Reserve
Reserve
Reserve
Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to reimagine online transactions.
Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to
reimagine online transactions.
Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to reimagine online transactions.
Role
Role
Role
Lead UX/UI Designer
Timeline
Timeline
Timeline
Late August - early October 2023
UX/UI sprint to support Y Combinator application.
Since late October 2023
Refocus on MVP buildout to support sales and marketing to attract restaurant interest in beta testing at select locations in the U.S.
Late August - early October 2023
UX/UI sprint to support Y Combinator application.
Since late October 2023
Refocus on MVP buildout to support sales and marketing to attract restaurant interest in beta testing at select locations in the U.S.
Tools
Tools
Tools
ChatGPT-4
Perplexity AI
FigJam
Figma
The Business Case
Variable table demand equals unpredictable operations and revenue. So, let's design for predictability - and profitability.
The Business Case
Variable table demand equals unpredictable operations and revenue. So, let's design for predictability - and profitability.
The Business Case
Variable table demand equals unpredictable operations and revenue. So, let's design for predictability - and profitability.
What is variable demand?
Believe it, or not, there is no guarantee at any restaurant that all reservations will be filled for the duration of meal service. Not even at the best restaurants. For example, cancellations could happen at any time. Also, 5pm & 9pm dinners are generally less popular than 7pm (at least in the US).
How do we make demand predictable?
Flatten the demand curve.
Huh?
This means leveling out the periods of high demand versus low demand. In other words: create a system that leads to a more consistent pattern of reservations. Instead of super high weekend demand where a sizeable number of users miss out on service, create incentives to increase demand for service during relatively low demand periods (like Monday nights).
How?
An online exchange where a person can buy a reservation time that is typically hard to get while another person could get paid to accept a reservation at a time when tables typically sit empty.
Why is this better?
In the end, reservations paid for in advance for high demand times cover the cost of paying diners to eat at low demand times. The kicker: restaurants can still make their margins on the service bill in either case. And, willing patrons get the dining experience they desire.
Win-win.
What is variable demand?
Believe it, or not, there is no guarantee at any restaurant that all reservations will be filled for the duration of meal service. Not even at the best restaurants. For example, cancellations could happen at any time. Also, 5pm & 9pm dinners are generally less popular than 7pm (at least in the US).
How do we make demand predictable?
Flatten the demand curve.
Huh?
This means leveling out the periods of high demand versus low demand. In other words: create a system that leads to a more consistent pattern of reservations. Instead of super high weekend demand where a sizeable number of users miss out on service, create incentives to increase demand for service during relatively low demand periods (like Monday nights).
How?
An online exchange where a person can buy a reservation time that is typically hard to get while another person could get paid to accept a reservation at a time when tables typically sit empty.
Why is this better?
In the end, reservations paid for in advance for high demand times cover the cost of paying diners to eat at low demand times. The kicker: restaurants can still make their margins on the service bill in either case. And, willing patrons get the dining experience they desire.
Win-win.
The Problem to Solve
Empty dining tables represent a significant cost to restaurants in an industry with razor thin thin profit margins.
This makes an already tough industry even tougher. Is there a way to minimize (or even eliminate) this cost and maximize chances for long-term success and profitability? We think so.
Design Impact
The challenge is to design a novel digital product that simultaneously satisfies two sets of users: restaurants and the patrons that they rely on to operate in the first place.
Design Impact
The challenge is to design a novel digital product that simultaneously satisfies two sets of users: restaurants and the patrons that they rely on to operate in the first place.
Design Impact
The challenge is to design a novel digital product that simultaneously satisfies two sets of users: restaurants and the patrons that they rely on to operate in the first place.
Reserve needs to have both familiar and efficient UX for diners, in order to convert them to enjoying this new way of accessing restaurants. It must also seamlessly integrate with restaurants' reservation systems.
The best possible design would hardly affect restaurant operations, yet remarkably affect their bottom line.
Reserve needs to have both familiar and efficient UX for diners, in order to convert them to enjoying this new way of accessing restaurants. It must also seamlessly integrate with restaurants' reservation systems.
The best possible design would hardly affect restaurant operations, yet remarkably affect their bottom line.
Reserve needs to have both familiar and efficient UX for diners, in order to convert them to enjoying this new way of accessing restaurants. It must also seamlessly integrate with restaurants' reservation systems.
The best possible design would hardly affect restaurant operations, yet remarkably affect their bottom line.
Approach
As of December 2023, we're in the midst of building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to bring to Reserve's concept to market and sell this completely new way of facilitating online reservations.
Approach
As of December 2023, we're in the midst of building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to bring to Reserve's concept to market and sell this completely new way of facilitating online reservations.
Approach
As of December 2023, we're in the midst of building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to bring to Reserve's concept to market and sell this completely new way of facilitating online reservations.
To see how it's going so far, help yourself to the menu below.
Bon appetit!
We obsessed over these.
Why?
Because Reserve proposes a novel approach to dining reservations and novelty involves reinventing
(parts of) the proverbial wheel.
The founder and I ran through these flows forwards and backwards. Twice. Three times. Sometimes more.
All in the pursuit of developing airtight, logical task sequences to build the best possible UX.
We obsessed over these.
Why?
Because Reserve proposes a novel approach to transacting dining reservations.
And novelty involves reinventing (parts of)the proverbial wheel.
The founder and I ran through them forwards and backwards. Twice. Three times. Sometimes more.
All in the pursuit of developing airtight, logical task sequences to build the best possible UX.
User flows
AI assistance
On a tight deadline, we leveraged ChatGPT and Perplexity AI to accelerate our UX research.
We extracted invaluable insights into the types of roles and operational challenges at restaurants, which in turn helped finesse user flows and task sequencing.
We obsessed over these.
Why?
Because Reserve proposes a novel approach to transacting dining reservations.
And novelty involves reinventing (parts of)the proverbial wheel.
The founder and I ran through them forwards and backwards. Twice. Three times. Sometimes more.
All in the pursuit of developing airtight, logical task sequences to build the best possible UX.
Wireframes
Wireframes
MVP
MVP