Tamashi Ramen & Sushi
User Experience Redesign of Local Business
Tamashi Ramen & Sushi’s original site was in need of a revamp for new and returning customers. It lacked consistency in some of its elements. It also felt very dated. Updating and redesigning some of the website’s current features enhanced its visual appeal while adding a modern feel.
My Role
I was responsible for designing a more visually pleasing site, while also improving the overall experience for users navigating through it.
Problem Statement
The current design of Tamashi Ramen & Sushi's website does not immediately grab the user's attention. It doesn't provide a sense of personality and what the in-person restaurant has to offer. This could cause potential customers to leave the website and choose another option that gives them a better first impression.
Tamashi Ramen & Sushi’s current website.
Defining the Problem
“How might we redesign a better experience where customers can view important information and visuals in a pleasing way?
DESIGN PROCESS
Research
For the redesign of Tamashi Ramen & Sushi, a competitive analysis of four competing sushi restaurants was conducted. This research was an in-depth analysis of important site features, information architecture, navigation, and visual design. Making note of elements that would retain and attract users was the goal. Important elements essential for the sitemap:
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Home
Menu
subpages for Menu categories
Locations
Policy
Cart
Order Online
Log In/Sign Up
This process allowed me to gain insight into user behavior when it comes to ordering food and motives for using a restaurant’s website. Remote interviews were conducted with 5 participants, sample questions included:
What restaurants do you like to eat at?
How often do you look at a restaurant’s website?
What do you look for when you’re on the website?
How often do you order online?
What do you like about the online ordering process?
USER INTERVIEWS
Insights
Users often look at a restaurant’s website, especially if they are trying something new.
Users discover restaurants by looking on social media and Yelp.
Users look for menu items, hours, about us, pictures of the food/drinks, pick-up and delivery options, possible COVID precautions, and daily specials like happy hour.
Users like the easy and quick process of online ordering.
Personas
THE ONLINE ORDERER
THE RESTAURANT GOER
After conducting interviews, two personas were developed: the restaurant goer and the online orderer. The restaurant goer likes to view the menu, pictures of the food, and atmosphere before visiting a restaurant for the first time. The online orderer wants to view the menu, see pictures of the food, and use a simple ordering process to quickly place an order. Though they each have different reasons for using a restaurant’s website, they do share similar goals.
User Goals
THE ONLINE ORDERER - the primary user
Users want to easily place online orders, sign up and log in to their accounts to use rewards points, and view pictures of the food and atmosphere before going to the restaurant.
Branding
COLOR PALETTE
This color palette was inspired by the original logo and helped achieve a more modern look overall.
ORIGINAL LOGO
Poppins replaced their original font choice Helvetica Neue. This upgrade aligned better with the fresh and enticing site.
TYPOGRAPHY
Ideate
LOW FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
After researching and using my own visual design/hierarchy skills, low-fidelity sketches were developed and turned into mid-fidelity wireframes with a few alterations.
MID FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
NOTABLE CHANGES
Homepage
To make the homepage feel more inviting and modern, additional colors and attention-grabbing elements were used to catch the user's eye. It also includes information that users typically look for when they visit a restaurant's homepage, like store hours, rewards, menu, etc.
ORIGINAL
REVISION
Menu
Hungry customers want to see pictures of everything. Adding this element is sure to attract new users to the restaurant. The food is the selling point, so it's only right to add the visual appeal.
ORIGINAL
REVISION
Login / Register
A fun feature that food establishments offer is a rewards system where their customers can sign up and redeem points for special offers. Since Tamashi Ramen & Sushi already wanted their users to create a login, having a reward system would be another incentive for users to sign up.
ORIGINAL
REVISION
USABILITY TESTING
Usability Testing Goal
Test how users interact with the product, measure the success (or failure) of task completion, and evaluate overall visual design/hierarchy.
Key Findings
5 users averaged a time of 43 seconds when completing the task of placing an order online and checkout
5 users successfully completed tasks with no errors
5 users gave positive feedback about the visual design and overall experience
Iterations
The background of the website was a textured, paper-like design. On some pages, it was distracting and conflicted with page elements, so the background was edited to look less textured. Here is an example of the change on the homepage.
ORIGINAL
ITERATION 1
FINAL REVISION
Adding a success screen/message is a common practice that users find valuable when completing a task. To give that effect, it was added to the checkout page which lacked a sense of accomplishment.
ORIGINAL
REVISION
Final Product
FINAL THOUGHTS
The main goal was to redesign a site that felt modern, inviting, and exciting. It was also important to make sure to stay true to the simplicity that is Tamashi Ramen and Sushi’s brand. They are a small hole-in-the-wall establishment that feels like home. Warm, cozy, and effortless. The website had to carry that same feeling that way customers got that initial sense of the restaurant after visiting the website.