“Quick-easy-tasty”
That’s the complete objective of ordering from a food app. The food app industry is fiercely competitive especially since a couple of years. To be even more precise , according to the appfigures.com, “food and drink” is the second fastest growing app industry in the iOS category
(image credit - appfigures.com)
To sustain and out-stand this competition, the only thing that could leverage your app is - TOO GOOD user experience! This article aims at getting the best UX practices from existing food apps to help you build/improve yours.
#1. Align with end user’s craving
“When she is hungry, she wants it like ASAP!” Most of the users share similar cravings. So instead of clustering the first screen with numerous navigation and options, give them what they are coming there for.
The best way out is to move to real users and ask them 2 reasons they hit unto a food app. Make a list and feel free to add the top 3 reasons. When we go to watch a movie, you do not remember each and every detail for a long time; but what we remember is those few hilarious or romantic dialogues or the jovial dance. Do the same. Give 3 such things on the main page that the user will remember.
(image credits - samadimd.com)
#2. Use huge LICKABLE images and TASTY description
People eat with their EYES
(image credits - foodgawker.com)
Delicious, scrumptious, succulent, mouth watering - The huge bun stuffed with bacon - overloaded with cheese and crispy vegetable sandwiched in between, waiting to be savored!
Aren’t you already hungry?
Let your images be sooooo deliciously appealing that your users CANNOT say no. Huge and good quality images usually act as those constructive distractions that counts for higher conversion rates. If the images successfully ignite the taste buds, users do not move out easily. And I bet on that!
#3. Align your designs to business goals
Each food startup pitches on a specific goal - be it faster delivery or freshness or hygiene or taste or ….. Highlight these goals very clearly when you roll out your app designs.
(An example of food app showing delivery time upfront)
This is a screenshot from the food app - Swiggy. This company pitches to be different based on the delivery time. So it makes sure that the delivery time is highlighted in bright green and standing apart from the cluster of information.
#4. Smooth search and and navigation experience
It’s not to important to understand the immediate next step of your user, but also predict the next to that. This helps you shorten the flow and design a smooth search and navigation experience for the user. Lets say, when a user is searching for biryanis, the immediate next thing he would do is BUY it! So try to give the option to ADD there itself. Checkout this example-
(The ADD navigation just where you searched the food)
#5. Guide “them” when they don’t know what to order
Most of the times, users are dead hungry and they hit your app but they really don’t know what to order! If you leave they in this “hungry confused” state for a long time, they might start looking for options elsewhere. Now that’s something you DO NOT want at all. So give they wise and relevant filter options which could narrow down their search and keep them engaged on the app.
Options such as - Cuisine, veg/non-veg, price range, restaurant rating, delivery time, online payment acceptance etc are pretty good filter options for a food app.
(Filter options on various food apps)
#6. Short and impactful on-boarding
The on-boarding flow is like the first five minutes of walking into a restaurant. A hostess smiles and greets you, hands you a menu, walks you to your table, and then a waiter comes to take your order and answer any questions. It’s nice. Isn’t it? So pleasant should be the on-boarding experience on your app too. Help the user to explore your features as quickly as possible.
Use social logins such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, to make the sign up process really swift. This is exactly what your users want.
Wrapping up
Hope this article helps you launch or re-design your food app venture. Stay tuned to this space as CanvasFlip is coming up shortly with A/B testing on two very interesting experiments-
- “Restaurant rating vs delivery time” - Which appeals more to users?
- “Add vs +” - Which works better?
Till then, tweet about the UX tips for the food apps,
“ Some Yummy UX tips for food apps“
Would love to hear from you about other tips from the food app industry. Leave a comment below or drop a mail at monika[at]canvasflip.com