From QR Code to Order

01. Research & Strategy

The starting point was a desk research combined with personal experience. The use of digital menus via QR Code grew significantly during the pandemic, and data from ABRASEL points to clear benefits: reduced operational costs, more detailed descriptions, and improved service efficiency.

But the question driving the project went further: if the QR Code already exists to show the menu, why stop there? The same code could allow direct orders, dish customization, and bill closing without depending on the waiter at every step.

02. Ideation & Design

With the problem mapped, I started with wireframes to define the structure before any visual decisions. The main flow covered four moments: creating a profile, browsing the menu, placing the order, and closing the bill.

The biggest design challenge was the bill closing screen. Each table can have a mix of individuals and shared dishes, and the final amount needs to be clear for each person. The solution was to create individual profiles and a table profile: each person pays for what they consumed alone, and shared dishes are automatically split by the number of people. The result is an organized, detailed, and dispute-free bill.

With the structure validated, I developed the high-fidelity prototype in Figma, with special attention to dish customization, which allows adding or removing ingredients and leaving comments such as "sauce on the side."

03. Testing & Iteration

Testing was done with friends, since the project was a course exercise and not a real product. The focus was on observing whether the ordering and bill closing flows were intuitive without any prior explanation.

The profile and bill splitting system, which was the most complex part of the project, raised no questions during testing. This confirmed that the solution found for the main problem worked in practice.

04. Final Solution

The prototype covers the full flow of a restaurant customer: from profile setup to ordering, from customization to closing the bill. Each step was designed to reduce dependence on the waiter without removing the human element from the experience.

The main takeaway was about invisible complexity. Splitting a bill seems simple, but it hides a series of possible combinations. Solving that clearly, without overloading the interface, was the most valuable exercise of the project.