Project Overview
A client project for a struggling restaurant whose online presence was lacking key components to stay competitive and be found online. I contacted them, pitched my services, and came to a deal.
Role:
Digital Transformation Consultant
Web Design & Dev
Team:
Self-directed with feedback from client and peers
Tools:
Editor X
Gloriafoods
Google search console
Project Objective
Problem Statement:
Hamido Seafood is a new restaurant on Ditmars Blvd in Astoria, Queens, and has struggled to retain business during the pandemic. They have been having trouble with delivery services and their online presence.
Solution Statement:
Based on industry news, restaurants are falling back on their online presence and ordering platforms to retain business during the pandemic.
Phase 1:
Discovery
Speaking with the team, I questioned, understood, and identified the restaurant's problems during this pandemic environment.
Together, we concluded that;
→ their online presence is poor
→ no official website
→ no online menu
→ poor experiences with delivery services
Phase 2: Research & Ideate
A research phase was initiated to understand how people eat out at a new restaurant in this current pandemic climate. I interviewed five people, asking questions about their restaurant picking process.
My findings gave me insight into the lengthy background checking process consumers go through when deciding whether to eat at a restaurant for the first time. All individuals said they liked to google the restaurant’s digital profile to get an understanding of what the restaurant is all about looking for;
→ Types of food
→ Prices
→ Reviews
→ Pick Up
→ Out-Door Dining
→ Location
→ Reservations
→ Delivery
→ Online Ordering
→ Photos
→ Videos
→ Ratings
5/5 people said they usually do this research on their phones. With these findings, I have concluded that a restaurant's online presence is crucial to win new customers. Restaurants need to have strong Google search results, reviews, menus, photos, and websites to win customers.
Phase 4:
Design, Testing & Launch
Iterated on designs with testing
User tests were done at several stages in the design and prototype process. I tested with several people who worked at the restaurant for user feedback and fixing operational bugs. These tests entailed a run through of the website and online ordering application. Including several test orders and scenario tasks to ensure we met the user's expectations.
Changes were made accordingly. We focused on improving the online ordering platform by adding professional photos and food descriptions for each item.
A two button call to action was implemented at the footer of every page to increase the probability that the user would view the menu or make an online order. With that, we noticed that a user would select either of the two buttons when viewing the footer section of the webpage.
These additions improved the usability and effectiveness of the website.
Final Desktop and Mobile Designs
Market standard web design principles influenced the high-fidelity mockup. Whitespace and minimalism were central to the prototyping process to give users what they were looking for when visiting the website. Branding colors and styles were incorporated and approved
Post Launch
Results
Within the first three months of launch, 1000+ unique traffic views to the site $4,000+ worth of online orders were placed and Ranked #1 on Google with "Hamido Seafood" keywords.
Project Learnings
When Hamido's website launched, traffic came immediately, concluding that consumers had been looking for the site all along. In the first month, online orders on the website started strong and even stronger in the later months with returning customers.
These digital products are becoming the norm as they help restaurants maintain and acquire new customers online. Online ordering platforms create a new income stream for the business and increase overall daily sales.
If I had more time on this project, I would spend it testing and analyzing how customers interact with the site three months after launch and improve accordingly.