TheGo
A case study for a food truck ordering app
UX
UI
Product Design
AI
Project Overview
Client: Google UX Course Case Study
Project Type: Product Design, UX/UI
Industry: Tech
My Role: Product Designer
"Are you on Yelp?"
"No, I'm on TheGo."
CONTEXT
A Solution That Could Change Experiences For 32 Million+ People
PROBLEM
What The Top 3 Food Ordering Apps Don't Solve
Roughly 40% of Gen Z and millennials use food-ordering apps. People enjoy food vendors, but businesses without a brick-and-mortar aren't always available on the most common food-ordering apps. This problem prevents users from having a simple way to locate some vendors and order ahead, leading to frustration, wasted time, and missed opportunities.
My Task
Develop an app focused on traveling food vendors that saves time for and creates opportunities for both customers and businesses.
Goals |
|---|
Design a pre-order functionality |
Allow real-time location tracking |
Streamline food event discovery |
Key Painpoints |
|---|
Develop a new brand identity |
Compete with popular apps |
No team to partner with |
RESEARCH
What's Missing From the Current Market?
From studying the current top food ordering apps and conducting 15 user interviews, I was able to uncover some key insights:
Lack of AccessibilityLong lines and big crowds prevent certain user groups from ordering food. "My wife has had a lot of knee issues lately. We can't bother going to events where we know that we would have to stand for long periods of time." |
No Stock = A Wasted TripUnlike brick-and-mortar locations, food vendors often run out of their ingredients within a day. Customers often get frustrated and head back home discouraged. "There were a couple of times I tried visiting a food truck, and the item I had wanted had already sold out. I just went back home, saying I would visit again, but never did." |
Lack of VisibilityCustomers expressed that they often didn't know of local food vendor locations or events. "I found out on Tiktok that there's a weekend Thai food market around here. I've been here for 5 years and never knew." |
User Personas
To expand my design perspective, I created personas from varied backgrounds. One was inspired by my experience as a new uncle observing the changes in my sibling's life. I wanted to highlight the challenges of a young parent managing a child while ordering food.
Storyboarding
Using these personas, I storyboarded typical user journeys. This immediately exposed different pain points, like:
• Standing in line as an accessibility issue
• Food trucks running out of stock frequently
• Allergy concerns beyond what a basic notes section can handle
DESIGN PROCESS
Prototyping to High-Fidelity Design in Figma
Wireframes
No direct competitors to benchmark
Small interview pool (5 participants)
Self-imposed timeline and self-defined goals
Lack of experienced team feedback
Screens to include:
Home
Food truck Profile
Item fill out card
Cart & Check out
Discover
User Profile
Low-Fidelity Prototype
After transferring the wireframes into a low-fidelity mockup, I conducted some early usability tests. I asked users to try and navigate the app by giving them specific instructions. While the discover section of the app was received well, they shared some feedback on the checkout process.
Some of these things were:
Lack of notifications made users unsure if actions (like adding to cart) were successful
The Gestalt principle of proximity came into play when users were confused due to a lack of spacing between elements
Typography and image layout caused navigation errors
High-Fidelity Prototype
After iterating on the low-fidelity prototype and incorporating some of my feedback, I was able to develop a High-Fidelity Prototype. As I refined the designs, users were able to connect with the process more. They realized there were still some things about the checkout process and discover page that were disrupting the user flow.
Some pain points were:
Allergy section lacked clarity
Pickup time bar was confusing
Users wanted sticky “Add to Cart” and “Checkout” buttons
Discover page lacked sorting/filtering options
Entry fees and price ranges were missing from event descriptions
SOLUTION
A Solution For Businesses And Customers
Based on user feedback, I refined my designs to create a more intuitive and informative experience. While I considered all input, some suggestions were adapted to real-world constraints. For instance, instead of displaying entry fees (which vary and require external purchases), I linked out to external event pages. In the end there were quite a few features that I had improved upon through iteration and included in the final designs.
Some final features to note:
Live GPS food truck tracker
Potential allergy alerts built into ordering cards
Color-coded stock indicators (e.g., “Low Stock”, “Out of Stock”)
5 screens to show the order checkout process
GPS Live tracking feature, and the Allergy alert feature in the food card
IMPACT
A Solution For Businesses And Customers
The original problem was seemingly simple; there are no apps that include all food trucks and their specific business model.
What I ended up uncovering and solving:
The most popular apps don't cover every need, such as providing allergy alerts.
Most food apps require businesses have a permanent location before using the app.
Waiting in long lines at events can be an accessibility issue.
Upon my final user testing, 100% of users successfully completed the checkout process and comfortably navigated the discover section.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Designing For Humans, Not Just Aesthetics
I was confident in visual storytelling, but product design challenged me to think beyond aesthetics. This project taught me how to design an experience from the ground up, centered on real user needs. It pushed me to combine empathy, research, and design to create something both functional and impactful.
Where I Grew
Learned to empathize with users and design more inclusively
Practiced real research, testing, and iteration
Sharpened my Figma and prototyping skills
What I would improve for the future
Focus more on user flow than perfecting early wireframes
Distinguish between helpful and distracting feedback
Design with accessibility and mobile touch targets in mind
Culminating Thoughts
I’m very proud of my final product. While this was just a solo project, it pushed me to really think beyond myself and understand how differently people think.
