Chatfood
ORDER
AT TABLE
Responsibility
Product Design Lead
Client
Chatfood
Team
5 Members
Year
2022
During the pandemic, restaurants needed a simple way for customers to order without physical menus or staff interaction. The goal was to create a contactless experience that felt natural, quick, and easy to use even for first-time users.
With Chatfood we designed a fast, intuitive ordering experience that helped restaurants operate safely while improving speed and customer confidence.
As Product Design Lead, I led the design of ChatFood’s Order at Table and Pick-Up experience, helping restaurants adapt to new ways of dining after the pandemic. Over eight months, I worked closely with a cross-functional team to take the product from research and early concepts through to final design and launch.
The focus was simple: make ordering fast, clear, and comfortable for everyone at the table. The solution launched across 200+ restaurants, reached an 89% adoption rate, and reduced average order time by 45%, improving both customer experience and restaurant operations.
Key Challenges
The pandemic accelerated the move to contactless dining, but speed alone wasn’t enough. Early research showed that 68% of diners felt uneasy using unfamiliar technology while eating out. Guests needed a safer way to order, without losing the social and relaxed feel of dining.
At the same time, restaurants had to reduce staff contact without slowing service. The challenge was to design an ordering experience that felt simple and familiar for all age groups, worked in busy environments, and stayed human rather than transactional.
My Role & Leadership Approach
Design Strategy
Set a clear design direction for the product and built the foundations needed to design consistently and move fast.
Stakeholder Management
Worked closely with the CEO and Head of Design, sharing clear updates and involving them at key decision points.
Process Definition
Introduced a flexible design process that avoided slow handovers and allowed the team to respond quickly to feedback.
User Research
Led interviews, usability testing, and data reviews to ensure decisions were grounded in real user behaviour.
Design Operations
Put simple systems in place — from design libraries to regular team check-ins — to improve quality, speed, and team alignment.
Design Process
In a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment, I introduced a practical design process that balanced speed with thoughtful, user-led decisions.
Discover
Ideate & Design
Test
Launch
Data Decisions
One of the most impactful decisions was introducing real-time order tracking with clear status updates. Research showed that diners weren’t anxious about ordering — they were unsure when their food would arrive.
By showing each stage of the order, from received to ready, we removed uncertainty and reduced the need for customers to flag staff. This improved the dining experience, increased confidence in the system, and helped drive higher adoption.
Key Design Decision:
Real-Time Order Tracking
![Looping-loader-morphing-into-button-[remix].gif](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02649d_5425ed1b25a943f58a159b14b0da2933~mv2.gif/v1/fill/w_400,h_400,al_c,pstr/Looping-loader-morphing-into-button-%5Bremix%5D_gif.gif)
![Banking-app-[remix].gif](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02649d_2a371e94b83c4d01a1f093195dd3c593~mv2.gif/v1/fill/w_800,h_600,al_c,pstr/Banking-app-%5Bremix%5D_gif.gif)
A Glimpse of the Vision
Impact & Results
Restaurants Onboarded
2,000+
Orders per Month
43K
Adoption Rate vs Traditional Ordering
40%
Average Feature Time-to-Market
2 Weeks
Key Learnings
Stakeholder Management is Design
Bringing the right people in at the right time was as important as the design itself.
Systems Thinking Enables Speed
Design systems and reusable components helped us move fast without compromising quality.
Constraints drives creativity
Limited resources pushed us to focus, simplify, and build smarter.
Analytics + Empathy= Impact
Pairing analytics with user research led to sharper insights and real impact.
Culture Drives Momentum
A strong, collaborative team culture made us faster, more resilient, and aligned.
Swisse Me
Drink Well, live bright
