Identifying good user experiences…

I did this activity as a part of the Google UX design professional Certificate, course 1: Foundations of User Experience (UX) design.

In this activity, we were presented with images of two pizza ordering apps on mobile phones and were asked to identify and explain the following:

1. Which features in each app demonstrate good user experience design
2. Which features in each app demonstrate poor user experience design

The images of the two pizza ordering apps are displayed below

Images of the browse screen from two different pizza ordering apps

We were also provided with a user story of Arjun, a hungry person who wants to order food quickly and wants to find a local delivery app with simple navigation and clearly labeled menu options so that he could find what he wants and order it without spending too much time the app.

Just by seeing images I was hurt and frustrated by looking at Chowhouse’s UI. I never imagined evaluating the usability, equability, enjoyability, and usefulnesses of Chowhouse’s UI.

I began by evaluating the usability of both the user interfaces by asking these questions to myself:

1. Is everything easy to find?
2. Is the design’s functionality easy to understand?
3. Can users accomplish specific tasks within the design?

The equitability of both the user interfaces was evaluated by asking the following questions to myself:

1. Are the needs of a diverse group of users considered?
2. Does the product’s design address the needs of traditionally underrepresented and excluded groups?

The enjoyability of both the user interfaces was evaluated by asking the following questions:

1. Does the design inspire delight in the user?
2. Does the design keep the user engaged throughout the experience?

And finally, the usefulness of the user interfaces was evaluated by answering the following questions:

1. Does the design add value to the user’s experience?
2. Does the design solve a problem for the user?
3. Does the design help the user achieve a specific goal?

Now let us discuss FoodieLand’s UI by answering the above questions:

FoodieLand’s user interface has components that can be easily located.

The user interface of FoodieLand contains a “+” (plus) icon which indicates the addition of the product into the cart.

The user ratings are also provided on the screen which helps users decide very quickly if the item is good or not.

The user interface has very smartly considered accessibility options for users with different needs. The user interface contains a speak aloud button which makes the design equitable for everyone.

The images of the product provide an enjoyable experience to the user. This design reflects what the user may be feeling or thinking and helps create a positive connection with them.

Another useful feature is the filter feature which helps the user narrow down down their search, this helps users easily locate what they are looking for.

Overall, FoodieLand has a good user experience and helps Arjun achieve his need of ordering his favorite pizza without having to spend much time on the app.

Now let us discuss the user interface of the Chowhouse screen.

The scattered products on the screen make it really difficult for users to find the desired product easily.

The understanding of how to order any product for example Cake worth $5, is unknown which makes the product not good in terms of usability.

The “Order it now” button is placed only under the Pizza 3 tab which confuses the user and causing irritation.

The needs of several groups have not been considered in terms of the font and the size of the images, there is no uniformity the images and the size of the font for prices or the products which can cause a user with reading disability problems and ultimately not ordering from this user interface and hence the user interface is not at all equitable.

When a user looks at the screen, he will be confused and will not be able to order anything because it's not visually aesthetic which makes the user experience not enjoyable.

Finally, the product is not useful because it is unable to solve the user problem of having simple navigation and spending little time ordering food on the app.

And hence, this User interface is an example of bad UX design.