Bite App Main

Bite - Dining Made Social and Simple


My Role

Product Designer

Responsibilities

UX Research
Design Thinking
Wireframing
Prototyping

Timeline

1 month

Tools Used

Figma
Figjam
Notion

BACKGROUND

The Inspiration behind Bite


Inspired by QR code dining culture in China, Bite reimagines the restaurant experience by blending social discovery with seamless ordering. Instead of endless reviews from strangers, users share bite-sized dish recs and photos with friends—helping each other decide what to eat, not just where.

Scan a QR code at partner restaurants to instantly access the menu, place an order, and earn rewards—all without disrupting existing POS systems. Bite also highlights trending dishes and spots using real-time social data, making dining out more fun, personal, and rewarding.

Bite transforms eating out into a connected, curated experience—driven by taste, tech, and the people you trust.

PROBLEM

Understanding the problem that Bite addresses


How can we create a social dining platform that makes restaurant discovery more personal, engaging, and community-driven?

Bite reimagines how we eat out by turning meals into social moments, a QR-powered dining culture I experienced abroad. With Bite, users discover dishes through their friends' photos and bite-sized reviews, order instantly via QR code, and unlock loyalty rewards—making dining out feel effortless, connected, and fun.

The Process


1
Research
Identifying Problems
Competitor Analysis
User Interviews
2
Synthesis
User Personas
3
Ideation
User Flow
Low Fidelity
Style Guide
4
Final Designs
Final Prototype
5
Reflection
Conclusion
Next Steps

RESEARCH

Competitor Analysis


To guide Bite's development, I began with a competitive analysis of four platforms—Sharp, InstaLaCarte, Clover, and Restolabs—to identify gaps in visual design, social features, POS integration, and accessibility. This revealed the need for a lightweight, socially-driven solution that works with existing restaurant systems.

Competitor Analysis Table

RESEARCH

Identifying Problems


I then conducted user interviews with over 50 frequent diners to uncover behaviors and pain points.

  1. QR Menus Are Widely Used–but Inconsistently Designed
    • 93% of participants have used QR codes to view menus or place orders.
    • Users praised convenience but often reported poor experiences with clunky PDFs, slow load times, or non-interactive menus.
  2. Ordering Without Staff is Preferred, When Done Right
    • 82% prefer ordering through their phone over waiting for a server.
    • Users appreciate the speed and autonomy but emphasize frustration with inconsistent systems and payment flows.
  3. Photos & Peer Recommendations Drive Decisions
    • 76% rely on photos and personal recommendations (from friends or staff) to decide what to order.
    • Trust in anonymous reviews is low—users want suggestions from people they know or trust.
  4. Loyalty & Rewards Are Strong Motivators
    • 68% would download a restaurant-related app if it offered loyalty rewards or perks.
    • Users mentioned rewards, discounts, and personalized recommendations as key drivers for retention and app adoption.

Pain Points (Quotes derived from participants):

  • "Some QR menus are just outdated PDFs—it doesn't feel modern."
  • "If it looks good on Instagram or someone I follow likes it, I'll check it out."
  • "If I earn points across multiple places, I'd definitely use it."
  • "I always ask friends or look for real photos–reviews from strangers don't mean much."

SYNTHESIS

User Personas


Based on insights gathered from user interviews, I developed a user persona represent the app's core users: socially driven, convenience-seeking college students who dine out frequently with friends. Their goals and frustrations shaped key features in Bite, including the need for a unified QR code system, visible dish reviews, and cross-restaurant loyalty rewards.

User Persona Tiffany Tran

IDEATION

User Flow


Building on the insights from user interviews and the synthesis of our research, I mapped out a user flow to visualize the key journeys Bite users may take as they explore the app. This flow highlights the main decision points and actions, from onboarding and scanning QR codes to discovering restaurants, reading reviews, and redeeming rewards—capturing the essential scenarios that shape the Bite experience.

Bite User Flow

IDEATION

Sketching


To begin the design process, I created lo-fi wireframes to map out core user flows and test layout ideas quickly. These sketches focus on structuring key features like the Discover feed, Rewards page, and QR ordering interface, allowing for rapid iteration and feedback before moving to digital wireframes.

Bite Sketching Wireframes

IDEATION

Lo-Fi Wireframes


After sketching, I translated the concepts into digital lo-fi wireframes. These wireframes further define the app's structure and user flows, focusing on usability and layout for features such as onboarding, login, home, rewards, and cart. This step ensures the experience is intuitive before moving to high-fidelity design.

Bite Lo-Fi Wireframes

IDEATION

Style Guide


Bite Style Guide

FINAL DESIGNS

Introducing Bite!


