First Watch
A unified ordering experience, crafted with the same care that goes into every dish.
First Watch is a national restaurant chain known for its signature menu and family-owned feel. Their food ethos is grounded in each season, with ingredients thoughtfully sourced to create fresh, delicious dishes every morning. That same care showed up everywhere, except in their digital experience.
I conducted an experience audit and designed high-fidelity UX wireframes for 10+ features that shaped the new digital experience.
Role
UX Research & Design
Year
2024-2025
Team
UX Design, UI Design, Product, Development
Objective, approach & outcome
Objective: Extend the restaurant experience into digital ordering
Separate white-labeled web and app platforms created a fragmented ordering journey that failed to capture the hospitality of the restaurant experience.
Approach: A collaborative process, from research to design
This engagement was highly collaborative from discovery through delivery. I partnered closely with my UX team to conduct an experience audit, followed by the design of high-fidelity wireframes and prototypes that aligned stakeholders around a shared vision.
Throughout the process, I collaborated with product and engineering to validate scope and feasibility and engaged the UI team early to ensure alignment on the experience's more complex interactions.
This approach created space to explore multiple concepts and adapt to evolving product requirements, while keeping user needs and the brand story at the center of every design decision.
Outcome: One brand, one experience
Online ordering and joining the waitlist both became significantly easier. Guests now recognize the brand the moment they start an order, can customize items as easily as they would in person, and can join the waitlist before they even arrive, making both the digital and in-restaurant experience smoother from end to end.
High-fidelity wireframes
The new waitlist feature simplified the dining experience, allowing guests to join the waitlist remotely and seamlessly check in upon arrival.
The product detail page redesign introduced a more logical ordering flow, while allowing guests to customize each dish with the same flexibility they have when ordering in restaurant.
The menu redesign created a more scannable, engaging browsing experience, bringing the brand’s values to life through clear seasonal offerings and detailed nutritional information.
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