Transforming the Self-Service Ordering Experience
Project Overview
I led end-to-end research and design for a digital ordering kiosk used in high-volume restaurant environments. The goal was to improve ordering speed, reduce friction, and create a more intuitive self-service experience that works for a wide range of users.
This project focused on simplifying complex ordering flows, increasing order accuracy, and designing an experience that performs reliably under pressure.
My Contributions
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Led UX research and design end-to-end
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Conducted qualitative research, including observational studies and on-site usability testing
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Defined user flows, interaction patterns, and UI
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Collaborated closely with product and engineering
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Contributed to scalable design patterns across the platform
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Mentor UI designers on UX practices
The Challenge
This was a high-throughput environment, where even small inefficiencies scaled into real business impact. Ordering through kiosks introduced friction at multiple points:
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Users struggled to navigate menus quickly
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Customization flows were inconsistent and overwhelming
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Errors in orders were common, especially under time pressure
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The experience needed to work for first-time and repeat users
Iterative User Testing
Approach
Understanding Real World Usage
Designing for kiosks means designing for real-world constraints; time pressure, physical space, and distracted users. To uncover what truly mattered, we focused on behavior over self-reporting.
Observational Studies
We ran naturalistic observation sessions across two client locations and four competitor kiosks during peak lunch hours. Over multiple 2-3 hour sessions, we observed how people navigated ordering in fast-paced, real environments; capturing detailed notes without interrupting the experience.
This surfaced critical, previously unseen friction points, especially around decision-making under pressure and environmental constraints. These insights became the foundation for early personas and a generalized journey map, which helped shaped low-fidelity design direction.
Identifying Friction Points
Heuristics, Accessibility & Ideation
From the observations, consistent friction points emerged. Decision overload in menus, unclear customization flows, and a lack of feedback after actions. In parallel, myself and another ux designer, conducted a heuristic evaluation using Jakob Nielsen’s usability principles and an accessibility audit to identify usability gaps in the existing experience.
These findings, combined with real-world observations, gave a clear and prioritized view of what needed to be solved. I then ran collaborative ideation sessions with the design team to explore solutions, to align on directions to address these friction points through low-fidelity concepts.
Key pain points included:
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Decision overload in menus
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Poor visibility of order progress
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Confusing customization steps
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Lack of clear feedback after actions
Iterative Design & Validation
Working alongside the UI Designer, we translated these concepts into low- and high-fidelity prototypes, refining key areas like navigation, customization, and checkout.
Each iteration was validated through moderated usability testing, allowing us to measure task success, identify errors, and improve overall usability. This iterative loop ensured that design decisions were continuously grounded in user behavior and led to measurable improvements in the experience.
Focusing On:
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Menu hierarchy and navigation
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Customization flows
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Cart and checkout experience
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Feedback and confirmation states
Solution
Outcome
The refined experience was designed to support quick decisions while giving users full visibility and control over their order. This led to clear improvements in both usability and user confidence. These changes created a more intuitive, resilient ordering flow that better supports real-world, high-pressure environments.
Key improvements included:
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A persistent and simplified menu structure to reduce decision fatigue
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A flexible customization experience, allowing users to view and edit all options on a single screen beneath the product description. Removing the need to move through long, linear flows with poor progress visibility
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A stronger emphasis on visual menu items, prioritizing imagery after observing that items without photos were ordered less frequently
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A persistent cart with clear order visibility at all times
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Clear, immediate system feedback for item additions and customization updates
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Decrease in users restarting orders due to accidentally exiting the customization flow
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Faster task completion as users could make decisions without navigating through multiple steps
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Increased user satisfaction with the visual design, driven by a more image-led menu experience
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Improved clarity of system feedback, with users better understanding when items were added or updated
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Reduction in non-critical errors during ordering, due to an increase in visual affordances
Impact
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of designing for real-world context, not just ideal flows. Observing users in busy, high-pressure environments revealed issues that wouldn’t surface in controlled settings.
It also highlighted the value of iterative validation, small usability improvements compounded into meaningful gains in speed, accuracy, and confidence.
Most importantly, it shaped how I approach complex, high-frequency systems: prioritize clarity, reduce cognitive load, and design for impact.