UX Design
Night Life
Read Length: 8 Minutes
2021
Problem
The LitCheck app eliminates the indecision one would experience when trying to find the right venue to go to for a night out, but it also aims to cuts down on needless wait times by allowing users to order drinks/food from the app.
How do we bridge the gap between ordering from the app and the business receiving that order?
Solution
Create and provide an ordering system that will receive orders from the LitCheck app. The ordering system will act as an extension of the LitCheck app for users who want to place mobile orders and venues that want to streamline the ordering process and allow users to avoid waiting around the bar.
Research
• Gather insights on current POS Systems to understand and establish information architecture and user flow for the product.
• Conduct user interviews in order to create user personas.
• Create a prototype and execute a usability tests, collecting data and fine tuning features on the ordering system.
User Persona
Usability Test 1
Created low fidelity prototype with fully functioning features in order to test the information architecture and strength of features.
Collected data from usability testing to improve overall design and layout of product.
What We Found
• Reducing the amount of information users see will ease navigation.
• Active status of orders should also be displayed in the dashboard.
• Apply laws of ux to high fidelity prototypes for easier usability and efficiency.
Millers Law
States that the average human can hold 7±2 items in their working memory.
This means people typically manage 5 to 9 pieces of information at once.
Chunking is the process of grouping related items together into “chunks”.
This makes it easier to remember larger amounts of information. Use chunking to simplify information on interfaces (e.g., menus, forms).
Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
Reduces cognitive load and improves the user experience!
Where Millers Law is Applied
Since ordering systems are information heavy I kept the amount of information to 9 categories when it came to order criteria.
The menu sidebar navigation groups features into 6 clear sections
Daily order statistics grouped into 4 clear sections
Hicks Law
Hick’s Law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices available. More options = more decision time therefor simpler menus = faster decisions
How and Where I applied Hicks Law on the Dashboard:
• Kept choices minimal and relevant
• Used clear grouping and hierarchy
• Prioritized essential information
Clear Menu Grouping
• 6 main menu options in the sidebar: Orders, Dashboard, Menu, Rewards, Analytics, Settings
• These limit user choice and reduce decision time when navigating
Visual Hierarchy with Order Status
• Order statistics are grouped into 4 clear options: Pending, Processing, Completed, Cancelled
• The visual separation of these options helps users quickly choose which order status they want to focus on
Collapsed Data Sections
• Data is chunked into expandable sections (e.g., Order History, Analytics, Total Sales)
• Only 1–2 major options within each data block
• Users aren’t overwhelmed with too many choices at once
Consistent Layout for Faster Scanning
• Consistent visual cues (same colors, fonts, button shapes) reduce cognitive effort
• Users learn the layout faster, so decisions become quicker
Data Visualizations Reduce Choice Complexity
• Graphs and charts summarize complex data visually, rather than overwhelming users with text-based tables
• This simplifies the mental effort needed to interpret the data
Fitts Law
Fitts’ Law predicts that the time to acquire a target (like a button or icon) depends on: The distance to the target adn the size of the target.
• Bigger targets = faster to click
• Closer targets = faster to reach
• Good UI minimizes distance & makes interactive elements bigger/easier to hit
How Both UI’s Apply Fitts’ Law
Sidebar Menu
• Large clickable targets (icons + text) in the sidebar menu
• Easy to reach because they’re grouped in a vertical stack
• Positioned on the left edge of the screen, where users naturally start scanning
Action Buttons (Accept, Cancel)
• In the Order Summary UI, Accept and Cancel buttons are:
• Big and easy to tap
• Close to the content they relate to (orders)
• Clearly color-coded (blue for Accept, red for Cancel)
Order Status Boxes (Dashboard)
• Large status indicators (Pending, Processing, Completed, Cancelled)
• Spaced and sized for quick scanning and easy clicking
• Users can quickly jump to key data points without long pointer travel
Expand/Collapse Buttons
• The Expand buttons for sections like Order History and Analytics are:
• Larger in size than typical links
• Placed close to the content they affect
Data Visualizations
• Visual graphs are designed to be large enough to be easily read/clicked
• Interactive segments (like data points) have ample size and spacing
By adhering to Fitts’ Law principles:
• Users can quickly and confidently click important UI elements
• The interfaces reduce errors and improve task speed
• They feel intuitive and easy to use
Usability Test 2
Recruited 20 participants to take part in the usability test and compared findings to our prior usability test.
• By incorporating Millers Law user memory recall for orders improved by 32%
• By incorporating Fitts and Hicks law we were able to reduce the amount of time it took for users to execute a function by 4.3 seconds on average.
• 7 users made unprompted positive comments about the look, feel, and responsiveness of the OS.
Style Guide
Features
Orders
Dashboard
The Dashboard is the central control hub, offering key performance indicators (KPIs) like order statuses, order history, most and least popular items, analytics, sales and total revenue. Graphs and charts help visualize sales performance and user activity over time, while the summary panels break down order volume and customer engagement trends. This feature enables data-driven decision-making with at-a-glance business insights.
Menu
The Menu section serves as the digital inventory manager for all food and beverage items. Admins can add, edit, and categorize items efficiently. Each item is displayed with its name, price, category, availability status, and associated modifiers, ensuring the menu stays organized and up-to-date. This structured layout supports both quick updates and granular control over offerings.
Rewards
The Rewards section facilitates loyalty program management, tracking items that can be redeemed for user rewards from LitCheck. It shows a list of items that are eligible to be traded in for user rewards. Admins can edit rewards, activate or deactivate programs, and view expiration dates, making customer engagement seamless and rewarding.
Analytics
The Analytics page delivers a visual breakdown of customer preferences and sales trends. It includes graphs showing the least and most popular menu items, key sales trends over time, and metrics like average sales and total sales. Pie charts and bar graphs make it easy to digest complex data, helping businesses optimize offerings and marketing strategies.
Settings
Settings allow for customization of the app’s functionality and user permissions. Admins can manage user roles, features, notification preferences, location settings, and default configurations.
Conclusion
Through a research-driven and iterative design process, I transformed the LitCheck Business OS into a streamlined, user-centric dashboard system that meets the operational needs of restaurant managers and staff. The final solution enhanced usability by reducing cognitive load, improving visual hierarchy, and organizing information architecture into clear, modular components.
Key improvements include:
• User Task Flow was reduced by 4.3 seconds on average
• 50% reduction in task completion time for order management through a consolidated Order Summary panel and a more intuitive tab structure.
• Increased user engagement with analytics and rewards tracking by implementing easily scannable data visualizations and cleaner labeling systems.
• Improved navigability by grouping related features (Navigation bar, overall layout of the UI for each page), which enhances orientation and reduces user friction.
• User memory recall on orders improved by 32% thanks to Millers Law.
• Accessibility enhancements, such as increased color contrast and larger tap targets, ensure that key actions are visible and actionable on all devices.
By focusing on real user pain points and applying design best practices, the LitCheck Business OS is now positioned as a powerful digital tool that empowers staff to make faster, smarter decisions—resulting in smoother operations, better customer service, and measurable business growth.
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