Table of contents

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ABOUT

Let's start with why

... so why does a virtual restaurant need a website if it sells food through external platforms?

What is Holy Taco?

A virtual restaurant owned by Rebel Tang, a startup that combines technology and the food industry. The restaurant primarily serves French tacos, a dish with Mexican-French origins.
And what about Rebel Tang?

The owner of the virtual restaurant Holy Taco, Rebel Tang, is a small startup in the food-tech industry. The company does not have physical restaurants, but only operates in delivery.
How does this business model work?

My client mostly fulfills orders through food delivery platforms (such as Glovo or Uber Eats). In the future, it is planned to launch its own sales channel, but for now, Rebel Tang needed one website where it could first present the offer of the newly established Holy Taco restaurant, then allow the user to select their location and preferred platform, and finally lead to online dishes sales.
But why do they need website?

The issue of having a virtual restaurant website was important, among other things, from the point of view of the digital marketing strategy, which includes PPC activities (Facebook Ads, Google Ads) with redirecting users to individual food platforms (at the level of a specific city or even district).

PROBLEM

To seduce and fulfill a promise

Talking to the bosses, I realized cool design isn’t enough; we had to deliver on promises. Though new to design, my marketing skills helped me discuss boosting sales, impressing them. I pushed for functional designs.

Design Thinking in the Real World

In a perfect world, we'd follow the classic design steps: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. But let's be honest, in startups, it's rarely that clean-cut. Balancing tight resources and big ambitions in a traditional industry is tough. Ideally, we'd kick off with thorough research and extensive workshops, but the reality in our startup was a lot messier. I'll break down how we navigated that in the next sections.

Our users were united by one thing

Food. Everyone was all about it. Some loved eating, others got a kick out of cooking, and a bunch were into discovering new tastes and shaking up food delivery. How'd we figure that out?

Quick Rundown of Our User Groups

Everyone we talked to was nuts about food. Some were into eating, others were chasing the latest in food delivery. How did we find out? Just by having conversations. We had a plan, but the real gems came when we just went with the flow.

The Foodie Lovers

These folks are all about great taste and quality. Even with their busy lives, they want meals that are both delicious and nutritious, and they really care about authenticity and health.

Sales & trend hunters

This group keeps an eye on the latest food trends and loves a good deal. They're always searching for new tastes and experiences to share on social media.

Convenience Seekers

Good food access is essential. Busy with work, family, or staying in, they seek meal variety and quality, valuing customizable options like vegan dishes.

What did folks want from us?

We really tuned in to what people want from a restaurant's online presence. Here's the scoop on the feedback that lit a fire under our design plans:

Authentic French Tacos

People are hunting for the real French tacos vibe, not some kebab or tortilla wannabe. They want the authentic taste that reminds them of the French Alps.
Fast and Fabulous Food

With weekdays being a blur, there's a real hunger for quick, yet quality vegetarian options. Speedy delivery of tasty, quality meals? Yes, please – folks are willing to pay extra for that kind of convenience.
Fresh, delicious food delivered fast

Due to my busy schedule, I only dine out on weekends. During the week, I order food delivery, but struggle to find high-quality vegetarian options that are delivered quickly. If you offer swift and high-quality food delivery, many people in my community would be willing to pay a premium price for it.

We wanted to see living people

After some real talk with folks, we figured out the basics of what they wanted—authentic French Tacos, new flavors, and quick service. But that was just scratching the surface; we needed to dive deeper.

More than just fancy data points

Creating personas wasn't just a task; it was crucial. My background in digital marketing, where I used to create personas, really paid off in UX.

This shift helped us get a real sense of our users—what they're looking for, their expectations, and what drives them. It was more than just dealing with data; we had a direct insight into our users' minds.

Not quite gossiping, but close

Talking about our competitors felt a bit weird, but we went ahead and had our customers and friends scope out their websites. They gathered the intel, and we took it easy—sort of.

Our team then reviewed all the feedback, discussed our observations, and identified key areas where we could outdo our rivals. We organized our findings on heaps of post-its and pinpointed eight major areas for potential dominance.

SOLUTION

Let's find solutions

When we started on the Holy Taco site, everyone was kinda drained from back-to-back projects. We needed to capture the zesty vibe of French-Mexican food, and the usual sit-down brainstorming wasn't gonna cut it. Time for a change-up.

Walk & Talk

Unleashing Creativity on the move

I'm all for mixing movement with creativity. Being stuck at a desk doesn't always get the juices flowing. So, I suggested we try "Walk & Talk" sessions.

Plan

With the team scattered and working remotely, we couldn't literally walk together. Enter Google Meet, audio-only to keep it safe. The idea was to prep on the project, then jump into a focused chat.

Execution

From various locations, we all hopped on a call. We ran through the project status, insights, and our takes on the competition. Ideas flew around in this 30-minute brainstorm, boosting both ideas and team spirit.

Outcome

To be honest, "Walk & Talk" wasn't perfect for detail work or visuals. So, we scheduled a more traditional session for the following day. But the energy and fresh ideas from walking and talking? That was a hit, giving us all a much-needed break from screens.

Don't Ditch the Workshops

The next session went old-school with an online workshop. Using FigJam, everyone could slap up their visuals, jot down thoughts, and share ideas that popped up during our lively "walk & talk."

