Charmall is a integrated B2B and B2C application which not only empowers restaurants to efficiently manage dine-in queues but also provide customers with a seamless and convenient online queuing experience.
As the UX/UI designer in the team, I contributed to the localisation of the functionalities through extensive research and strategy identification, then structured the user flows with a wireframe prototype and the final hi-fi UI pages.
Research
Competitor analysis
In the UK marketplace, apps specialised in walk-in queue for restaurant are scarce. While similar apps exist in places like banks and visa centers, their usage scenarios differ from restaurants. Additionally, though some other countries(contexts) have had similar apps for years, local adaptation is still essential due to varying social environments and consumer habit.
Competitor #1
Comsumer experience
Merchant experience
Weakness:
1. Lack of notification and manual checking 2. No expected queuing time 3. Limited data visualization capabilities 4. Suited for simple scenarios, less suitable for complex restaurant queuing processes
Strengths:
1. Web-based app doesn't require software download 2. Process is consice and allows reschedule 3. Interface and fonts are legible 4. Back-end management enables stores to view queue details and history data
Competitor #2
Comsumer experience
Weakness:
1. Mandatory registration 2. Inaccurate estimated wait times 3. Lack of detail restaurant info 4. The visual elements and fonts exhibit inadequate readability
Strengths:
1. Timely queue status notifications 2. Detailed instructions for queueing experience 3. Online table reservation functionality 4. Positioning restrictions, allowing only nearby users to queue online.
Stakeholders analysis
Utilizing the UK market and existing customer resources, I've crafted a stakeholder map for discussing the inclusive perspective on Charmall's development around the team. This map shows the elements and significance evolve throughout product development stages.
Given that the product's current phase involves completed design, basic functionality development, and pre-testing, I've condensed stakeholder relationships and importance for this stage.
Nevertheless, I've also outlined potential future scenarios to aid the CEO and product managers in proactive strategy and decision-making.
User research
The main users are divided into two categories, diners who visit the restaurant and managers who are responsible for the operation of the restaurant.
Based on competitor analysis and interviews with target users, it was decided that Chamall would be a web-based application to match usage habits, with a platform for dine-in queues and a management system for corporate restaurants. Resturant merchants who are using the mother company's epos system, can connect their APIs to Charmall, so that the information on tables and relatively accurate waiting times could be collect by Charmall automatically.
User flows
We carried out experience flow planning from the perspective of individual queuing users and restaurant merchants respectively, as well as the different products on the application side and the merchant management side.
Prototype & Testing
Wireframes
According to user flow and user and merchant device habits, we set up the personal queuing interface for mobile web and the merchant interface for ipad and mobile responsive interface.
Dine-in platform
Dine-in consumers queue online start with the home page of Charmall platform, and consumers walk-in go directly to the restaurant detail pager by scanning the QR code.
Queue Management System
Dine-in consumers queue online start with the home page of Charmall platform, and consumers walk-in go directly to the restaurant detail pager by scanning the QR code.
Prototype testing
We selected 5 target users for testing and captured their feelings and pain points at each step of the overall interface flow experience.The following primary three changes were chosen to demonstrate the iteration of the information card component, the presentation of key info of merchant and the overall experience of the single queuing interface.
Showcase
Diners platform
Users can browse and queue for restaurants in 3-4 simple steps. The restaurant detail page provides key information, including location, operating hours, signature dishes, and more detail. Additionally, users can gauge the restaurant's busyness status. The queuing page offers a seamless experience where users select the number of diners via a scrollable scroller. Leaving the number allows restaurant staff to double-confirm the queue.
Upon confirming the diner count, users receive a queue number as proof of their restaurant reservation.
Additionally, a downloadable QR code facilitates tracking queue status even if the webpage is lost. The queue has four statuses; if a user doesn't cancel and fails to visit, their status displays in red, impacting their credit.
Two registration and login methods are available.After queuing, a prompt page informs users who haven't registered or logged in.Alternatively, users can log in or register via the webpage navigation bar
Backstage queue management system
We selected 5 target users for testing and captured their feelings and pain points at each step of the overall interface flow experience.The following primary three changes were chosen to demonstrate the iteration of the information card component, the presentation of key info of merchant and the overall experience of the single queuing interface.
Next step
As this project is still in the pre-testing phase, many of the features and interactive processes need to be updated and iterated. Especially for the queue management software, each restaurant business has different needs for queuing, iterating a standard version and customisable functional content is the goal for the future. At the same time, for the individual queuing process experience has achieved the basic functions, in the follow-up will continue to maintain and optimise.
