It’s been a big year for food delivery startups in India. 31 startups have raised US$161.5 million in investment capital in what has been called a US$6 billion market.
But the space is fiercely competitive, so a good topic of lunch conversation (while eating your just delivered food) is: who will survive?
Here’s how I look at it as a UX designer:
Who is the user? Young working professionals in India’s urban hubs (e.g., Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad).
What is the user’s experience of the problem? I spent 2 weeks working with Bangalore’s young startup founders as Asia regional manager of Seedstars World, so I got to both directly experience and gather some anecdotal insight.
Source: The Times of Bengaluru
1. Walking to a restaurant is really not an option. On 98 percent of the city’s roads, there are no sidewalks.
2. Traffic is a gridlock anytime of the day. You can take a motorbike but you’re likely to return dusty and sweaty — not the best look for that post-lunch client meeting.
3. Value of efficiency: Given the immense friction in just getting around town, the young working population will pay for getting the basic things done quickly — ordering food, doing laundry, and getting home. On-demand apps are here to save the day.
In Bangalore it’s clear the on-demand food delivery startups are solving a real problem, so the difference is really in the “how.”
Out of curiosity, I put three of the hottest food delivery apps — TinyOwl, Swiggy, and Zomato Order — through a usability test based on three user scenarios:
Scenario #1: First-time user downloads app to make a lunch order
For a first-time user, the goal is to deliver an experience that gets the user to achieve his or her goal efficiently and smoothly. If successful, you’re setting yourself up for retaining the user. Here I looked for a clean, easy-to-use homepage that facilitates glanceability and scanability. Remember your user’s goal: She wants to eat ASAP.
Scenario #2: User is hungry for some biryani
Scenario #3: User isn’t sure what she wants to eat, but knows she wants
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
