Overview
SharedTable is a location-based social dining platform that connects food enthusiasts who want to share meals together. The app addresses the challenge of dining alone in new cities by creating a community-driven experience where users can discover restaurants, join existing table reservations, or create their own dining events for others to join.
My Role
- Lead Product Designer
- Responsible for research, strategy, design, and testing
The Challenge
Young professionals and newcomers to cities face a common dilemma: wanting to explore diverse culinary experiences while lacking dining companions who share their schedule or interests. Existing platforms focus on restaurant discovery or table reservations but fail to address the social connection aspect of dining experiences.
Research revealed several key scenarios where users struggle:
- New city residents lacking social connections for dining exploration
- Food enthusiasts whose friends have different culinary preferences
- Professionals with unpredictable schedules seeking impromptu dining companions
- Solo diners facing long wait times at popular restaurants that cater to larger parties
How might we leverage location data to connect diners interested in sharing tables at the same restaurants?
Key Solution
SharedTable bridges the gap between restaurant discovery and social networking by:
- Dual-view Discovery System - Toggle between post feeds and map visualization to find potential dining companions nearby
- Table Initiation & Joining - Simple flows for both creating shared tables and joining existing ones
- Pre-dining Social Vetting - Profile information and messaging to establish dietary compatibility before meeting
- Integrated Reservation Management - Handling table bookings once groups are formed
SharedTable's core features: nearby tables feed, map discovery, and join options.
Outcome & Impact
While SharedTable didn't ultimately launch as a commercial product, the concept validation and design system created significant value:
- User research confirmed a significant gap in the dining marketplace, with 78% of interview participants expressing strong interest in the concept and 65% willing to pay for premium features.
- User research insights on dining social behaviors were leveraged for a partnership with a locally owned restaurant group and reservation platform
- Prototype testing with 12 users in a controlled beta environment demonstrated a 72% completion rate for first-time table sharing arrangements and identified critical trust-building opportunities.
Restaurant details, table creation interface, and reservation confirmation screens demonstrating the end-to-end user journey.
Research
Discovery & Research
I conducted in-depth interviews with 15 participants across varied demographics, focusing on their dining habits, social preferences, and technology usage patterns. Key insights:
- Safety and compatibility were primary concerns when considering dining with strangers
- Users needed flexible timing options for both planned and spontaneous dining experiences
- Restaurant information quality and filtering capabilities were critical decision factors
- Users sought "low-pressure" social interactions centered around mutual interests
Competitive Analysis
I analyzed both direct competitors (dining apps) and indirect competitors (social connection platforms) to identify market gaps and opportunities:
POV STATEMENT
Young professionals seek dining companions to transform solitary meals into meaningful social connections in unfamiliar cities.
Design Process
Ideation & Concept Development
The design process involved several iterative phases:
- Information Architecture - Creating a user-centered site map addressing both browse and create workflows
- Persona Development - Two contrasting personas representing introvert and extrovert dining behaviors
- Visual Design System - Creating a warm, approachable interface balancing social trust and dining excitement
- User Flow Optimization - Refining the core flows based on user feedback:
- - Table joining flow reduced from 7 to 4 steps
- - Table creation flow with smart defaults for faster posting
User flow for discovering and joining shared tables, emphasizing trust and simplicity.
Table creation flow: restaurant search and discovery, selection, and party details screens.
Usability Testing & Iteration
I conducted moderated usability tests with 12 participants, focusing on:
- Discoverability of shared tables
- Ease of table creation and joining
- Perception of safety and compatibility features
- Overall navigation and information architecture
Key findings led to significant refinements in the messaging system and location permissions model.
Design System Development
Beyond the core product design, I created a comprehensive design system for SharedTable that included:
- Scalable component library for cross-platform consistency
- Geolocation-aware UI patterns adaptable to density variations
- Accessibility considerations for color contrast and touch targets
- Animation guidelines for transitions between map and list views
Consistent UI across discovery feed, reservation management, and notification interfaces.
Reflection & Next Steps
Key Insights
- Trust mechanisms are fundamental when designing for stranger interactions
- Contextual relevance of location data significantly impacts user engagement
- Balance between planed and spontaneity is crucial for social dining experiences
- Progressive disclosure of personal information creates better user comfort
Next Steps
If further developing this concept, I would prioritize:
- Implementing a tiered privacy model for location sharing
- Developing an AI-powered compatibility matching system based on dining preferences
- Creating a reputation system balancing accountability with inclusivity
- Exploring partnership opportunities with existing restaurant reservation platforms
The SharedTable project demonstrates my ability to identify untapped user needs at the intersection of dining and social connection, translate them into a coherent product vision, and execute through a systematic design process. While ultimately not launched, the research insights and design system continue to provide value across related products.
