Usaamah Kadery

Designer

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Usaamah Kadery

Designer

Home

Portfolio

About

Usaamah Kadery

Designer

Home

Portfolio

About

Usaamah Kadery

Designer

Desi Diner

Case Study (2022)


Project Duration

2 Months


Role

UX Designer Generalist. This is an independent project, where I practiced all components of UI/UX Design.



Problem Statement


Users struggle to experience South Asian cuisine properly, due to the rudimentary and insufficient designs of Desi cuisine websites the and the lack of affordable and efficient options available.





Goals

  • Facilitate in the American public’s desire of experiencing South Asian cuisine.

  • Provide an option for a nationwide restaurant of South Asian cuisine, with fast-food and fast-casual influence.






Context



The inspiration for this product stems from my identity as a South Asian individual. Growing up as man of Bengali descent, I’ve always been exposed to the delight of Desi culture and cuisine. Food from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has always been at the top of my tier list when it comes to “Favorite Meals”.

However, being in America, and surrounded by non-Desi individuals, I’ve come to realize the lack of exposure and availability for Desi cuisine. All my non-Desi friends have not tried Desi cuisine. Sure, there will always be a few small businesses serving Desi cuisine. But I’ve always desired a nationwide, ubiquitous option. A fast-casual, diner-esque product with pull and influence tantamount to Chilis or Chipotle. Hence, the concept for Desi Diner was born, which could be a product that millions of Americans could utilize as their foray into Desi cuisine and culture!






User Research



For the Desi Diner website, I conducted small-scale user research through surveys, interviews, and usability testing to gain a deeper understanding of the needs and preferences of potential users. I also created personas and user journey maps!

Going into the research, I assumed that the primary users of the website would be individuals already familiar with “Desi” cuisine. However, through my research, I discovered that there was also a significant segment of users who were unfamiliar with Desi cuisine, and were willing to foray into the new culture and try something new! As a Desi individual myself, this was a fantastic insight!

Additionally, I found that ease of use, a simplified menu, and intuitive design were key factors for all users, regardless of their reasons for using the website. Based on this research, I made adjustments to the website’s design and features to better meet the needs of our users and ensure a more positive user experience.






Pain Points



Lack of Familiarity with South Asian Cuisine

Users have a lack of familiarity with Desi cuisine. This could lead to confusion or uncertainty about what to order, and potentially deter some users from trying the restaurant.



Perceived Spice Levels of South Asian Cuisine

Many users may be hesitant to try spicy foods, and may assume that all South Asian dishes are very spicy, which could discourage them from trying Desi Diner.



Limited Vegan Options

Another pain point could be limited options for vegetarians and vegans. South Asian cuisine often includes meat as a key ingredient, which could make it difficult for vegetarians and vegans to find suitable options at Desi Diner.



Lack of Clarity on South Asian Ingredients:

Many users are not familiar with South Asian cuisine and may not know what ingredients are used or what flavors to expect. This can create confusion and hesitation when trying new dishes at Desi Diner.







Project Duration

2 Months


Role

UX Designer Generalist. This is an independent project, where I practiced all components of UI/UX Design.



Problem Statement


Users struggle to experience South Asian cuisine properly, due to the rudimentary and insufficient designs of Desi cuisine websites the and the lack of affordable and efficient options available.





Goals

  • Facilitate in the American public’s desire of experiencing South Asian cuisine.

  • Provide an option for a nationwide restaurant of South Asian cuisine, with fast-food and fast-casual influence.






Context



The inspiration for this product stems from my identity as a South Asian individual. Growing up as man of Bengali descent, I’ve always been exposed to the delight of Desi culture and cuisine. Food from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has always been at the top of my tier list when it comes to “Favorite Meals”.

However, being in America, and surrounded by non-Desi individuals, I’ve come to realize the lack of exposure and availability for Desi cuisine. All my non-Desi friends have not tried Desi cuisine. Sure, there will always be a few small businesses serving Desi cuisine. But I’ve always desired a nationwide, ubiquitous option. A fast-casual, diner-esque product with pull and influence tantamount to Chilis or Chipotle. Hence, the concept for Desi Diner was born, which could be a product that millions of Americans could utilize as their foray into Desi cuisine and culture!






User Research



For the Desi Diner website, I conducted small-scale user research through surveys, interviews, and usability testing to gain a deeper understanding of the needs and preferences of potential users. I also created personas and user journey maps!

Going into the research, I assumed that the primary users of the website would be individuals already familiar with “Desi” cuisine. However, through my research, I discovered that there was also a significant segment of users who were unfamiliar with Desi cuisine, and were willing to foray into the new culture and try something new! As a Desi individual myself, this was a fantastic insight!

Additionally, I found that ease of use, a simplified menu, and intuitive design were key factors for all users, regardless of their reasons for using the website. Based on this research, I made adjustments to the website’s design and features to better meet the needs of our users and ensure a more positive user experience.






Pain Points



Lack of Familiarity with South Asian Cuisine

Users have a lack of familiarity with Desi cuisine. This could lead to confusion or uncertainty about what to order, and potentially deter some users from trying the restaurant.



