EATON
"How can we elevate the individual/group food ordering experience while minimizing the awkwardness being questioned about food preferences?"
My role: Lead UX Researcher & UX/UI Designer
People with different food preferences run into trouble when trying to have a meal together regardless of how they source their food.
Eaton provides more detailed filters to help people sort out food that they wouldn't want. In addition, there is an option for people who dine together regularly to join a group list. Whenever they're getting food together, all food preference filters will help them find the food they can enjoy together, so no one will run into awkward moments of not enjoying their food.
WHY EATON?
How, what, and why people explain their food preferences?
According to research, a clear indication that information needs to become more accessible is that of those with a food allergy, social awkwardness means that 62% do not feel comfortable asking about allergens in dishes when eating out and would rather ‘take the risk’ instead.
Meanwhile, the shift to online shopping has caused confusion for many. Consumers are more than twice as likely to understand everything that is inside a product when shopping in-store, compared to online – pointing to the problems caused by current irregularities in how consumers are expected to consume vital food information.
Therefore I prototyped an application that brings equity design into consideration, so more people can benefit from the customized filters.
OUR DISTINCT FOOD PREFERENCES
Food preferences can just be about anything.
Most of the time we don't really pay much attention to them.
Despite how common we face the decision to determine what to eat for the day, I discovered that people who have specific needs usually get a poor experience with ordering meals online due to the lack of information provided. Some of them find unlisted ingredients in their meals until they receive their food.
Ordering a foreign cuisine without any description can be a gamble--and people either walk away with a surprise or an unsatisfied meal.
CHALLENGES
Having custom filters added before shopping will result in a better food ordering experience
Looking into current food ordering applications, I realized that most of them have categories based on culture and primary food preferences. However, it is not enough. Allergens and other food preferences are excluded from the search, leaving people no choice but to browse through all the options before making their choice.
The idea of ingredient transparency still has room for improvement. This includes the fact that there are a lot of restaurants that don't imply what they are selling to customers. Vague descriptions with no exact warnings for potential allergies are red flags in food consuming.
IN-SYNC SHOPPING: POT EATON
The key factors that will make group ordering and grocery shopping a pain-free experience
If online food ordering is already not convenient for one individual, what happens when multiple people with diverse food references decided to have a meal together? Worse.
During my research, some interviewees assumed that bringing up their food preferences would cause too much trouble. Therefore, they will choose to avoid certain ingredients or meals according to their past experiences.
THE EATON LOGO
Sharing food but not sharing food preferences
The logo is a bitten chicken thigh, or we call it the “drumsticks”.
Drumming has been a way of sending messages and warnings.
The sign is throwing a drumstick in the plate is a metaphor of communication.
Eaton is made to connect people through food.
If you have Eaton, you’ll know what you’ve Eaton is good or not.
