Overview
Almenu.io enables restaurants to create and manage digital menus via QR codes. It focuses on rapid updates, brand consistency, and lightweight analytics. The platform addresses the growing need for contactless dining experiences while providing restaurant owners with powerful tools to manage their menu offerings efficiently.
Problem Statement
Restaurants frequently change items and prices, especially during seasonal transitions or supply chain disruptions. Traditional paper menus are slow and costly to update, requiring reprinting and redistribution. Additionally, scanning experiences are often inconsistent across different QR code implementations, leading to customer frustration and abandoned orders. Many existing solutions are either too complex for small restaurant owners or lack the customization needed for brand consistency.
Design Process
- Research & Requirements
Conducted in-depth interviews with 15+ restaurant owners and staff across different establishment types (fast-casual, fine dining, cafes) to understand menu update frequency, device constraints, and staff workflows. Discovered that 78% of restaurants update prices monthly, while 45% change items weekly. Identified key pain points around staff training, customer confusion, and brand inconsistency.
- Information Architecture
Mapped complex relationships between menus, sections, items, variants, and modifiers. Designed intuitive flows for quick edits and one-tap publishing that don't require technical expertise. Created a hierarchical structure that supports multiple locations, seasonal menus, and time-based availability while maintaining simplicity for single-location restaurants.
- Design System
Built a comprehensive token-based design system covering typography scales, color palettes, spacing, and component libraries. Focused on accessibility with WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and mobile-first responsive patterns. Created reusable components for menu items, pricing displays, and customization options that maintain consistency across different restaurant brands.
- Prototyping & Testing
Developed interactive prototypes focusing on mobile-first experiences since 85% of QR code scans happen on mobile devices. Conducted usability testing with both restaurant staff (admin interface) and customers (menu viewing). Iterated on scannability, legibility under various lighting conditions, and minimized steps to publish updates. Tested with users having different technical comfort levels.
- Implementation & Handoff
Delivered comprehensive design specifications including component states, interaction patterns, and edge case handling. Collaborated closely with engineering on performance optimization for low-bandwidth scenarios and offline functionality. Created detailed documentation for customer support and established design QA processes for ongoing feature development.
Results
- Reduced menu update time from 15+ minutes to under 30 seconds with inline editing
- Achieved 95% customer satisfaction score for menu scanning and viewing experience
- Enabled consistent brand styling across digital menus with custom theme options
- Improved scan-to-first-content loading time to under 2 seconds on 3G connections
- Supported 500+ restaurants with zero downtime during peak dining hours
- Increased average order value by 12% through strategic item highlighting and upselling features