Yum

A social network for foodies

This idea for this product was derived from a problem experienced by people who prefer not to leave a meal to chance. When you go looking for a good restaurant recommendation, where do you turn? Friends and family, social media, Yelp, Google? All of the above? What if there was one place where you could find both great recommendations and all the other small details needed to ensure the best dining experience possible in one unified platform?

YUM curates, personalizes, and streamlines the restaurant finding experience while connecting users to a network of fellow foodies.

What are the key ingredients to cook up an 5-star restaurant finding experience?

I went on a culinary treasure hunt to find out what makes foodies tick. This involved a survey of 16 people (aged 25–35), juicy one-on-one interviews with 4 of those participants, and comprehensive competitive analysis of 5 products with similar functionality. The main goal was to really get inside people's heads to better understand their needs for discovering, saving, and sharing their favorite restaurants.

Differentiating in a jam-packed market.

After conducting user interviews, I categorized all participants' responses using an affinity map and feature prioritization to identity high-level themes and opportunities as well as specific pain points that I could focus and improve upon.

My analysis revealed that there was an opportunity to design a product centered around personalization and social curation. The aim was to help people find the best restaurants and share their recommendations with their social network in a single, streamlined product.

A user persona was also created based on the collected data to guide my decision-making process and ensure that the product focused on solving specific user pain points, frustrations, and goals.

Whipping up a smoother experience.

To get the creative juices flowing, I started with rough sketches to figure out which elements were necessary for each screen. Then, I hopped into Figma to create a simple user flow and low-fidelity prototype to start user testing.

Next, a usability study was then conducted to identify specific areas  throughout the task flow where improvements or changes needed to be made. This test brought forth new ideas to further satisfy people’s needs, expectations and desires when using the product.

A gourmet approach to design

After implementing the changes and improvements that were needed on the low-fidelity prototype, I conducted one more usability test to solidify the flow and screen layouts to start high-fidelity execution. Before starting on the high-fi screens, a visual identity was created to give the product a unique look and feel that would stand out from competitors and resonate with users.

Drawing inspiration from fine dining restaurants, the UI design embraces a minimal touch and focuses on creating a refined, customer-centric experience.

The ultimate dining discovery toolkit

YUM is like a personal foodie assistant that takes all the hassle out of finding, saving, and sharing your favorite restaurants. It'll hook you up with other food-loving friends and only suggest the tastiest spots that match your cravings and past dining experience.