Chit
“Easily Create Beautiful Ordering Apps that Integrate with Square.”
The Problem
Pre-ordering via mobile app has exploded in popularity, but designing a platform to facilitate online ordering can be costly and onerous for small businesses.
The Problem Statement
Customers expect the option to streamline their cafe experience by pre-ordering via mobile app, but implementing this service is expensive and complicated for small business owners with limited resources
The Solution
Chit, a mobile app revolutionizing the way cafes and small businesses operate. With Chit, businesses can effortlessly create their own unique, individually-branded mobile app using a simple, templated interface. This platform not only streamlines mobile orders for cafes and coffee shops but also empowers small business owners with an easy-to-use, customizable interface, enabling them to offer services on par with large-scale competitors.
UX Hypthoesis
We believe that we can alleviate these challenges by creating a customizable ordering platform that uses simple templates to allow small businesses to offer a mobile ordering platform without developing proprietary software.
“I need something that’s simple enough that anyone can use it, even if they aren’t great with social media, but that still streamlines the ordering process.”
-Research participant (Bakery Owner)
Concept
Both the Merchant and the Customer need to have simplicity yet a streamlined experience, ease of use, and no hidden fees.
Merchant
Highly-customizable options that showcase their brand despite using third-party software.
Customer
Simple mobile ordering platform that allows payment information to be saved and the ability to favorite menu items.
Pains
Missed opportunities for sales because of long wait times.
Wants to offer mobile ordering but unsure of where to start and worries it will create more problems than solutions.
Doesn’t want to pay a large amount for an app.
Isn’t sure about how an app will integrate with systems already in place.
Long wait times.
Complicated user interface.
Gains
Opportunity to compete with large chains.
Lower cost and requires less work than building out proprietary software.
Opportunity to increase sales by streamlining guest experience.
Goals
Streamline morning routine.
Spend less time commuting.
Support local businesses.
Save preference for future orders.
Value Proposition
Chit is a mobile app for cafes and coffee drinks to manage mobile orders conveniently and seamlessly. It offers a streamlined experience for customers and an easy-to-use, customizable interface for business owners that allows them to offer services on par with large-scale competitors.
Ideation
Our focus was on keeping our merchant-facing interface simple while also offering a high degree of customizability that would allow small business to showcase their individual brand.
For customers we also prioritized simplicity and convenience by allowing users to save custom preferences that saves them time during the ordering and checkout process.
Design & Iterate
We developed a style guide for our brand that felt energizing and fresh but also clean and professional.
We applied this to our site home and merchant-interface while still allowing customer-facing app to reflect the style and brand of the merchant.
User Testing
After a series of qualitative tests and iterations on our design, we conducted A/B testing. The goal of these tests was to determine that the merchant's "app builder" experience was simple and intuitive.
Ultimately we found that the customization process could be perceived as overwhelming and that scaling back the number of available menu templates significantly improved the user experience for merchants.
Future Opportunities
The highest priority for future iterations would be to allow for a wider range of integrations beyond Square. A more diverse offering would allow Chit to reach a wider audience.
There is potential to expand outside of coffee shops and bakeries to restaurants in general that may want to offer takeout without the additional fees that come with existing apps like Doordash or Uber Eats. Fortunately, the simplicity of our design would allow for this expansion relatively easy by only slightly modifying the builder experience and available templates.