Perceived Spice Levels of South Asian Cuisine

Many users may be hesitant to try spicy foods, and may assume that all South Asian dishes are very spicy, which could discourage them from trying Desi Diner.



Limited Vegan Options

Another pain point could be limited options for vegetarians and vegans. South Asian cuisine often includes meat as a key ingredient, which could make it difficult for vegetarians and vegans to find suitable options at Desi Diner.



Lack of Clarity on South Asian Ingredients:

Many users are not familiar with South Asian cuisine and may not know what ingredients are used or what flavors to expect. This can create confusion and hesitation when trying new dishes at Desi Diner.







Project Duration

2 Months


Role

UX Designer Generalist. This is an independent project, where I practiced all components of UI/UX Design.



Problem Statement


Users struggle to experience South Asian cuisine properly, due to the rudimentary and insufficient designs of Desi cuisine websites the and the lack of affordable and efficient options available.





Goals

  • Facilitate in the American public’s desire of experiencing South Asian cuisine.

  • Provide an option for a nationwide restaurant of South Asian cuisine, with fast-food and fast-casual influence.






Context



The inspiration for this product stems from my identity as a South Asian individual. Growing up as man of Bengali descent, I’ve always been exposed to the delight of Desi culture and cuisine. Food from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh has always been at the top of my tier list when it comes to “Favorite Meals”.

However, being in America, and surrounded by non-Desi individuals, I’ve come to realize the lack of exposure and availability for Desi cuisine. All my non-Desi friends have not tried Desi cuisine. Sure, there will always be a few small businesses serving Desi cuisine. But I’ve always desired a nationwide, ubiquitous option. A fast-casual, diner-esque product with pull and influence tantamount to Chilis or Chipotle. Hence, the concept for Desi Diner was born, which could be a product that millions of Americans could utilize as their foray into Desi cuisine and culture!






User Research



For the Desi Diner website, I conducted small-scale user research through surveys, interviews, and usability testing to gain a deeper understanding of the needs and preferences of potential users. I also created personas and user journey maps!

Going into the research, I assumed that the primary users of the website would be individuals already familiar with “Desi” cuisine. However, through my research, I discovered that there was also a significant segment of users who were unfamiliar with Desi cuisine, and were willing to foray into the new culture and try something new! As a Desi individual myself, this was a fantastic insight!

Additionally, I found that ease of use, a simplified menu, and intuitive design were key factors for all users, regardless of their reasons for using the website. Based on this research, I made adjustments to the website’s design and features to better meet the needs of our users and ensure a more positive user experience.






Pain Points



Lack of Familiarity with South Asian Cuisine

Users have a lack of familiarity with Desi cuisine. This could lead to confusion or uncertainty about what to order, and potentially deter some users from trying the restaurant.



Perceived Spice Levels of South Asian Cuisine

Many users may be hesitant to try spicy foods, and may assume that all South Asian dishes are very spicy, which could discourage them from trying Desi Diner.



Limited Vegan Options

Another pain point could be limited options for vegetarians and vegans. South Asian cuisine often includes meat as a key ingredient, which could make it difficult for vegetarians and vegans to find suitable options at Desi Diner.



Lack of Clarity on South Asian Ingredients:

Many users are not familiar with South Asian cuisine and may not know what ingredients are used or what flavors to expect. This can create confusion and hesitation when trying new dishes at Desi Diner.








Impact & Takeaways



The Desi Diner website is designed to meet the needs of users who want to order seamlessly online for pickup or delivery, by utilizing a seamless and intuitive user interface with coherent navigation.
By creating a website that is user-friendly and intuitive, these users can easily order for pickup and delivery while also forming an attachment to the brand identity of Desi Diner.


This digital product meant a lot to me. As a South Asian myself, I’ve always treasured the cuisine of my culture and have wanted the world to also discover its wonders. However, a ubiquitous, national Desi food chain is nonexistent. Hence the concept of Desi Diner was born!

As a UX designer, it’s important to consider the unique needs and preferences of the product’s targeted users, while also ensuring accessibility.

In this case, the website’s primary users are Americans unfamiliar with South Asian cuisine, and foodies with an affinity for South Asian cuisine but are looking for a faster, quality option. By understanding their needs and designing the product with their preferences in mind, we can create a more effective and user-friendly product.

Ultimately, this project has taught me much about the UX Design process and how fun but challenging it can be, especially being a UX Generalist responsible for all components of UX Design.




Additional Variations



Vision OS Concept


The Apple Vision Pro entered the market early 2024, serving as Apple's entrance in the Virtual/Augmented Reality space. Although the Vision Pro — or it's operation system Vision OS — is in its infancy stage, I predict it will only grow from there.

The week of its release, I got my hands on one of these devices and played around with the interface. I was impressed with how intuitive and aesthetic Apple designed the UI; their focus on glassmorphism was most evident.

So just for fun and the learning experience, I designed a mockup of how a potential Desi Diner app would look as native VisionOS application.




Mobile Version


Since the bulk of this project was focused on the Desktop or Web version of this product, the mobile version was nonexistent. Which was why I designed a quick concept of how a native mobile app would look like, taking inspiration from the plethora of modern food delivery services in the market today, such as Doordash and Uber Eats.


Click here If you'd like to view an in-depth case study.