TableFlash
Time
June - Dec 2020
My role
Founding product designer
Team
Founders
1 Product Manager
2 Developer
Marketing Interns
Keywords
0-1 product
Team of one
Web app design
The 2020 pandemic forced many small restaurants to go digital or face closure. TableFlash responded with solutions like QR code ordering, delivery/pickup tools, and marketing features to support these businesses.
As the first designer at TableFlash, I worked closely with the founders to develop these features, helping restaurants increase orders and stay connected with their customers.
Updates- TableFlash closed its doors in 2024.
Background
Traditional restaurants struggled with digital presence and order management, leading to operational inefficiencies and missed business opportunities. During COVID-19, these challenges became more critical, requiring a solution that could handle multiple ordering channels while maintaining a strong customer connection.
Product vision
Key pain points
01/
Restaurants could only handle one phone order at a time due to understaffing.
02/
Restaurants were lack of digital presence limited customer reach and engagement.
03/
Users felt lost browsing because of option overload.
04/
Users gave up on orders when the steps became confusing.
Solutions
Impact
Process
Kick off
The "people" we designed for.
During our onboarding meeting, the leadership team and I had a candid discussion that really set the tone for the project.
Many small Asian restaurants struggled to adapt in a digital-first world, especially as food delivery became the new norm. Then came the 2020 pandemic. Short-staffed and unable to serve dine-in customers.
TableFlash saw this as an opportunity to help change the situation and support these restaurants in continuing preserving the communities and keeping familiar food accessible.
As the first designer at TableFlash, I was tasked with helping these businesses adapt—quickly and effectively. Founders' idea was a QR-code-powered “Order to Go” system that would allow diners to scan a code, place takeout orders, and pick them up without calling restaurants or interacting face to face.
But before jumping into design, we needed to deeply understand the people we were designing for.
Discover
Research that led the way!
To better understand the real challenges these restaurants faced, I joined the PM on visits to small, local restaurants. We observed and spoke with owners and staff to learn:
How they were currently handling takeout orders?
Where the stress points were?
What their ideal experience would look like—for them and for their customers?
We also told with a few customers to understand:
Their comfort level with digital tools?
Frustrations around waiting or calling in orders?
Expectations for a smooth order to pickup experience?
Options in the exploring process are overwhelming.
Special offers are a great way to attract attention.
Users want simplicity and order tracking for pickup orders.
Define
Mapping the path forward.
To better understand the customer side, I mapped out a mobile ordering flow based on insights from user interviews. This helped visualize how people choose what to eat, what they expect from the experience, and where friction shows up.
I also created a persona to capture common behaviors, needs, and frustrations, which helped the team stay aligned around real user goals throughout design discussions and decisions.
Define
From insights to intentional action.
With all the user insights and flow analysis in hand, it was time to translate them into action. But this wasn’t just about users—it was also about business. TableFlash is a growing startup, and to succeed, we had to serve 3 sides: the customers who order, the restaurants who serve, and the business itself.
So I aligned what users needed with what the business needed to grow. That led me to four focused design goals:
These goals became our north star as we kicked off our first product sprints—each one building toward a better experience and a stronger business.
These goals became our north star as we kicked off our first product sprints—each one building toward a better experience and a stronger business.
Sprints
Building with purposes.
As an early-stage startup, we faced a classic chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants wanted to see users before they signed up. Users needed working features to try the product.
To break the loop, we structured our work into three focused sprints—each one tackling the next most pressing challenge for growth and usability:
1st Sprint - Streamline Operations
Build the essential product to prove value and get users on board. Restaurants needed proof of user traction. We needed to lower the barrier for customers to start using TableFlash immediately.
2nd Sprint - Reimagine App Experience
Make the experience feel natural and efficient, as our research showed users were dropping off due to too many choices and unclear flows.
3rd Sprint - Drive Orders & Build Loyalty
To boost orders and customer engagement, I designed a few marketing and reward features to help restaurants build long-term relationships with customers.
Reflection
Lessons from a founding designer.
💡 User flow charts
These are essential for identifying key issues, especially when a product offers complex services and multiple options
🤝️ Communicating with leadership
As a solo designer, balancing the design needs with business goals can be challenging. But when you clearly define the needs of both users and business partners, and explain why you’re building a product, it becomes much easier to gain buy-in.
This has been my first experience as a solo and founding designer. While I’ve taken on many roles outside the traditional product or UX/UI scope, this has taught me a lot about how a business operates. I believe this experience has shaped me into a designer who can bridge the gap between users and business strategies effectively.
