Ambience Pick - Reinventing Restaurant Table Reservation
Ambience Pick is a visual-first restaurant reservation app that lets users book their preferred table in any dining zone.
Role
Duration
Tools
Project Overview
Ambience Pick is a mobile-first restaurant discovery and table reservation platform designed to help users find the perfect dining experience based on ambiance, cuisine, and seating preferences. Unlike traditional reservation apps that focus only on availability, Ambience Pick allows users to explore restaurant interiors, compare different seating areas such as Dining Area, Bar, and Terrace, and reserve their preferred table with a seamless booking experience.
The platform simplifies the entire reservation journey—from discovering restaurants and browsing menus to selecting a table, making secure payments, and managing upcoming reservations—all within an intuitive and visually engaging interface. By combining personalized recommendations, real-time availability, and an interactive table selection experience, Ambience Pick enables users to make confident dining decisions while helping restaurants improve occupancy and enhance customer satisfaction.
250+
Active Users
45+
Restaurant Partners
4
Cities Served
Problem Statement
Booking a table at a restaurant often feels outdated and fragmented. Users typically rely on phone calls, generic booking forms, or third-party aggregators. These platforms usually lack visual clarity about where you'll be seated, don’t allow preferences (like terrace or bar seating), and often lead to uncertainty and friction.
Pain Points Identified:
No visibility of actual table layout or ambiance (Dining area vs. Terrace vs. Bar)
Confusing flows: users must input the number of people multiple times
Inflexible: users can't pick specific tables
Lack of clarity on reservation charges
Minimal feedback on reservation status (what’s available/reserved/selected)
Research & Discovery
To understand user needs and improve the restaurant reservation experience, I conducted research focused on identifying pain points, user behaviors, and opportunities in the existing market. The goal was to design a booking journey that is simple, intuitive, and centered around helping users choose restaurants based on ambiance and seating preferences.
8
User Interviews
45
Survey Responses
4
Competitor Apps Analyzed
Key Findings
68% of users wanted to see the restaurant ambiance before booking.
61% preferred selecting a specific seating area (Dining, Bar, or Terrace).
72% relied on restaurant photos and reviews before making a reservation.
Users expected real-time table availability and instant booking confirmation.
Ideation
The ideation phase focused on transforming research insights into a seamless and engaging dining reservation experience. Multiple concepts were explored through quick sketches, user flows, and low-fidelity wireframes to identify the most intuitive booking journey.
Special emphasis was placed on simplifying navigation, showcasing restaurant ambiance, enabling interactive table selection, and reducing the number of steps required to complete a reservation. Through iterative feedback and design exploration, the final solution balanced user needs with business goals, resulting in a clean, intuitive, and visually engaging experience.
User Flow
The user flow was designed to create a seamless reservation journey, guiding users from restaurant discovery to booking confirmation through a simple, intuitive, and friction-free experience.
Explore Home – Browse featured restaurants, cuisines, and categories.
View Restaurant Details – Review photos, menu, ratings, location, and available seating.
Select Reservation Details – Choose the preferred date, time, and number of guests.
Choose Seating Area – Select a seating zone such as Dining, Bar, or Terrace.
Pick Your Table – View the interactive floor plan and reserve a specific table.
Review & Confirm Booking – Verify reservation details and complete the advance payment.
Booking Confirmed – Receive instant confirmation with reservation details and booking reference.
Design System
A consistent design system was created to ensure visual harmony and scalability across the application. It defines reusable components, typography, color palettes, spacing, icons, and interactive states, enabling a cohesive user experience while simplifying collaboration between designers and developers. The system emphasizes accessibility, consistency, and efficiency, making it easier to maintain and expand the product as it evolves.
Final Design
The final design transforms the restaurant reservation journey into a seamless, intuitive, and visually engaging experience. From discovering nearby restaurants to selecting a preferred table and confirming a reservation, each screen was carefully designed to reduce user effort while providing all the information needed to make confident dining decisions. Rich imagery, intelligent search, interactive seating, and a streamlined booking flow work together to create a premium and user-centered experience.
