A usability study on Domino’s “Build your own Pizza” feature.

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.” said me one hungry midnight. This study evaluates how usable the Build your own Pizza feature is on the Domino’s site.

Generated using DALL E 2

My Role in the Study:

User Researcher | Usability Tester

Before we begin:

To make your life easy and reduce mental load, here are some of the shortcuts I used

(P) is positive, (N) is negative.

I am a graduate international student who is really average at cooking and is always running around with assignments and on campus jobs!! BOTH!! Pizza always comes around in these times, it is a comfort food.

When it comes to pizza, the first store that comes into my mind is, Domino’s(and Chicago Pizza)! Being a vegetarian, knowing what goes into my pizza is my top priority.

Being one of the most ordered pizza chain, we wanted to understand how users feel about their website and app, we wanted to evaluate their app to better understand how effective their application is and how we can improve user experience for their users.

Research

Target Demographic: Students and recently graduated working individuals. (20–30 age group)

Methods used: Survey, Interviews and Task Based observations based on Think aloud protocol, NEM Evaluation using the KLM GOMS.

I started by measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the process using NEM Evaluation.

NEM Evaluation: (Nielsen’s efficiency measure)

NEM evaluation is a usability evaluation method that measures the efficiency and effectiveness of a system by comparing the performance of novice and expert users. It is based on the following metrics:

Efficiency: Measured by the number of keystrokes and mouse clicks required to complete a task.

Effectiveness: Measured by the number of errors made and the time taken to complete a task.

Tool Used: Novice Expert + by Karl Mc Dorman (http://macdorman.com/nep/)

Task: Ordering and Editing a Build Your Own Pizza

Steps:

1. Start a custom pizza order.
2. Choose crust and toppings.
3. Proceed to checkout.
4. Review the order.
5. Edit a topping.
6. Check for available coupons.
7. Proceed to payment.
8. Enter random payment details.
9. Confirm the payment.

Based on the response times recorded after adding mental prepare and system response times to each step, I calculated the Novice expert ratio and average NE ratio for the process which was 1.27. I then determined for which steps NE ratio was higher than the average NE ratio.

This meant that the steps were taking longer for the novice users than expected.

Some of the steps and NE ratio.

Most of the steps which had higher NE ratio were in the Build your own pizza module of the process. One common occurring across all these steps was that wherever there were more than 4 options present, it took more time for the novice users to choose an option. This highlights the need for better presentation of the options present.

We also wanted to make this study more user centric so we proceeded onto the next step.

We initially begun our research by finding out the current awareness the users have on the coupons Domino’s offers and how they generally order from Domino’s.

Survey we used: https://forms.gle/9NUbbKwUpCJNet9t6

We then conducted interviews and task based observations of 10 users. These interviews had open ended questions like

“How do you usually customize your pizza or food orders within the app?”

We aspired to understand how users interacted with the website, what features they used the most while ordering and their like and dislike during the whole ordering process.

Interview and Survey Analysis Methods:

To analyze the qualitative data that we found from the interviews and surveys we followed the grounded theory process and started by looking for interesting phenomena and patterns in our individual data and then the similar patterns in group data.

We used emergent coding to code our data as we did not want to have any preconceived notion on the experience and truly wanted to learn about the collective experience of the people using and form theories based on the analysis of the data that we got from interviews and surveys found.

Findings from the interviews and surveys:

Survey Findings:

• Demographics: The survey encompassed respondents primarily aged 18–24 (81%), with all participants being under 30.
• Awareness of Coupons: Approximately 71.4% of respondents were already familiar with Domino’s coupons before the survey.
• Coupon Usage: About 66.7% of respondents reported utilizing coupons when ordering from Domino’s.
• Ordering Frequency: The study identified users who knew about coupons but did not frequently order from the website. It focused on individuals who ordered from the website two to three times a month.

Interview Findings:

1. Economical Choice: Users considered Domino’s the most economical option for ordering, particularly in the selected demographic. (P)
2. Coupon Usage: Users typically checked coupons and rewards by navigating to a separate page on the website. Users, especially newcomers, found applying coupons and customizing orders challenging. (N)
3. Customization Options: Users highly valued the extensive customization choices available, with many opting for the “Build Your Own Pizza” feature on the application. (P)
4. Learning Curve: New users encountered difficulties with coupon application and customization, often experiencing issues where the final price exceeded the coupon estimate, primarily due to adding multiple toppings. (N)
5. Price Shock: Users frequently encountered surprise when the final checkout price exceeded their expectations. The user interface was confusing, particularly for international graduate students unfamiliar with the process. (N)
6. Order Tracking: The estimated delivery time on the website’s tracker often proved inaccurate, providing only a rough estimate. Orders commonly arrived later than expected, particularly at night. (N)
7. Order Modification: Users were unable to modify orders through the application once placed and were required to call the restaurant. (N)
8. Customer Service: Users expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of customer service options for tracking issues and order modifications. External customer service contacts were deemed unresponsive and unhelpful. (N)

We then performed affinity mapping to group issues that we found and developed codes for each type of issue:

Common codes we found from data:

1. Coupons
2. Customizations
3. Price Clarity
4. Modifications
5. Customer service
6. Tracking
7. Process
8. Transparency

Fig 1. Categories and Codes developed based on Affinity Mapping.

Summarizing what we found till now:

The findings from our interviews and surveys have shed light on the preferences and challenges of our target audience, which primarily consists of young adults aged 18–24. A significant portion of the respondents already knew about the availability of coupons at Domino’s, and more than half of them actively used these coupons when ordering. One common consensus was that Domino’s was considered an economical choice, with users appreciating the vast customization options available. However, the study uncovered several challenges, particularly for new users. These included difficulties in applying coupons, customizing orders, and encountering inaccuracies in order tracking. An apparent gap was the lack of effective customer service and a need for user-friendly design enhancements. These insights collectively highlight the importance of improving the overall user experience, focusing on areas such as coupon application, customization, editing and order tracking accuracy, while also prioritizing user-friendly design enhancements, especially for those new to the platform and international students.

Recommendations for a better experience:

For the sake of study we decided to only concentrate on the experience on the website and ignore some of the other concerns.

1. Simplified Navigation: Enhance website navigation, including the Build Your Own Pizza module. For returning users when they click on checkout, the website could be navigated directly to end page instead of a intermediate page like it does now. (During observation all users almost clicked on skip in intermediate steps)
2. Pricing Transparency: Display price estimates on the pizza builder page as users make selections to avoid price-related confusion at checkout.
3. Error Handling: Improve error handling, especially in coupon fulfillment, with clear and concise tracking messages and warnings before adding extra items to the cart.
4. Streamlined Information Presentation: Incorporate information tooltips to clarify complex terminology and reduce information overload.
   Make the addition drop downs that are mandatory closed by default.
5. Effective Warning Messages: Implement clear warning messages throughout the platform to prevent user actions that could affect their orders.

Conclusion:

This usability study showcases recurring themes in user experiences, including Coupons, Customizations, Price Clarity, Modifications, Customer Service, Tracking, Process, and Transparency on Domino’s web application. The findings underscore the importance of enhancing the user experience, particularly in coupon application, customization, and order tracking. The study calls attention to the need for improved user interface to provide a more friendly and satisfactory experience for all users, with a focus on newcomers and international students.

Future Steps:

By engaging more individuals and conducting interviews, we can access a broader spectrum of feedback, providing a comprehensive understanding of the ordering process.

Following this, the next crucial step would involve the creation of a prototype that incorporates the recommendations we have discussed. This prototype will serve as an experimental framework, allowing to test it out with the participants and receive feedback.