PROBLEM
What The Top 3 Food Ordering Apps Don't Solve
Roughly 40% of Gen Z and millennials use food-ordering apps. People enjoy food vendors, but businesses without a brick-and-mortar aren't always available on the most common food-ordering apps. This problem prevents users from having a simple way to locate some vendors and order ahead, leading to frustration, wasted time, and missed opportunities.
My Task
Develop an app focused on traveling food vendors that saves time for and creates opportunities for both customers and businesses.
Goals |
|---|
Design a pre-order functionality |
Allow real-time location tracking |
Streamline food event discovery |
Key Painpoints |
|---|
Develop a new brand identity |
Compete with popular apps |
No team to partner with |
RESEARCH
What's Missing From the Current Market?
From studying the current top food ordering apps and conducting 15 user interviews, I was able to uncover some key insights:
Lack of AccessibilityLong lines and big crowds prevent certain user groups from ordering food. "My wife has had a lot of knee issues lately. We can't bother going to events where we know that we would have to stand for long periods of time." |
No Stock = A Wasted TripUnlike brick-and-mortar locations, food vendors often run out of their ingredients within a day. Customers often get frustrated and head back home discouraged. "There were a couple of times I tried visiting a food truck, and the item I had wanted had already sold out. I just went back home, saying I would visit again, but never did." |
Lack of VisibilityCustomers expressed that they often didn't know of local food vendor locations or events. "I found out on Tiktok that there's a weekend Thai food market around here. I've been here for 5 years and never knew." |
User Personas
To expand my design perspective, I created personas from varied backgrounds. One was inspired by my experience as a new uncle observing the changes in my sibling's life. I wanted to highlight the challenges of a young parent managing a child while ordering food.
Storyboarding
Using these personas, I storyboarded typical user journeys. This immediately exposed different pain points, like:
• Standing in line as an accessibility issue
• Food trucks running out of stock frequently
• Allergy concerns beyond what a basic notes section can handle
DESIGN PROCESS
Prototyping to High-Fidelity Design in Figma
Wireframes
No direct competitors to benchmark
Small interview pool (5 participants)
Self-imposed timeline and self-defined goals
Lack of experienced team feedback
Screens to include:
Home
Food truck Profile
Item fill out card
Cart & Check out
Discover
User Profile
Low-Fidelity Prototype
After transferring the wireframes into a low-fidelity mockup, I conducted some early usability tests. I asked users to try and navigate the app by giving them specific instructions. While the discover section of the app was received well, they shared some feedback on the checkout process.
Some of these things were:
Lack of notifications made users unsure if actions (like adding to cart) were successful
The Gestalt principle of proximity came into play when users were confused due to a lack of spacing between elements
Typography and image layout caused navigation errors
High-Fidelity Prototype
After iterating on the low-fidelity prototype and incorporating some of my feedback, I was able to develop a High-Fidelity Prototype. As I refined the designs, users were able to connect with the process more. They realized there were still some things about the checkout process and discover page that were disrupting the user flow.
Some pain points were:
Allergy section lacked clarity
Pickup time bar was confusing
Users wanted sticky “Add to Cart” and “Checkout” buttons
Discover page lacked sorting/filtering options
Entry fees and price ranges were missing from event descriptions
SOLUTION
A Solution For Businesses And Customers
Based on user feedback, I refined my designs to create a more intuitive and informative experience. While I considered all input, some suggestions were adapted to real-world constraints. For instance, instead of displaying entry fees (which vary and require external purchases), I linked out to external event pages. In the end there were quite a few features that I had improved upon through iteration and included in the final designs.
Some final features to note:
Live GPS food truck tracker
Potential allergy alerts built into ordering cards
Color-coded stock indicators (e.g., “Low Stock”, “Out of Stock”)
5 screens to show the order checkout process
GPS Live tracking feature, and the Allergy alert feature in the food card
IMPACT
A Solution For Businesses And Customers
The original problem was seemingly simple; there are no apps that include all food trucks and their specific business model.
What I ended up uncovering and solving:
The most popular apps don't cover every need, such as providing allergy alerts.
Most food apps require businesses have a permanent location before using the app.
Waiting in long lines at events can be an accessibility issue.
Upon my final user testing, 100% of users successfully completed the checkout process and comfortably navigated the discover section.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Designing For Humans, Not Just Aesthetics
I was confident in visual storytelling, but product design challenged me to think beyond aesthetics. This project taught me how to design an experience from the ground up, centered on real user needs. It pushed me to combine empathy, research, and design to create something both functional and impactful.
Where I Grew
Learned to empathize with users and design more inclusively
Practiced real research, testing, and iteration
Sharpened my Figma and prototyping skills
What I would improve for the future
Focus more on user flow than perfecting early wireframes
Distinguish between helpful and distracting feedback
Design with accessibility and mobile touch targets in mind
Culminating Thoughts
I’m very proud of my final product. While this was just a solo project, it pushed me to really think beyond myself and understand how differently people think.
