LAX Shop + Dine Platform
In the early days of the pandemic of 2020, URW recognized the necessity to adjust the services at LAX to cater to the unique needs of travellers during these challenging times. I was entrusted with the responsibility to spearhead the design of a delivery and pick-up application tailored specifically for the various restaurants and shops operating within the terminals at LAX.
Role
User Experience Designer
Agency
Aviamedia
Client
URW Airports (LAX, DXB, ORD)
Year
2020
When I was approached for this project, LAX's website primarily served as a directory and source of information. At that time, the pandemic had taken a firm hold, and airports had effectively come to a standstill.
Recognizing that this situation was likely to persist, URW identified the imperative to modernize the digital airport experience. This involved implementing touch-free solutions for the convenient pick-up and delivery of goods within the terminal, adapting to the evolving needs and safety concerns of travellers during these unprecedented times.
The initial website was quite basic, serving primarily as a directory and marketing platform. However, it suffered from a cluttered layout and significant accessibility issues. To establish a solid foundation for integrating the new ordering functionality, I initiated an audit of the existing site. This assessment identified critical areas that required refinement, ensuring that we could build upon a robust base for the integration of the new features.
To modernize the directory and marketing pages, we addressed the accessibility concerns and injected a fresh sense of personality. This transformation involved implementing a new type hierarchy, increasing the size of buttons and link styles, introducing more white space for improved readability, and incorporating engaging and personable illustration styles.
Having established this enhanced baseline for the website, the focus then shifted toward the formidable task of transitioning the directory from a static listing page to a polished and dynamic on-the-go ordering system.
To enhance the effectiveness of the food ordering and delivery platform, I conducted a concise analysis of the leading players in the industry. This examination aimed to identify successful conversion patterns prevalent in the field.
Given the time and budget constraints, I engaged in discussions with my wife and a few friends and family, all of whom were likely to have experience using food ordering apps and navigating through airports. Through structured interviews, we delved into their app usage habits, preferences, and pain points. These conversations yielded valuable insights that would inform my approach to developing the ordering platform.
Key takeaways from these interviews included:
Mobile-Centric Usage: The majority of users favored mobile apps for ordering, with limited engagement on desktop platforms.
User-Friendly Checkout: Users expressed a tendency to abandon orders if the checkout process became overly complicated or if hidden delivery fees created confusion.
Restaurant Selection Matters: Loyalty to a specific food app was relatively low; instead, users emphasized the importance of a diverse and relevant selection of restaurants.
These insights served as guiding principles in shaping our approach to creating an optimal and user-friendly ordering experience.
A few key challenges and questions I would ask myself through this process were:
How does a user find restaurants and shops in their terminal?
How do we make the directory page engaging and clear?
How do we make the checkout process as simple as possible?
To efficiently translate ideas into actionable components for our project, I leveraged quick sketches, facilitating the rapid visualization and clarification of essential elements needed for the development.
Building upon the newly established visual system for the website design and mindful of our constraints in terms of time and budget, I transitioned into a hybrid approach that combined low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframing. This approach afforded us the flexibility to iterate swiftly on critical pages and user flows, significantly reducing the time required from initial concept to the eventual handoff to our development team.
To address the challenge of helping users discover nearby shops and restaurants effectively, I devised a novel terminal selector feature. This feature prominently displayed all terminals, pre-security options, and included a map for users who might be uncertain about their location within the airport.
Initially, we tested a method where users were required to enter through this terminal selector as a way to quickly provide them with a relevant list of shops and restaurants. However, based on user feedback, we changed this approach. Users expressed a preference for a more comprehensive view of all the offerings at the airport initially, allowing them to explore everything the airport had to offer and then apply further filters based on their preferences.
To streamline the experience further, I designed a landing directory characterized by striking and inviting imagery. This directory categorized food options based on the time of day, offered previews of restaurant storefronts to familiarize users with their appearance for easier pick-up identification, and enabled users to quickly browse categories such as traveler favorites, restaurants with specials, and pickup/delivery times. This intuitive design approach aimed to enhance the overall experience and facilitate efficient decision-making when selecting dining options.
My initial research and interviews underscored a significant issue in the form of a potentially overwhelming checkout process, which could lead users to abandon their carts. Given the fast-paced and on-the-go nature of airport dining, it was essential to avoid any frustrations in this regard.
To streamline and simplify the ordering process, I took several key steps. Firstly, I ensured that essential information, such as pickup/delivery time, was prominently displayed on both the restaurant page and content cards. This allowed users to make informed decisions swiftly.
Additionally, I enhanced the experience by incorporating checkboxes and radio buttons for editing meal options, simplifying the customization process. I also reduced the visual clutter by minimizing the appearance of upsell cards and instead introduced a single, optional pop-up when it was relevant to an item. These design choices were aimed at providing a smoother and less overwhelming ordering experience, aligning with the unique demands of airport dining.
The ordering process posed an additional challenge, as it wasn't limited to food; it needed to accommodate a range of products, including hard goods like duty-free and luxury items. To address this dual-purpose requirement, I concentrated on designing product cards that were versatile enough to serve both use cases.
These product cards featured optional images and clear description fields, allowing for easy presentation of various types of products, whether they were food items or hard goods.
I recognized that the process following the placement of an order was reliant on a third-party system over which we had no direct control. Consequently, my primary focus was on ensuring a seamless user experience leading up to the "complete order" button, as this was a critical juncture where our influence could be maximized to optimize the user journey.
