DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
AK : The goal of Menu2Go is to provide a digital platform that enables people to find and order food and connect with local restaurants and services. Unfortunately, many products that were designed to keep users engaged failed due to their assumptive user needs. Instead, technology is used to solve these problems. The design of the platform is based on the solid user needs that it serves.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
AK : Through my research, I identified the various pain points that users have when it comes to finding local restaurants and services. One of the most common issues that I heard was that people rely on their friends to recommend restaurants, but they can't always get the recommendations they need on their way to work or home. To address this issue, I designed a map function that will allow users to find restaurants near them and order food whenever they need them.
The map function was designed to let users find restaurants whenever they want. I also wanted to create an app that solved the problems that users had with the platform.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
AK : In the future, I plan to continue developing the app's socialization capabilities to help users find and connect with other people. The current version of the app has been designed to help users find and connect with local restaurants, but it still needs more effort to reach its goal of building more connections.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
AK : 4 months, from planning to finalizing the design. Although my client and I first talked about it 2 years ago before we started researching and designing.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
AK : When I first moved to Spain, I was very excited about the country's diverse food scene, but I was very ignorant about the culture and traditions of ethnic food. I had no idea how to order food from the various restaurants in the city, and I was disappointed by the results of Google and Yelp's search results.
After asking my friends for their food recommendations, I was able to find amazing food and made new friends. This experience has inspired me to create an app that will allow users to connect with other people from different cultures and order food.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
AK : The answer to the question is rooted in the design principle of building meaningful connections. This is why I decided to focus on developing apps that help people enjoy restaurant food. The pandemic has also motivated me to pursue more work in this field. It has forced me to rethink how I can help people build their food preferences and deliver them home with minimal action and contact with people.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
AK : My design for the app was based on the different types of people that I identified as potential users. The main target group for the app was the "keen on restaurant food delivery users." This group is usually very interested in exploring new restaurants and documenting their favorite places. The other two groups were "friends of foodies" and "ethnic food experts."
People will often ask their foodie friends for their food recommendations. These individuals are known as "ethnic food experts," and they are knowledgeable about the culture and traditions of various cultures, but they might not be able to provide the best recommendations. They will also be the content generators of the app.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
AK : The goal of the app is to help users build their social networks and navigate through the various restaurants in their area. When users search for a restaurant using Google or Yelp, they can see the number of reviews that the restaurant has received. A good review system can help a restaurant establish its reputation and attract more potential customers.
One of the main factors that I considered when it came to developing the app was the importance of providing good food recommendations. This is because one of the most important factors that people consider when it comes to choosing a restaurant is their trust level. The goal of the Menu2Go app is to help users build their social networks and find great food.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
AK : We had many options for the name, but the team chose an option that is easy to remember, simple, and short, it describes the function of the application in detail.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
AK : I rely on sites like Dribbble and Behance for inspiration. They allow me to create mood boards and collections that are useful for the creative process. Miro and Figma are the main tools in my work. Using tools for testing like Usertesting.com, I check the correctness and performance of our prototypes.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
AK : I followed its inspiration and aimed at making the app engaging for the users. Therefore, I wanted to add something particularly appealing. I designed a product that can solve particular needs. I developed a food delivery application that helps to bring people and first-class food closer. In terms of functionality and information content.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
AK : After conducting the analysis, I was able to identify the various features that were most important to the users. These included the ability to view and navigate through the app easily, as well as the micro-interaction that users have with the app. To create a better app, I also conducted market research to identify the factors that will help it launch.
We also conducted interviews with people who already use food delivery apps. We also tested various usability concepts and prototypes through Usertesting.com.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
AK : The main task is to make a healthy competition with existing companies in the market. Create a platform that will be easy to use for both customers and representatives of the business and will be user-oriented. Introduce new functionality, and technologies that simplify the work with the website, and speed up the process of viewing, selecting food, creating, tracking, and picking up orders, and customer feedback to the restaurant, which in turn increases the credit of trust.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
AK : I wanted to share my design with a wider audience so that it can inspire other designers. As a designer, I also appreciate the work of other individuals. It's important for me to always be exposed to new ideas and I hope that my design can help inspire others.