CONTEXT
A Solution That Could Change Experiences For 32 Million+ People
PROBLEM
What The Top 3 Food Ordering Apps Don't Solve
Roughly 40% of Gen Z and millennials use food-ordering apps. People enjoy food vendors, but businesses without a brick-and-mortar aren't always available on the most common food-ordering apps. This problem prevents users from having a simple way to locate some vendors and order ahead, leading to frustration, wasted time, and missed opportunities.
My Task
Develop an app focused on traveling food vendors that saves time for and creates opportunities for both customers and businesses.
Goals |
|---|
Design a pre-order functionality |
Allow real-time location tracking |
Streamline food event discovery |
Key Painpoints |
|---|
Develop a new brand identity |
Compete with popular apps |
No team to partner with |
RESEARCH
What's Missing From the Current Market?
From studying the current top food ordering apps and conducting 15 user interviews, I was able to uncover some key insights:
Lack of AccessibilityLong lines and big crowds prevent certain user groups from ordering food. "My wife has had a lot of knee issues lately. We can't bother going to events where we know that we would have to stand for long periods of time." |
No Stock = A Wasted TripUnlike brick-and-mortar locations, food vendors often run out of their ingredients within a day. Customers often get frustrated and head back home discouraged. "There were a couple of times I tried visiting a food truck, and the item I had wanted had already sold out. I just went back home, saying I would visit again, but never did." |
Lack of VisibilityCustomers expressed that they often didn't know of local food vendor locations or events. "I found out on Tiktok that there's a weekend Thai food market around here. I've been here for 5 years and never knew." |
User Personas
To expand my design perspective, I created personas from varied backgrounds. One was inspired by my experience as a new uncle observing the changes in my sibling's life. I wanted to highlight the challenges of a young parent managing a child while ordering food.
Storyboarding
Using these personas, I storyboarded typical user journeys. This immediately exposed different pain points, like:
• Standing in line as an accessibility issue
• Food trucks running out of stock frequently
• Allergy concerns beyond what a basic notes section can handle
DESIGN PROCESS
Prototyping to High-Fidelity Design in Figma
Wireframes
No direct competitors to benchmark
Small interview pool (5 participants)
Self-imposed timeline and self-defined goals
Lack of experienced team feedback
Screens to include:
Home
Food truck Profile
Item fill out card
Cart & Check out
Discover
User Profile
Low-Fidelity Prototype
After transferring the wireframes into a low-fidelity mockup, I conducted some early usability tests. I asked users to try and navigate the app by giving them specific instructions. While the discover section of the app was received well, they shared some feedback on the checkout process.
Some of these things were:
Lack of notifications made users unsure if actions (like adding to cart) were successful
The Gestalt principle of proximity came into play when users were confused due to a lack of spacing between elements
Typography and image layout caused navigation errors
High-Fidelity Prototype
After iterating on the low-fidelity prototype and incorporating some of my feedback, I was able to develop a High-Fidelity Prototype. As I refined the designs, users were able to connect with the process more. They realized there were still some things about the checkout process and discover page that were disrupting the user flow.
Some pain points were:
Allergy section lacked clarity
Pickup time bar was confusing
Users wanted sticky “Add to Cart” and “Checkout” buttons
Discover page lacked sorting/filtering options
Entry fees and price ranges were missing from event descriptions
SOLUTION
A Solution For Businesses And Customers
Based on user feedback, I refined my designs to create a more intuitive and informative experience. While I considered all input, some suggestions were adapted to real-world constraints. For instance, instead of displaying entry fees (which vary and require external purchases), I linked out to external event pages. In the end there were quite a few features that I had improved upon through iteration and included in the final designs.
Some final features to note:
Live GPS food truck tracker
Potential allergy alerts built into ordering cards
Color-coded stock indicators (e.g., “Low Stock”, “Out of Stock”)
5 screens to show the order checkout process
GPS Live tracking feature, and the Allergy alert feature in the food card
IMPACT
A Solution For Businesses And Customers
The original problem was seemingly simple; there are no apps that include all food trucks and their specific business model.
What I ended up uncovering and solving:
The most popular apps don't cover every need, such as providing allergy alerts.
Most food apps require businesses have a permanent location before using the app.
Waiting in long lines at events can be an accessibility issue.
Upon my final user testing, 100% of users successfully completed the checkout process and comfortably navigated the discover section.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Designing For Humans, Not Just Aesthetics
I was confident in visual storytelling, but product design challenged me to think beyond aesthetics. This project taught me how to design an experience from the ground up, centered on real user needs. It pushed me to combine empathy, research, and design to create something both functional and impactful.
Where I Grew
Learned to empathize with users and design more inclusively
Practiced real research, testing, and iteration
Sharpened my Figma and prototyping skills
What I would improve for the future
Focus more on user flow than perfecting early wireframes
Distinguish between helpful and distracting feedback
Design with accessibility and mobile touch targets in mind
Culminating Thoughts
I’m very proud of my final product. While this was just a solo project, it pushed me to really think beyond myself and understand how differently people think.