From ideas to action

We started with a brainstorm, tossing around ideas and wireframes. I shared some neat insights from UX Bites and UXArchive, sketched out a basic page layout, and outlined some user flows. But that was just the start.

After diving into customer feedback and checking out the competition, the marketing team provided some key insights. Armed with this info, I crafted a clear action plan to steer our design efforts forward.

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Design Meets Branding

Holy Taco was the fresh face in the Rebel Tang lineup, needing its own unique flair and a solid design system. I was all in, using my marketing skills to help shape its style and voice.

Most of my brainstorming was with the CMO, who really let me get involved in defining the brand. Together, we plunged into the vibrant world of Mexican culture to craft Holy Taco's identity.

Spicing Up the Design

Starting the design journey felt like jumping into a fiesta! We explored everything Mexican, from timeless architecture and traditional garb to sacred symbols and local eats. Our goal? Create a clean, meaningful design for Holy Taco.

We nailed down some cool ideas. First, a tidy grid layout for balance. Then, we brought in elements of sacred architecture for a bit of awe. Finally, we picked fonts and colors like taco toppings—each bringing its own vibe and story.

And there you have it! Holy Taco now rocks a dynamic blend of tradition and modernity, where every detail—from the layout to the spiritual vibes to the punchy colors—helps tell its unique story and sets the brand apart.

It's the accessibility, stupid

Alright, the title might be a bit much, but stick with me. We were all about those bold colors and cool textures of Mexican culture in our design. But I had to ground us with a reminder: our design needs to be accessible to everyone.

WCAG Reality Check

Our initial design was all about making a splash with vibrant colors and eye-catching elements. However, we realized we were missing the mark on WCAG standards, which are crucial for good UX/UI design.

So, we paused to reevaluate. We toned down the colors, simplified the headers, and reduced the color variety to ensure our design still captured the essence of Mexican culture but also met accessibility standards. The positive feedback from our usability tests proved that focusing on accessibility was the right move.

Finally, a working prototype

Finally, onto the fun part—after setting up the visual frames, I got to jump into what I love most: designing the first views of our working prototype.

Real Talk: Prototype Pitfalls and User Insights

During a team meeting, I showcased our working prototype—super thrilling but not flawless. For example, budget and time constraints meant that we were unable to implement the UX Pattern that required the user to confirm their location immediately upon entering the page. In place of this solution, we had to list the locations on one subpage, along with the food ordering platforms available in that location.

User Feedback FTW!

Bringing users in to discuss our prototype was a game-changer. They found the scrolling clunky and suggested making our menu pages resemble a classic menu with photos. They also stressed the importance of explaining what French tacos are right on the homepage. Armed with this feedback, we refined the design and rolled out an improved version.

Wait. Where's the basket?

Curious why Holy Taco doesn't have its own ordering system? Initially, the setup wasn't there for handling direct orders, so we partnered with platforms like Uber and Glovo. We're considering adding our own system in the future, which would mean a big update for the website.

Homepage
Menu
Order
Dishes

Users told the truth

We ran user tests to gauge the site's intuitiveness and identify any bugs, using methods like interviews and usability testing.

Here’s what bugged our users

Button size issues

The buttons were too small for comfort on some devices, particularly for older users.
Distracting menu text rotation

The rotating text on the menu pages was too fast, distracting users from their browsing.
Footer problem

Initially, our footer just had a generic "order" link. Feedback led us to list cities directly in the footer for easier navigation.

Impact level

Getting Down to Business

Let's get real about what mattered. Sure, the numbers were cool, but seeing the team and startup thrive? That was the best part. We made a real difference, even if we hit a few bumps along the way.

Time spent on site

+ 0 %

Orders placed

+ 0 %

Conversion rate

+ 0 %

Average order value

+ 0 %

Bounce rate

- 0 %

Repeat customers

+ 0 %

"I'm very pleased with the way Alexander worked on this project. He was highly collaborative and always willing to go the extra mile. The end result was a website that is both user-friendly and visually appealing. It has had a significant impact on our marketing and communications efforts."

– Lukasz Piekut, CMO Rebel Tang

Key Takeaways

Every project's a learning curve. With Holy Taco, we had our ups and downs—like budget cuts leading to some bugs sticking around. It was a bummer not seeing my final design fully come to life.

Lessons Learned

Projects always teach me something new, and Holy Taco was no exception. Here are the key takeaways that really stuck with me:

Fight for Usability

I learned to stand firm on fixing usability issues. Those little problems can turn into big ones.
Sharpen Your Tools

I revamped my interview scripts for deeper insights. Next time, I'll start with those from the get-go.
Don't Skip on Features

I wish I'd pushed for including a location feature from the start. Lesson learned: come prepared with data (and maybe a puppy) to back up your case.

Post Mortem

If I Could Do It Over

Imagine redoing the project with two Figma prototypes—one with the location feature and one without—and then A/B testing them. I'd gather all the feedback, craft a compelling presentation, and show how crucial that feature is for both user convenience and boosting profits. In this redo, I'd make a strong case for investing in features that might cost now but pay off big time later.

Thanks for your time! ♥︎

Rebel Tang

Holy Taco

Ania

Adam

Walk & Talk

Walk & Talk

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Holy Taco

Ania

Adam

Walk & Talk

Walk & Talk

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