Xinqing Liu

Foodify

Project Abstract

I currently live in Melbourne, Australia, which is well-known for its culinary scene. In the CBD, there appear to be new restaurants opening every day. But in a city where we are spoiled for choice, making a decision about where to go for a meal can be a daunting exercise. The proliferation of social media and restaurant-finding services, seeking to make the process easier, can instead make the process more daunting— the process of searching, comparing, and trying to identify whether a restaurant might fulfil an expectation of an experience—and the requirements of a party of diners—can take longer than the meal itself.

The use of technology has the potential to enhance convenience but may
also detract from the richness and complexity of the experience. In this research,
I explore how designers can create a restaurant finding app that balances
the convenience of technology with the richness and complexity of the dining experience, while also providing personalised service and enhance user experience. By investigating the key factors that contribute to an exceptional dining experience and exploring what technology could offer to people to enhance or detract from these factors, this proposal seeks to provide valuable insights for designers and people in the food and technology industries.

Reflection

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Fig. 1 – Designing a user flow on how customers move through the app from register to find a restaurant they like and create their own restaurant album list.

Fig. 2 – Lo-Fi prototype design for a restaurant finding app, include features such as personalised service for users to choose their own preference, filters to improve their search and an album page let them browse other users created restaurant lists, also allow people to create their own one.

Fig. 3 – Final restaurant finding app prototype called Foodify with main features of personalised service to choose your usual cuisine type, quick dinning preference navigation, restaurant collection exploration and also allow users to create their own restaurant lists