Evelyne Lee

ALEA & Co.

January 2025 – April 2025

ALEA & Co.

A mobile app that helps students find the best dining options near campus by providing real-time wait times, queue management, occupancy insights, and quick access to restaurant ordering platforms.

Interactive Prototype

Process

The goal of this project was to help students make faster and more informed dining decisions between classes by providing information about nearby restaurants, wait times, queue status, popular menu items, and ordering options. We wanted to reduce the uncertainty students often experience when deciding where to eat, especially when they have limited time between commitments.
The goal of this project was to help students make faster and more informed dining decisions between classes by providing information about nearby restaurants, wait times, queue status, popular menu items, and ordering options. We wanted to reduce the uncertainty students often experience when deciding where to eat, especially when they have limited time between commitments.
Once the initial prototype was completed, we conducted think-aloud usability testing sessions. Participants were asked to complete realistic tasks while verbalizing their thoughts, expectations, and decision-making processes. Observing users interact with the prototype helped us identify areas where the interface did not match their expectations and revealed opportunities for improvement.
Once the initial prototype was completed, we conducted think-aloud usability testing sessions. Participants were asked to complete realistic tasks while verbalizing their thoughts, expectations, and decision-making processes. Observing users interact with the prototype helped us identify areas where the interface did not match their expectations and revealed opportunities for improvement.
Through multiple rounds of testing and refinement, the final prototype evolved into a more intuitive and user-centered experience. Each design decision was informed by direct user feedback, allowing us to improve readability, clarify information architecture, strengthen action discoverability, and create more meaningful interactions. This iterative process reinforced the importance of validating design assumptions through testing and demonstrated how small usability improvements can significantly enhance the overall user experience.
Through multiple rounds of testing and refinement, the final prototype evolved into a more intuitive and user-centered experience. Each design decision was informed by direct user feedback, allowing us to improve readability, clarify information architecture, strengthen action discoverability, and create more meaningful interactions. This iterative process reinforced the importance of validating design assumptions through testing and demonstrated how small usability improvements can significantly enhance the overall user experience.