Gathering User Feedback for Foodie Quest
Understanding How People Discover and Remember New Places
One of the most important steps in developing Foodie Quest was hearing directly from the people it’s designed for. While my concept started from personal experience — the joy of discovering new restaurants and the frustration of forgetting where I’ve been — I wanted to confirm whether others shared the same problem. To do this, I conducted a survey aimed at understanding how people find new food spots, what motivates them to visit, and how they track or remember those experiences over time.
Who I Connected With
I connected with a broad range of participants representing different age groups, lifestyles, and dining habits. Many were urban professionals, students, and food enthusiasts who enjoy exploring their local food scene — whether that means brunching at a new café, trying international cuisine, or checking out the latest neighborhood pop-up.
Most participants were between 25–44 years old, aligning closely with the app’s primary audience: people who value experiences, variety, and discovery but often struggle to organize or recall their dining adventures later.
How I Reached Them
To reach a diverse audience beyond my immediate circle, I created an online survey and shared it on social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn, inviting not only my peers but also food bloggers, designers, and other community members to participate. This approach expanded the feedback pool, resulting in a wide range of responses from people across different cities and backgrounds.
The survey included a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions, encouraging participants to reflect on their own discovery habits and frustrations. Questions explored where they typically find new restaurants, how they decide where to go, and how they track their food experiences — or if they track them at all.
What I Asked
To gain more insight into the user experience around dining discovery, I focused on questions such as:
How do you currently find new places to eat?
How often do you go to new places per week or month?
What factors (menu, reviews, price, atmosphere) most influence your decisions?
Do you have a way of keeping track of places you’ve visited or want to visit?
Do you ever forget places you wanted to try?
How do you capture memories or experiences from visiting a new place?
These questions were designed to uncover both behavioral patterns and emotional motivations — what drives people to explore, and what causes them to lose track of experiences that matter to them.
What I Heard
The feedback confirmed that this is a common issue for many people. Several participants mentioned using multiple apps and platforms to save places — such as Instagram bookmarks, Google Maps lists, or Notes — but said that this approach quickly becomes disorganized.
As one participant put it:
“I have all of them saved in many different areas, which makes it hard to find later.”
Another said:
“I usually see places on social media and save them, but then I forget about them completely.”
When asked how they decide where to go, the top factors were menu variety, reviews, and price — confirming that users rely on both emotional appeal and practical information when choosing new spots.
Interestingly, when asked how they capture memories of their experiences, many said they take photos or videos but rarely go back to look at them. This insight revealed a gap between capturing experiences and reflecting on them — an opportunity for Foodie Quest to help users attach memories, photos, and notes to each location in a meaningful way.
One user summed it up perfectly:
“It would be great to have an app that not only helps me find new places but reminds me where I’ve been — almost like a food memory journal.”
What This Means for Foodie Quest
The responses provided a clear sense of direction for refining the app’s goals. Based on what I learned, Foodie Quest should focus on three key needs:
Simplifying Discovery
Users need a more intuitive, visually engaging way to explore and save restaurants — something that combines the functionality of a map with the appeal of a curated experience.Organizing Memories
The ability to attach notes, ratings, and photos transforms each visit into a moment worth revisiting. Rather than scattering information across platforms, Foodie Quest can centralize everything in one personalized log.Encouraging Exploration
Many users expressed excitement about gamified progress, such as earning badges or milestones for visiting new places. This idea supports Foodie Quest’s “quest” concept — turning dining discovery into an engaging experience that celebrates curiosity and adventure.
What Comes Next
Moving forward, this feedback will directly inform the high-fidelity wireframes and prototype development. The next steps will include:
Designing clearer navigation and mapping interfaces
Building in features for note-taking and personal reflections
Developing a “quest” system where users earn badges for milestones like “Visited 10 new spots” or “Explored 3 cuisines in a month”
This stage of feedback has been invaluable in shaping Foodie Quest into something more than a restaurant tracker — it’s becoming a personal discovery companion, designed around how people actually experience food, memory, and exploration.
