Foodler was Boston’s premier online food ordering service, later acquired by GrubHub. Connecting thousands of restaurants and menus to online customers, Foodler earned loyalty through reliable service and a smart rewards program that earned $ off of future orders with every purchase.
My Role: Consulting Creative/UX Director for Brand and Product Design. I was the only creative resource, partnering closely with the co-founding engineers and one iOS and Android engineer. From
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The Foodler App
The original Foodler website.
Mission
Design iOS and Android mobile apps that exceed the established web experience to meet the demands of thousands of hungry customers.
Launch a lovable new brand expression through the experience design.
Challenges
No brand concept or assets
Complex features and workflows
Thousands of existing desktop users
Smart founders, but without brand or product design experience
A new, lean, and agile team
Measuring Success
Completed orders, no service disruptions
Converting web customers to app customers
New customer signups via the app channel
Customer affinity for new brand expression
A Tasteful Upgrade
Sign-in, home, and restaurant listing app screen views.
Restaurant detail, live order tracking, group ordering feature intro.
Foodler’s overall business doubled in less than 6 months after launch.
The app was launched in the Apple Store, and customer conversion was immediate. The Android app arrived 3 months later. Loyal customers were happy, and thousands of new customers poured in via the App Stores. Following a successful MBTA campaign, Foodler was acquired by GrubHub.
UX Considerations
Designing the app meant guiding the founders through a new process of understanding and serving their audiences. We examined and defined unique user types, their mindsets and needs at critical touchpoints. This was foundational to roadmapping and feature design.
Below: User type, lifecycle, and user needs explorations.
Before GrubHub and DoorDash, Foodler was the only game in town. Despite a website with all the brand charm of Craigslist, it worked – serving thousands of loyal customers.
But competition and mobile apps were on the rise. Foodler needed to elevate their brand with a mobile experience that exceeded the expectations and appetites of their hungry audience.
To minimize risk and service disruption, the app was developed and launched as a native iOS app, enirely separate from the website. This was a key decision that opened the doors for a truly mobile-first approach that wouldn’t be bogged down by considerations for desktop workflows.