
Cutting down service times and increasing checkout conversions for the hospitality sector
Objectives
Worked as the sole Designer working end-to-end designing Peppers 'pay at table' feature to:
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increase speed of service
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drive usage
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increase checkout conversions
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Reduce a tap heavy user journey
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increase sales contracts (revenue)
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decrease churn (merchants)
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delight our end-users with a shiny new UI
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Improve locations picker
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Implement multipart ordering
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Improve rewards feature
*This page contains animated figma designs, best viewed on desktop
66,000 active app users since launch
Working closely with multiple merchants around the UK

Problem
Launching the MVP of our web app (back in 2020) in a hurry came at a price. The UX consisted of a number of pain points on both web and order to table app:
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Issues with diners ordering to the wrong location (but the correct table)
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Painfully long check out process, too many screens to go through
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Long loading speeds and time outs
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Outdated UI
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Unhelpful errors
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Asking users to add a credit card before they can even browse the menu
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No split the bill capabilities

23% of visitors will immediately abandon their basket if an account is required. Although getting customers to create an account is a goal worth aiming for, it is not worth losing revenue for.
Research
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Speaking with merchants directly (ie. 'Head office' of Peach pubs) to understand pain points
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In-customer/end-user visits, visiting around 32 customer venues around the UK
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Competitor venues visits: how were they dealing with the same challenges?
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Fleshing out all our existing task flows, this allowed us to see just how 'tap heavy' our UX really was
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Remote User testing; split testing our solution with our competitors using the System Usability Scale (our starting score was 42, last score recorded was 80)


Youngs Pubs: now 200+ active app users per month


Product KPIs need to strategically align with our key business drivers - that of increasing revenue and growth, whilst striving for the best user experience
Reducing the user journey by half

Before
After
A new Happy Path
Working closely with CPO over the course of 3 sessions (1.5 hours) we cut down the user journey by half. Binning all the U-turns and pointless screens. I also removed lots of unnecessary content, while ensuring the UX was as easy as possible to navigate.
Before and After Journey
You'll see by the 'before and after' flows above, how many UX issues (and screens) there were in the original product, as well as friction points such as loops, U-turns, and repeated commands. Resolving those issues and introducing some UI enhancements made a huge impact on the overall UX.
Improvements
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Improved visual hierarchy, introducing emphasis on the content that mattered most
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Gave users the ability to clearly see their bill total (strategically placed at the top of the screen rather than the bottom)
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Providing users with a variety of ways to pay (pay total or split bill) without needing to tap anything​
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A cleaner and easier way to include tips
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Hiding the giftcard input field (unless required)
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A neater way to apply awards for registered users

A new Happy Path
I cut down the journey by half. Binning all the U-turns and pointless screens. I removed lots of content, while ensuring the UX was as easy as possible to complete. I ensured the important info was more prominent then the less important stuff.
Final UI used for demo's
I walked Rick Stein through a demo of the prototype (Figma) and they loved it. They adopted the new feature as soon as we launched - to offer customers flexible digital ordering and payment experiences that would suit their service model.


66,000+
active app users since launch
Results

Our relationship with Pepper is one of the best relationships we have with any of our suppliers, and we appreciate the fact that many of the problems we have highlighted have been acted upon.
David Lawley, Systems Co-ordinator at Rick Stein

Over Under Coffee has reported that their Pepper app has increased both customer loyalty and satisfaction, as well as taking the pressure off of staff. I worked closely with the Marketing Manager (Natalie Johnson) on the app relaunch which was driven by their recent brand redesign.
20% increase
in orders via the app each month


Impact
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Increased speed of service (with several merchants by up to 60%)
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Halved the previously 'tap heavy' user journey
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Usage increases across all merchants
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Increased checkout conversions averaging 40%
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Multipart ordering also helped drive usage, this feature is now used extensively

“The team at Pepper have always been so helpful - I really feel like they are an extension of our team."
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Natalie Johnston, Marketing Manager at OverUnder