App Prototype (Progress)
With the wireframes as a foundation, the Foodie Quest app prototype is where things really start to come alive. One of the first things you’ll notice is color coming to the forefront. Against the app’s neutral black, white, and gray base, bright pops of color—especially the brand’s signature orange—highlight interactive components like buttons and filters, making it easy to see what’s clickable and drawing attention to key features.
Imagery is another central focus. Rather than perfectly curated restaurant profiles, the photos featured in the app come from real visitors. This gives a person-first perspective, showcasing authentic experiences instead of stylized marketing shots. The goal is for users to feel like they’re seeing the restaurant through the eyes of someone who has actually been there, creating a more personal and relatable experience.
While the visuals and branding are taking shape, interactivity is still being refined. There are several areas that need additional flows and pathways, such as creating journal entries, building custom lists, and enhancing the map and search interactions. Eventually, clicking on pins will reveal restaurant profiles, filters will expand into dropdown menus, and more nuanced flows will make navigation smooth and intuitive.
Some upcoming features in the pipeline include:
Homepage enhancements: Making it more dynamic and engaging for returning users.
Quest and reward pages: Tracking progress, unlocking badges, and highlighting rewards. These rewards could include discounts at restaurants users have visited or similar places, incentivizing exploration and making the “quest” experience more meaningful.
Settings and profile refinements: Allowing users to manage their experience and preferences with ease.
At this stage, the app prototype is about finalizing details and smoothing out interactions, turning the foundational wireframes into an interactive, visually engaging experience. Each component, from the pop of color to the authentic restaurant photos, is designed to create an approachable, fun, and user-focused app that encourages exploration and celebrates real food experiences.
Looking ahead to the final deliverables, I’m envisioning:
A fully realized app prototype that demonstrates the basic functionality and the user flow for navigating and using the app.
Mockups of key screens and pages to show the visual design and layout in more detail.
A capstone project page that ties everything together, including my research, design decisions, and reflections on the process.
These deliverables together will showcase the full journey of Foodie Quest, from initial concepts and wireframes to an interactive, user-centered prototype.
