Persona 1: Chester
Chester is a sous chef who is in charge of inventory management. He is currently counting inventory manually and needs a system that is less susceptible to human error.
Persona 2: Lisa
Lisa is a kitchen intern who needs a quick way to count inventory so she can devote more time to cooking.
Low-fi Prototyping
The main flow enables users to create a count report.
Sushi Verde's lo-fi prototype
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Study type:
Unmoderated usability study
Participants:
5 participants
Location:
USA, remote
Length:
15-30 minutes
Usability Study Parameters
Usability Study Findings
Printing and Saving
Users wanted options for saving and printing
Different Ways to Count
Users wanted a faster way to make larger additions/deductions to ingredient counts
Layout
Users wanted to adjust the size of icons and labels when viewing ingredients
Ideation
I developed variations for each screen in the main flow to determine the best approach for ensuring accessibility across literacy and language backgrounds.
Mockups: Layout
I initially created rows of carousels to display ingredients. I added individual pages for each ingredient category to provide an alternate view that minimizes clutter and enlarges the icons.
After usability study
Before usability study
After usability study
Before usability study
Mockups: Counting
+ or - buttons can be used to manually increase/decrease counts while the numerical keypad allows users to automatically input changes to inventory.
High-fidelity Prototype
The high-fidelity prototype incorporates feedback from the usability study and adds the following accessibility considerations:
Layout
The use of large ingredient icons with labels appeals to read/write and visual learners. This is also the reason why all buttons have an accompanying icon
Focal Points
The app is streamlined to minimize visual clutter while the user is counting ingredients
WCAG Standards
All of the colors used in the app passed WCAG contrast standards. Contrast and legibility were a top priority for critical pages like the report screen
Next Steps
Conduct another usability study to ensure that the newest features solved the problems from the last study
Conduct more user research to identify gaps in the design
What I Learned
Early digital wireframes reflect my attempts to design a comprehensive restaurant management app. After usability testing, I realized that having additional features prevented me from addressing the pain points I identified in my research. Keeping it simple made the app more effective.
