KRISTINA ZMAIC

OpenTable

Enhancing How Users Discover and Book Restaurants on OpenTable

OpenTable, a restaurant booking app, faced a challenge in increasing booking rate conversions among existing users. Their hypothesis: enabling users to connect with friends and view their restaurant reviews will boost booking rates and improve app engagement.

Role:

I worked on this project as a lead designer 
and product manager.

Main areas of responsibility:
- Management (sprint planning and weekly reviews)
- UX analysis (flows and persona)
- Design (apps and branding)
- Lo-fi prototyping (basic flow and interactions).

SUMMARY

Problem

OpenTable saw a decrease in existing users using the app to make reservations. Their hypothesis: enabling users to connect with friends and view their restaurant reviews will boost booking rates and improve app engagement.

Note OpenTable partnerships:

• integrations with Google Maps

• a plugin with Squarespace specifically for restaurant sites

• ** This may contribute to this decrease. Worth looking into the data (which I did not have access to).

Solution

OpenTable faces a challenge in increasing booking rate conversions among existing users. Their hypothesis is that enabling users to connect with friends and view their restaurant reviews will boost booking rates and improve app engagement.

Results

• Here

• Here

• Here

Simple User Persona

While OpenTable, operates in more than 20 countries,

• 89.79% of its traffic from U.S. users.

• OpenTable's presence is particularly strong in major metropolitan areas with vibrant dining scenes, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. This suggests that young professionals in urban areas are among the most active users of the OpenTable app*

*Citation: SimilarWeb

Survey of Urban Diners

Insights:

What do I want to know"?
1. Do you make reservations for restaurants, if so how often?

Question: Most important factors when booking a restaurant (prioritize by #) Example, let’s say we were going to grab dinner for next Friday, what would your steps be?

• What’s most important to you?
• Ratings?
• Location?
• Price?
• Time?
• Food type (dietary restrictions)

3. Do you have any restaurant booking apps downloaded?
• OpenTable
• Resy
• Google Maps
• Apple Maps
• Other
• None

What are the most important features in Booking Apps (list your top 3)

• #1 "Wide variety of options"

• #2 "Ease of use"/”personalized recommendations” came in as almost an equal second.

• #3 “Location”

Could be interesting in the future:

• “Availability alerts”: being notified when their restaurant of choice has a cancelation, so they can book there and easily cancel their previous reservation.

• “Personalized Recommendations": Prime way to test an AI feature based on a user’s previous rating & booking.

Insights from Users

• “I use Google to find great restaurants near train lines that are convenient for me and my friends and I book through Google Maps.”

• “I love using The Infatuation to find my favorite new spots. They link directly to the website to make reservations.”

• “I wish there were better alerts to let me know if my choice of restaurant became available so I could book and cancel the other easily.”

Quick Look at Trustpilot

Trustpilot brought up quite a few things that were frustrating to users, leaving it with 185 reviews and 1.5 stars. Here’s a few common patterns that came up:

Usability Audit

My teammate and I explored most of the app to understand its UI/UX patterns. Our usability test uncovered user challenges and highlighted features and UI patterns that would be helpful in our design process.

AUDIT LEARNINGS

Usability Audit

After conducting usability tests, we identified some challenges users face when using the app, as well as some standout features that they appreciate.

Wow Moments:

• Here

• Here

• Here

Pain-Points:

• Here

• Here

• Here

IDEATION & STRATEGY

Outline how you approached the problem.

• Brainstorming: Use design principles like accessibility, clarity, and engagement.

• Low-Fidelity Concepts: Sketches or wireframes.

• Collaborations: Team dynamics or brainstorming processes.

Example solutions:

A streamlined reservation flow with fewer steps.

DESIGN EXECUTION

Detail your design process and outcomes.

• High-Fidelity Designs: Showcase screenshots or prototypes.

• Features:

  • Simplified booking interface.

  • Filters for dietary preferences or group size.

  • Accessibility improvements like voice commands or color contrast.

TESTING & ITERATIONS

6. Testing & Iterations

Explain how you validated and refined your design.

Testing Methods: A/B testing, user feedback, usability studies.

Results:

E.g., Reservation completion rate increased by 15%.

Users rated the new design as 4.7/5 for usability.

RESULTS & OUTCOMES

Outcome

Share the impact of your work.

Metrics: Conversion rates, retention, or NPS improvements.

Qualitative Feedback: Quotes from users or stakeholders.

Visuals: Before-and-after comparisons, journey maps, or dashboards.

KEY LEARNINGS & NEXT STEPS

Challenges: E.g., navigating competing stakeholder priorities.

1. Successes: E.g., improving user engagement with minimal development resources.

2. Future Opportunities: Suggestions for ongoing enhancements, such as AI-driven recommendations or social features.