Use case 04

Bringing QR ordering into an existing platform

A strategy-led product move that helped restaurants launch QR menus and ordering without taking on another separate tool.

Role

Principal product designer, team of one

Context

Post-pandemic hospitality product shift

Outcome

30% churn reduction contribution

Configuration screen for the QR ordering system with branding and menu controls — The most important move was not the screen itself. It was reducing tool sprawl by making QR ordering feel native to the platform restaurants already used.

Context

This work started in the unstable post-pandemic period, when restaurants needed digital menus and ordering without taking on one more external tool. I worked as principal product designer in a team of one, partnering closely with product management to shape both the feature strategy and the product behavior behind it.

QR access was useful, but the stronger opportunity was bringing that capability into the platform restaurants already used instead of adding more operational drag.

The design problem was not only a QR menu surface. It had to connect merchant configuration, publishing, and customer-facing output in a way that felt native to the broader product.

Strategy

The strongest decision was to reduce tool sprawl for merchants. Instead of solving the immediate menu problem with another disconnected service, the better product move was to absorb that capability into the existing restaurant platform.

That made the work more strategic. The question became how to extend the product into QR-based ordering in a way that strengthened the whole ecosystem, rather than simply shipping one more surface.

System design

The design challenge was to connect configuration, publishing, and customer-facing output. Merchants needed a setup flow that matched how they already think about menus and products. At the same time, the resulting QR experience had to render clearly for customers and leave room for later iteration.

Early QR menu configuration screen — MVP configuration focused on fast QR generation and simple menu selection.

Second-generation configuration screen with branding and menu controls — V2 expanded control with branding, display modes, and menu-level configuration.

MVP and evolution

The first version focused on utility: get a working QR menu into restaurants quickly, with as little setup friction as possible. From there, the product moved into a more expressive phase where merchants gained stronger control over branding, display, and menu structure.

On the customer side, the experience evolved from a generated document into a stronger product surface with clearer hierarchy and ordering emphasis.

Early customer-facing digital menu — The first customer menu prioritized speed, structure, and a lightweight browsing flow.

Later customer-facing digital menu with stronger hierarchy and ordering emphasis — Later iterations sharpened hierarchy and made ordering feel more like a real product surface.

Payment flow inside the digital menu experience — The menu later extended into bill handling and payment, turning a browse flow into a broader service flow.

Outcome

This feature is one of the elements the team credits for a 30% reduction in churn during a period when churn had reached a post-pandemic high.

By bringing QR ordering into the existing ecosystem, the work made the platform more self-sufficient and more relevant to merchant needs. The first version was deliberately structured as a base to improve, and the later iterations show that clearly.