I conducted an initial UX audit of the existing UCLA mobile app, examining its navigation, food discovery, ordering, and pickup experience. I identified several areas where the app could better support students, particularly those ordering between classes or during limited breaks.

My initial observations revealed three key areas for improvement: discoverability, pickup uncertainty, and menu transparency.

These findings helped me identify opportunities to improve the existing experience without introducing an entirely new platform.

I used a semi-structured interview approach, asking students about their campus dining habits, experiences with the UCLA mobile ordering app, and challenges they encountered when placing or picking up orders.

1. 1

   On-Campus Interviews

   I approached 10 students on Bruin Walk and asked open-ended questions about their campus dining routines, mobile ordering habits, and familiarity with the UCLA app.

2. 2

   Pain Point Exploration

   I asked follow-up questions about students' experiences with food discovery, menu navigation, order tracking, and pickup. Their responses helped me explore frustrations, expectations, and areas where the existing app could be improved.

3. 3

   Synthesizing Insights

   After the interviews, I reviewed and grouped students' feedback to identify recurring pain points and common needs. These findings helped me inform the direction of my redesign and prioritize opportunities for improvement.

The UCLA Mobile Order App is designed for students who want to order food on campus conveniently, especially between classes, during short breaks, or while navigating a busy academic schedule.

The target user profile combines student demographics, campus dining behaviors, and the needs identified through the redesign's UX audit and interviews with 10 UCLA students on Bruin Walk.

Primary Target User

The Busy Bruin

UCLA Undergraduate Student

A student balancing classes, extracurriculars, and social activities who values convenient, reliable, and time-efficient campus dining.

Age range

18–24*

Primary device

Smartphone

Location

UCLA, Westwood

Key priority

Saving time

*Age range is a proposed persona assumption, not a verified statistic from the 10 interviews.

After identifying recurring pain points through my initial UX audit and student interviews, I translated the findings into potential design solutions. I prioritized features based on their relevance to the ordering experience, potential user impact, and feasibility within the scope of this independent redesign.

The goal was to address the most prominent friction points while maintaining the familiarity of UCLA's existing mobile app.

Prioritization Matrix

The interactive prototype below brings the redesigned UCLA Mobile Order experience to life. Tap through the home screen, search for food, browse nearby dining locations, open a meal detail, place an order, and track pickup — all in a self-contained demo built with the design system outlined below.

UCLAMobile Order

1

Active order · #4821

READY IN ~4 MIN

Epicuria at Ackerman

A Level · Counter 3

PreparingReady for pickup

Enter Ackerman from Bruin Walk, then go down one level.

Around you

Nearby dining

EAEpicuria at AckermanAckerman Union · A Level · 3 min walk~8 minpickupLVLu Valle CommonsDodd Hall courtyard · 6 min walk~12 minpickupSHThe Study at HedrickHedrick Hall · 1st floor · 9 min walkEstimate unavailablepickup

Quick reorder

Turkey caprese sandwichEpicuria · $12.50POKEPoke bowlLu Valle · $10.75

I mapped out a simplified end-to-end ordering journey to understand how students could move from opening the app to picking up their food. The flow emphasizes reducing unnecessary navigation, making key information easier to access, and providing clearer guidance throughout the experience.

To create a cohesive and intuitive mobile experience, I focused on establishing a consistent visual language across the redesigned screens. The design system supports readability, clear navigation, and recognizable interactions while maintaining a connection to UCLA's existing brand identity.

Through the redesign, I translated the initial UX audit and student interview findings into a more structured mobile ordering experience. The proposed solutions focus on reducing friction across the student journey, from discovering food to picking up an order.

While the redesign addresses several key friction points identified during the initial research, there are opportunities to further develop and validate the experience.