McDonald’s: UX Design Between US and China
When I was living in China, McDonald’s was my favorite fast-food brand. Every time I don’t want to cook or don’t know what to eat, I will open up the APP of McDonald’s and order a beef hamburger with cola. Now I’m in the US, it is interesting to notice that the UX of McDonald’s app and websites in the US and China are different in many aspects. These differences caused me some time to adapt to using the app here in the US.
Website
The websites of the US and China are a lot different. In China, there are convenient Mini Programs in WeChat, so most people would use Mc’s app or just the Mini Program in WeChat to order, which will be discussed in the next part. In this case, the website so lacks use. I have never opened the website before until searching for information for this blog. Therefore, it is easy to notice that the website in China is less designed, and not pretty to users. All the website has is just advertisements and introductions of Mc in China. What’s more, people can’t use the website to order pick-ups or deliveries. If we click the link, it will show us QR codes that lead us to Mini Programs and the app.
In the US, however, media usage habits are quite different. People are used to ordering via the website, so the menu is the first choice in the row, so people can quickly scan the menu, then order by clicking the button in the top right corner. Also, the design and message delivery are user-friendly to audiences. Developers must spend much time and energy designing this website.
It is obvious that the UX of the US website is better, but this is because of different consumer habits. It is smart of Mc in China to spend less energy on the website and much more on Mini Programs and apps, as almost no one will visit Mc’s website.
APP
The app and Mini Program of Mc in China are so similar, so I will combine them and compare them with the app in the US. First of all, the icon on the home screen is different. In China, the icon will be decorated based on different holidays and festivals. It is so cute and easy to engage with users. Right now, the Chinese New Year had just passed, so the elements on the icon are still lanterns, bamboo shoots, and auspicious clouds which are related to the Chinese New Year.
When I first opened the app in the US, I was a bit confused. The address of the closest restaurant can’t be fully displayed on the screen. I’m not sure whether it is a bug in the app or the app doesn’t fit the model of my phone. No matter what, this is a big problem in developing outstanding UX.
When I look at the menu and try to order, I noticed that the experience is also different compared to the Chinese version. I have to click into different categories first, then choose the meal I want. In China, however, the categories are on the left column, and people don’t need to constantly go forward or backward. They can just simply scroll up and down. If we click on one specific category, the menu will automatically jump to the right place. This saves a lot of time and effort for users and is much simpler to use. Simplifying the menu is important for fast food apps because the consumer of fast food are looking for simple and fast ways of ordering.
While speed of completing tasks is important for any site, it is especially crucial for meal-delivery apps, since people turn to them when they are short on time. … “People order food because they don’t have enough time to cook or simply don’t have enough time to go to the restaurant. The whole process of ordering needs to be really easy and quick,” Mrkela says, adding that it should take no more than four or five steps.
… In the UserZoom Competitive UX Research Benchmark Report, the services that rank highest are also the ones that limit the number of pages users see before they can add something to their carts. In one example, Walmart users completed a task with just three page views; the same task took Amazon Fresh users 10 page views. Walmart consistently ranks first among US grocery stores for user experience.
In the future, hope the US version of Mc’s app can be improved and gain a better UX.
