Ultimamesa is a platform for booking and managing appointments at restaurants in Mexico. The company wanted to create a new mobile application to improve the user experience for both customers and restaurant owners. As a UX/UI designer, my role was to design the application from scratch, starting with competitor research, creating user personas, creating wireframes, and ultimately designing the final UI mockup and an interactive prototype for handover to the developer.
Competitor Research
I started with conducting competitor research to identify industry trends, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, and identify areas where Ultimamesa could differentiate themselves. Through my research, I identified that OpenTable and Resy were the top competitors in this space. I analyzed their websites and mobile applications, identified their unique value propositions, user flows, and their design patterns.
User Personas
To better understand the needs and behaviors of the target audience, I created user personas based on the information gathered from interviews and surveys. I created three user personas representing different types of users that would use Ultimamesa's application. One of the personas, Ana Garcia, was a busy marketing manager who is enthusiastic about great dining experiences and discovering new restaurants in her area.
Wireframe
I started the design process by creating low-fidelity wireframes that focused on the core features of the application. The wireframes were designed to show the basic layout and structure of the application, and to ensure that the user interface was easy to use and navigate.
UI Mockups
To ensure a consistent design across the application, I created an atomic design system. This design system included UI components such as buttons, icons, typography, and color palette. It also included guidelines for how to use these components across different screens. Using the atomic design system, I created high-fidelity mockups that were visually appealing and aligned with the brand identity of Ultimamesa. The design of the application was inspired by the user personas and competitor research. It included features such as filtering by location, restaurant rating, and promo.
Interactive Prototype
To hand over the design to the development team, I created an interactive prototype of the application. The prototype allowed the team to experience the design, test the interactions, and give feedback on the design before starting development.
Conclusion
Designing the Ultimamesa application was a rewarding experience, and I am proud to have been part of the team that helped create a user-friendly platform that offers a unique and enjoyable dining experience. The process of conducting competitor research, creating user personas, wireframing, and prototyping allowed for an iterative design process that helped refine and improve the final product.
The app design was well received by the client and stakeholders, and the interactive prototype allowed for testing and validation of the design with potential users. The final design incorporated key features such as the ability to search for restaurants, view menus and photos, book reservations, and manage bookings, all while maintaining a consistent and intuitive user experience. The design was handed over to the developer team for implementation.
Overall, the project demonstrated my ability to conduct research, create user-centered designs, and communicate my ideas through wireframes, UI designs, and interactive prototypes, resulting in a successful outcome for the client. Thank you for watching!