Bite's Home Screen

With a single glance, your home feed brings you right up to speed—see the latest restaurant reviews and moments from friends, ready to like, comment, or share in just a tap. Discover featured spots nearby, add favorites, and filter by what your circle recommends. Want to explore more? Hit "See All" to browse every restaurant, making it effortless to find your next meal, together.

Menu's Tailored to the Restaurant

Bite's menu adapts to each restaurant's unique offerings—browse categories, discover best-sellers, and see friends' reviews on every dish to help you decide. Customize your order with ease—no need to explain modifications to waiters, just send your preferences directly to the kitchen. Plus, with language support, menus can switch to Chinese and other languages, adapting to multiple audiences that restaurants target, making dining accessible and personal.

Endless Rewards for Scanning

Earn points every time you scan and order, unlock exclusive rewards, and take on fun challenges with friends. Bite's rewards system is designed to keep you coming back for more delicious experiences. Partner restaurants offer frequent users the chance to earn points towards free appetizers or dishes, creating a compelling incentive to return and build loyalty with your favorite spots.

Your Posts, Favorites, and History, All Together

Personalize your dining journey by tracking favorite restaurants, revisiting where you've dined, and curating your posts—all seamlessly organized. Dive into your past order history and share authentic reviews and photos. Bite's innovative approach transforms every meal into a personalized experience, making it effortless to rediscover your best moments and inspire friends with your culinary adventures.

See What Your Friends Are Up To

Stay connected with your friends' dining adventures in one unified feed. View all their posts, engage with their content through likes and comments, and message them directly about their recommendations. Discover nearby restaurants your friends love through an interactive map, making it effortless to plan your next meal together.

Bite's Home Screen

With a single glance, your home feed brings you right up to speed—see the latest restaurant reviews and moments from friends, ready to like, comment, or share in just a tap. Discover featured spots nearby, add favorites, and filter by what your circle recommends. Want to explore more? Hit "See All" to browse every restaurant, making it effortless to find your next meal, together.

Menu's Tailored to the Restaurant

Bite's menu adapts to each restaurant's unique offerings—browse categories, discover best-sellers, and see friends' reviews on every dish to help you decide. Customize your order with ease—no need to explain modifications to waiters, just send your preferences directly to the kitchen. Plus, with language support, menus can switch to Chinese and other languages, adapting to multiple audiences that restaurants target, making dining accessible and personal.

Endless Rewards for Scanning

Earn points every time you scan and order, unlock exclusive rewards, and take on fun challenges with friends. Bite's rewards system is designed to keep you coming back for more delicious experiences. Partner restaurants offer frequent users the chance to earn points towards free appetizers or dishes, creating a compelling incentive to return and build loyalty with your favorite spots.

Your Posts, Favorites, and History, All Together

Personalize your dining journey by tracking favorite restaurants, revisiting where you've dined, and curating your posts—all seamlessly organized. Dive into your past order history and share authentic reviews and photos. Bite's innovative approach transforms every meal into a personalized experience, making it effortless to rediscover your best moments and inspire friends with your culinary adventures.

See What Your Friends Are Up To

Stay connected with your friends' dining adventures in one unified feed. View all their posts, engage with their content through likes and comments, and message them directly about their recommendations. Discover nearby restaurants your friends love through an interactive map, making it effortless to plan your next meal together.

REFLECTION

Conclusion


Diving into the Bite project was both a challenge and a joy—especially as someone with a genuine passion for food and the experiences it creates. Designing for a social dining audience let me blend my love for food with my drive to solve real problems, pushing me to think beyond features and focus on real connections and seamless experiences. Navigating the end-to-end design process—from research and ideation to final prototypes—was not only rewarding, but also deeply personal, as I considered how I could help improve the food industry for others who share my enthusiasm. I find fulfillment in building a personal connection to my work, sharing my process openly, and ensuring that empathy—not bias—guides every decision. This journey has strengthened my commitment to meaningful, user-centered product design and to fostering genuine connections between people and the products they use.

REFLECTION

Next Steps


As Bite evolves, the next steps are clear:

  1. Develop a full-featured mobile app using React.js and SwiftUI, giving registered users access to loyalty programs, personalized rewards, and social features—while maintaining a seamless web experience for quick, app-free ordering via QR code.
  2. Enhance backend reliability and scalability by refining our Django and PostgreSQL infrastructure, ensuring smooth order processing, real-time updates, and secure payments across all partner restaurants.
  3. Continue user testing and feedback cycles to validate new features, improve usability, and ensure Bite delivers value to both diners and restaurant partners.

By balancing convenience with deeper engagement, Bite aims to set a new standard for social dining—making every meal more rewarding, connected, and effortless.