K-Taco Truck Mobile App

The Product
K-Taco Truck is local taco maker located in Jersey City, New Jersey. The establishment specializes in crafting traditional Mexican-style Tacos, Burritos and side dishes . They target customers who primarily consist of Jersey City residents and local workers in search of fast and healthy lunch and dinner options.
Project Duration
April 2023 to May 2023
The Problem
Busy workers and residents in the area encounter challenges of time constraints and limited budgets when it comes to preparing their own lunch or dinner. However, they still aspire to have access to a healthy food option.
The Goal
Design a user-friendly app for K-Taco Truck that allows customers to customize their taco menu by selecting their preferred ingredients, place orders and receive ready-to-pickup notification text messages to ensure their food remains hot and fresh.
My Role
UX designer designing an intuitive and user-friendly app for K-Taco Truck, starting from conceptualization stage. Focusing on creating a seamless user experience, allowing customers to customize their taco menu and incorporating an option for receiving pick-up notification text messages.
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER: User Research
Summary
To better understand the users and their needs, I conducted interviews and created empathy maps. Through this research, I identified a primary user group consisting of residents and workers in the local area who face time constraints and limited budgets, seeking a healthy fast food option that allow customization of ingredients. I also discovered that some users had previous experiences during the menu customization proves due to overly complex procedures.
Additionally, the research revealed that users faced challenges in ensuring their ordered food was picked up at the right time to maintain its warmth and freshness.
Pain Points
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Time: Working adults often lead busy lives and have limited time for lunch, making it challenging for them to cook or prepare their meals.
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Budget: Many working adults opt for fast or instant meals as they find it challenging to access affordable options that align with their preferences, such as organic food or dishes with specific ingredients.
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IA: Users encounter various limitations and restrictions when customizing their food within the app for placing orders, creating a less-than-ideal user experience.
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Pick Up Time: Working adults often lead busy lives and have limited time for lunch, making it challenging for them to cook or prepare their meals.
Persona : Carlos
Problem Statement: Carlos is a busy working adult who needs easy process of customizing fast food menus and receive convenient pick-up notifications.


Use Journey Map: Mapping Carlo's user journey revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a dedicated K-Taco Truck app.
STARTING THE DESIGN
Paper Wireframes
Created draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper, aiming to incorporate solutions for user pain points. Prioritized a user-friendly and detailed process for customizing the menu and setting pic-up times, aiming to alleviate user concerns related to time-saving and customization with their preferred ingredients.



Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phase progressed, I ensured that users had the freedom to choose their own ingredients.

Addressed one of the main pain points by adding an option to notify users of the right pick-up time.

Low-Fidelity Prototype
Using the finalized set of digital wireframes, I developed a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I focused on was the process of customizing and ordering a taco along with the option to receive a pick-up notification. This prototype was then utilized in a usability study.
View the K-Taco Truck Low-Fidelity Prototype
Usability Study: Findings
Using the finalized set of digital wireframes, I developed a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I focused on was the process of customizing and ordering a taco along with the option to receive a pick-up notification. This prototype was then utilized in a usability study.
Users desire more detailed options for customization
Users desire an option for pick-up time.
Round 1
Findings
The feature should provide more information in the Today's Special Section.
Add a space for leaving a note during the customizing process.
Add Quantity Option in the confirmation process.
Round 2
Findings
REFINING THE DESIGN
Mockups
In the early design, the Today's Special menu was not clearly indicated as non-customizable and only had a button to add to the cart. Following the usability study, I improved the design by using colored fonts to indicate ot users which items could be customized.


In the early design, users could only customize the menu by selecting or adding ingredients. However, following th eusability study, I made an improvement by adding a space for users to write their own notes. this allows users to customize the menu in even greater detail.

In the early design, users were unable to add or remove the quantity of selected items in the cart. However, based on the usability study, I added an option for modifying quantity and included deleted buttons to address this issue.

Key Mockups

High-Fidelity Prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype showcased user flows for selecting and customizing taco through the checkout process, and setting pick-up time notification.
View the K-Taco Truck High-Fidelity Prototype

Accessibility Considerations
Photos
Used photo images of each taco menu to enhance user understanding and provide a clear representation of the options available.
Icons
Incorporated icons toenhance user navigation and facilitate easier interaction.
Button
Applied varying opacities and shadow effects to the buttons to ensure that users can clearly perceive their selected actions.
GOING FORWARD
Takeaways
Impact
The app provides users with a sense of convenience and usefulness, effectively meeting their needs and enhancing their experience with the K-Taco Truck.
What I learned
gained valuable insights into the significance of usability studies and peer feedback, recognizing their impact on each iteration of the app’s designs.
Next Steps
1.
Conducting another round of usability studies will allow me to assess whether the previous pain points reported by users have been effectively addressed.
2.
Conducting further user research will help identify any additional pain points that need to be addressed or areas that may require further enhancements.