User Personas

Steve

Steve is a 50 year old owner of a family-run thai restaurant, and has successfully marketed his business for the last few decades by embracing the unique history and inspiration behind the dishes his family serves. He now wants to make the leap into the digital space, but isn’t very comfortable with any technology. He is hoping to use the same marketing techniques he has always used, and does not want to spend a lot of time learning. Steve has also heard about the power of online ordering, and wants to incorporate it into his business, but needs the process to be streamlined so it doesn’t hamper his small kitchen.

Diane

Diane is a 28 year old tech-savvy restaurant owner who has been having trouble with growing her business. Her fast-food restaurant doesn’t have the budget to beat out the chain franchises, but she knows that if she can distinguish her restaurant, she can draw a substantial local crowd. Diane is hoping to achieve this with a suite of analytics that she can use to generate insights about her clientbase. She also believes that fostering a local community would be a good way of incentivizing consumers to frequent her store, but is unable to find a good way to do this on existing social media platforms. She is eager and ready to learn any new technologies, but is a bit limited on time.

Fiona

Fiona is a 30 year old active vegan mother living in Scarborough. She works full time as a yoga instructor downtown and her daily commute takes an hour each way. By the time she comes home, she rarely has time to make proper meals for herself and her children. Fiona loves the idea of online ordering, but is very health conscious and needs to fully understand what goes into the food she eats, so she doesn’t use any existing apps. She does not consider herself to be tech-savvy, but is able to maneuver through simple apps.

Javier

Javier is a 25 year old active social media user and considers himself an ‘influencer’. As a single guy with a lot of disposable income, he is always looking to try new and hip places to eat. He decides what restaurants to visit based on how he perceives his peers feel about them, and also based on how ‘aesthetic’ they are. Javier also runs a food blog on the side and wants to grow his online presence. As such, he would love an easy way to broadcast his activity and opinions. Javier is often on-the-go and will not bother using any technology not available on his phone.

Bonny

Bonny is a 22 year old full-time student attending UTSC. She is focused on school, but is tired of eating at the same food court every day. She wants to try out different local restaurants, but is heavily constrained by her tight budget. In addition, Bonny’s schedule doesn’t leave her any long breaks, so she needs to find food that is nearby, which she can quickly reach through public transit. She is fairly comfortable with technology, and is also a quick-learner that can adapt to new interfaces.

User Stories

(Grouped by feature)


Restaurant Search Engine:

  • As Fiona (Customer), I want to search for restaurants based on their cuisine, so that I can make sure the food I order meets my dietary needs.
  • As Javier (Customer), I want to search for restaurants based on rating, so that I know which places would draw in the most views to my blog.
  • As Bonny (Customer), I want to search for restaurants by price, so that I can stay within my tight budget.
  • As Bonny (Customer), I want to search for restaurants by location, so that I can make sure I have the means to actually get there.
  • As Bonny (Customer), I want a way to see how long it would take me to reach a restaurant via public transit, so that I can ensure I can make it there and back within my schedule.

Restaurant Profile Page:

  • As Steve (Restaurant Owner), I want to showcase personal stories and anecdotes about my dishes, so that customers can understand the history behind them.
  • As Steve (Restaurant Owner), I want to upload simple photos of my dishes and restaurant, so that I can promote exactly how I did in traditional media.
  • As Steve (Restaurant Owner), I want a page to feature my restaurant’s address and contact information, so that my customers can get in touch with me directly.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to show where my ingredients are sourced from, so that I can differentiate myself from the chain franchises.
  • As Fiona (Customer), I want to see videos of how restaurants make their food, so that I can feel safe ordering it for me and my children.

Online Ordering:

  • As Steve (Restaurant Owner), I want a simple ticket system to see online orders, so that my kitchen doesn’t waste valuable time learning the new system.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want online orders to be sorted by expected pick-up time, so that my kitchen can be efficient with their cooking.
  • As Fiona (Customer), I want to see the nutrition labels of any food I order, so that I can ensure it pertains to my dietary needs.
  • As Fiona (Customer), I want to order food for delivery, so that I can order on my commute and save time.
  • As Bonny (Customer), I want to order food for pickup, so that I can have it ready when I arrive and save time.

Simple Social Network:

  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to make posts that target people who frequent my restaurant, so that I strengthen the ‘local community’ feel.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want my customers to be able to share media that links to my restaurant page, so that they can direct their friends there.
  • As Javier (Customer), I want to see how often my friends have eaten at a restaurant, so that I can judge how popular and ‘trendy’ that restaurant is.
  • As Javier (Customer), I want to share my thoughts on restaurants, so that I can grow my brand and public influence.
  • As Javier (Customer), I want to interact with other people’s posts, by liking and sharing them, so that I can connect with my friends.
  • As Javier (Customer), I want a personal profile page, so that I can link my other social media accounts, as well as my blog.

Analytics Dashboard:

  • As Steve (Restaurant Owner), I want a daily record of what was ordered, so that I can easily cross-reference with my physical inventory.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to see how often my restaurant appears in various searches, so that I can see what sets me apart from my competitors.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to see the demographics of the people that order from my restaurant, so that I can hone in on my target audience.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to see how often my various menu items are ordered, so that I can decide where to expand and where to cut back.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to see a distribution of when (time/date) my orders come in, so that I can choose effective promotional periods.
  • As Diane (Restaurant Owner), I want to see how customers are interacting with posts about my restaurant, so that I can directly see what they generally like and dislike.

Other:

  • As Javier (Customer), I want a website that has a fully-featured and intuitive mobile interface, so that I can easily access it on-the-go