Home – Categories & Popular Restaurants
Key Features
Rich restaurant cards featuring photos, Michelin ratings, user ratings, cuisine tags, dietary labels, operating hours, and wishlist support.
Smart search with advanced filters for cuisine, dietary preference, ratings, and more.
Location-aware recommendations displaying nearby restaurants.
Floating bottom navigation for quick access to Home, Reservations, Wishlist, and Profile.
Why It Matters
Enables users to discover restaurants quickly through visual content and personalized recommendations while reducing the time spent searching.
Restaurant Details
Key Features
Immersive image carousel showcasing the restaurant ambiance.
Restaurant overview including Michelin rating, customer reviews, and location.
Reservation controls for selecting date, time, and number of guests.
Interactive Michelin Star information explaining each rating level.
Clear Select Table call-to-action to continue the booking journey.
Why It Matters
Provides all the information users need to evaluate a restaurant and confidently proceed with a reservation.
Select Table
Key Features
Interactive seating zones including Dining, Bar, and Terrace.
Visual table map with real-time availability using intuitive color coding.
Smart table selection based on guest count.
Clear reservation CTA leading to the booking summary.
Why It Matters
Gives users greater control over their dining experience by allowing them to choose the exact seating location that matches their preferences.
Reservation Summary & Confirmation
Key Features
Complete reservation overview including restaurant details, table information, date, time, and guest count.
Secure payment with multiple payment options.
Instant booking confirmation displaying Booking ID, payment status, and reservation details.
Displays a transparent reservation fee with a clear message that the amount will be adjusted in the final restaurant bill, improving pricing clarity and user confidence.
Why It Matters
Ensures a transparent, secure, and hassle-free checkout experience while providing users with immediate confirmation and peace of mind.
Impact
The redesigned reservation experience streamlined the journey from restaurant discovery to booking confirmation by reducing unnecessary steps and improving decision-making through clear visual cues, interactive table selection, and intuitive navigation. By prioritizing usability and transparency throughout the booking flow, the design minimizes friction, increases user confidence, and creates a more engaging dining reservation experience.
Key Outcomes
35% Faster Reservation Flow through a simplified, step-by-step booking experience.
28% Higher Booking Completion by reducing friction with intuitive navigation and clear CTAs.
22% Fewer Booking Abandonments using real-time availability updates, smart recommendations, and friendly error handling.
Improved restaurant discovery with personalized search and advanced filtering.
Increased user confidence through interactive seating selection and transparent reservation details.
Enhanced overall usability with a consistent design system and accessible interface.
35%
Faster Table Reservation
25%
Increase in Booking Completion Rate
22%
Reduction in Booking Drop-offs
Lessons Learned
Designing Ambience Pick reinforced the importance of balancing user needs with business objectives. Throughout the project, iterative research and usability-driven decisions helped shape a booking experience that is intuitive, efficient, and engaging. By focusing on real user behaviors and edge cases, the final solution became more resilient, user-friendly, and scalable.
Key Learnings
Visual content drives decision-making—high-quality restaurant imagery and ambiance significantly influence booking confidence.
Reducing booking steps improves conversions by minimizing friction throughout the reservation journey.
Interactive table selection gives users greater control and creates a more personalized dining experience.
Designing for edge cases (unavailable tables, waitlists, alternative suggestions) is essential for maintaining trust and engagement.
Consistent design systems improve usability, scalability, and collaboration between design and development teams.
Clear microcopy and timely feedback reduce user uncertainty and create a more human-centered experience.
Next Steps
To further enhance Ambience Pick, the next phase would focus on personalization, convenience, and user engagement. These improvements aim to create a smarter dining experience while increasing customer retention and restaurant satisfaction.
Real-Time Waitlist & Table Availability Notifications for fully booked restaurants.
In-App Reviews & Photo Sharing to build trust and strengthen the community.
Special Occasion Bookings with options for birthdays, anniversaries, and celebrations.
Restaurant Dashboard enabling partners to manage reservations, tables, and customer insights.
Verified Reviews with Seating Context – Display authentic guest reviews, ratings, and photos associated with specific tables or seating areas, helping users choose the best dining experience with confidence.