Enhancing the Eat24 Experience

In the dynamic landscape of food delivery apps, the pursuit of a seamless and user-friendly interface is paramount to attracting and retaining customers. A recent usability case study on a food delivery app, Eat24, uncovered essential insights into user behaviour and the efficacy of the app's search functionality.

Identifying the Challenge

Through a thoughtful process involving user interviews and usability tests, a significant challenge emerged – a misalignment between user expectations and the Eat24 app's search experience. Users anticipated a "Yelp-like" search interface, offering easy filtering and refining of search results based on diverse criteria. Unfortunately, the app fell short of delivering these anticipated capabilities.

Implementing Thoughtful Design Changes

To rectify this challenge and enhance the search experience, the researchers introduced strategic design changes, including:

1. Highlighting the sort label: Initially subtle and easily overlooked, the sort label was given prominence. This adjustment ensured users were more likely to notice and utilize the sorting feature effectively.

2. Extracting useful filter options: Recognizing the difficulty users faced in accessing filter options hidden within a drop-down menu, the researchers made them more accessible. Users could now effortlessly narrow down their search results by presenting the most frequently used filter options directly.

3. Prioritizing restaurant information with reviews: Instead of presenting restaurant details upfront, the researchers prioritized displaying reviews first. This alteration allowed users to swiftly assess the popularity and reputation of each restaurant, aiding their decision-making process.

Positive Outcomes of Design Changes

The implemented design changes yielded positive results, significantly improving the overall user experience. Users could now locate their desired restaurants more efficiently and expressed heightened satisfaction with the provided search results.

Additional Insights from the Study

The usability study unearthed additional factors contributing to the initial challenges:

1. Prominence of the search bar: The search bar's lack of prominence on the app's homepage made it challenging for users to initiate their search process effectively.

2. Discoverability of filter options: Filter options were not readily visible, requiring users to navigate into a menu to access them.

3. Scannability of restaurant information: The presentation of restaurant information lacked visual scannability, making it laborious for users to quickly compare and select restaurants.

Guiding Principles for Food Delivery App Design

These insights offer valuable guidance for designers of food delivery apps:

1. Prioritize user mental models: Understand and align with users' search expectations to create an intuitive search experience.

2. Ensure filter accessibility: Provide easy access to filter options to empower users in refining their search results effectively.

3. Optimize restaurant information presentation: Display restaurant details in a clear and scannable format to facilitate quick decision-making.

By incorporating these principles into the design of food delivery apps, designers can elevate the user experience, fostering increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.