behavioural patterns, pain points and common decision-making challenges in the restaurant selection process.
RESEARCH: EXISTING MARKET
Given the broad demographic of restaurant-search platform users, this research focused on individuals aged 20-35 who actively engage with discover tools such as Yelp, Google Maps or food-centric social media pages. Each interview session lasted 30 minutes and explored topics including app usage habits, decision-making criteria, and how users collaborate with others in the process of choosing a place to eat.
Participants were recruited through personal networks and selected based on their frequency of dining out and usage of discovery tools. The participant group included 10 students and working professionals in their early 20s to 30s, representing both frequent and occasional diners, with varying levels of familiarity with restaurant-search platforms.
Key Questions Asked
What are the top 3 factors you consider when
choosing a restaurant?
What tools do you usually use in your search and why?
(Why not the alternatives?)
Have you experienced any frustrations during a search?
Or while planning with friends?
What are the top 3 factors you consider when
choosing a restaurant?
What tools do you usually use in your search and why?
(Why not the alternatives?)
Have you experienced any frustrations during a search?
Or while planning with friends?
RESEARCH: STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
Given the broad demographic of restaurant-search platform users, this research focused on individuals aged 20-35 who actively engage with discover tools such as Yelp, Google Maps or food-centric social media pages. Each interview session lasted 30 minutes and explored topics including app usage habits, decision-making criteria, and how users collaborate with others in the process of choosing a place to eat.
Participants were recruited through personal networks and selected based on their frequency of dining out and usage of discovery tools. The participant group included 10 students and working professionals in their early 20s to 30s, representing both frequent and occasional diners, with varying levels of familiarity with restaurant-search platforms.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
Underutilized Filtering Tools
While platforms like Google Maps offer filter options, most participants admitted to rarely using them. Existing filters are perceived as too generic; insufficient for individual needs.
Word of Mouth Takes Priority
Participants placed more trust in personal recommendations, especially from friends, over written reviews found on public platforms, due to the lack of personal connection.
Cross-platform Information Sharing
Users frequently share restaurant information across different apps on the phone. Some people choose to share via messaging apps, for some, it's sending Instagram posts. This creates a fragmented flow and makes it difficult to track and revisit suggestions later.
While platforms like Google Maps offer filter options, most participants admitted to rarely using them. Existing filters are perceived as too generic; insufficient for individual needs.
Word of Mouth Takes Priority
Participants placed more trust in personal recommendations, especially from friends, over written reviews found on public platforms, due to the lack of personal connection.
Cross-platform Information Sharing
Users frequently share restaurant information across different apps on the phone. Some people choose to share via messaging apps, for some, it's sending Instagram posts. This creates a fragmented flow and makes it difficult to track and revisit suggestions later.
Preferred Discovery Platforms
Instagram emerged as top tools for discovering places and Google Maps is recognized for bookmarking restaurants. Both platforms are similar in providing visual cues and easy access to saved content.
Instagram emerged as top tools for discovering places and Google Maps is recognized for bookmarking restaurants. Both platforms are similar in providing visual cues and easy access to saved content.
Top Decision-Making Factors
When choosing a restaurant, the most commonly cited factors are photos, Google ratings, previously saved searches, cuisine type and price point.
When choosing a restaurant, the most commonly cited factors are photos, Google ratings, previously saved searches, cuisine type and price point.
Key Pain Points
(1) Saved Content Disorganized Over Time
(2) Existing Tools Fail to Align with
User Preferences
(3) Strangers Reviews Lack Relevance
(1) Saved Content Disorganized Over Time
(2) Existing Tools Fail to Align with
User Preferences
(3) Strangers Reviews Lack Relevance
IDENTIFYING TRUE USER STRUGGLES
Users tend to accumulate long lists of saved restaurants and places across multiple platforms, such as Google Maps and Instagram, but struggle to retrieve information efficiently when needed. Another recurring issue was the mismatch of search results and personal preferences. Participants expressed that the filters that are available on existing tools often feels too broad to reflect users' specific tastes, resulting in poorly-matched results. Many participants also reported that they often brushed off reviews written by strange, finding them unreliable or irrelevant. Instead, they placed greater trust in visual cues (i.e. photographs, personal recommendations, or posts shared by personal friends on social media.
USER PERSONAS
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE & KEY TASK FLOWS
WIREFRAMES
TESTINGS & ITERATIONS
THE DESIGN SOLUTION
Foodnotes is a mobile app offering a personalized restaurant-finding experience for users. Its 4 key functions are: exploring , finding specific places, building a personal collection and making restaurant-visits with others.
By having users set up a “Taste Profile”, the app matches users with restaurant suggestions closest to their actual interests and preferences - making the discovery process more efficient than ever. Users' joy of finding the right place can also be shared by sending it to others on the app.
THE LOGO
Inspired by the form of spiral-bound notebooks, a narrow row of "o" shapes was made to mimic the coils inside the wordmark. This interface features a series of applications and extensions of the design - such as the app widget, branded colors in interface, social media ads etc.
LEARNINGS & NEXT STEPS
Creating a design solution for the restaurant-discovery process has been challenging. After all, many solutions exist and everyone’s searching habits or preference in apps are different.
The user research conducted in the early stages proved to be instrumental as it revealed common points in people’s user flows and guided me throughout the design process. And the interview responses kept me focused while deciding what features are actually needed, reducing the risk of people getting confused about the app’s main purpose. The rounds of iteration that resulted from user testings and constant evaluation of usability was a humbling experience as a first-time UX designer as well.
For next steps of this project, I would further develop and simplify the taste profile section. I’d also expand the “Pick a place” feature by adding a small chat section - which creates more user interaction point. The idea of creating a separate interface for business owners intrigues me as well, so more restaurants can get on people’s radar and the reach can be broadened.
The user research conducted in the early stages proved to be instrumental as it revealed common points in people’s user flows and guided me throughout the design process. And the interview responses kept me focused while deciding what features are actually needed, reducing the risk of people getting confused about the app’s main purpose. The rounds of iteration that resulted from user testings and constant evaluation of usability was a humbling experience as a first-time UX designer as well.
For next steps of this project, I would further develop and simplify the taste profile section. I’d also expand the “Pick a place” feature by adding a small chat section - which creates more user interaction point. The idea of creating a separate interface for business owners intrigues me as well, so more restaurants can get on people’s radar and the reach can be broadened.
Please get in touch for a closer look at the prototype!
