Create Next App

Project

As the Lead UX Researcher for Neviscater, a SaaS solution by Nevis Infosystems, I directed the comprehensive redesign of the user experience and interface for its web and mobile platforms. The central objective was to elevate the existing B2B software, already in use by catering businesses, into a more user-centric and powerful tool. My role centered on conducting in-depth user research with professional caterers to uncover critical pain points in their daily workflow. Translating these findings into actionable design, I re-architected key user flows and revamped the web UI to create a more intuitive and efficient experience. A significant part of my contribution was conceptualizing and designing a new mobile version from the ground up, ensuring caterers could manage their operations seamlessly on the go.

Roles and Responsibilities

As the UX Lead, my responsibilities included collaborating closely with the UI/UX intern and the development team to conclude the project successfully.

Project Timeline

Problem

The core problem is simple: caterers lack a specialised digital solution to manage the complex, fast-paced nature of their business. They are struggling to accurately track raw materials, organise event data efficiently, and reduce food wastage.

Summary of Problems

1. Inefficient menu & Recipe management
- Time-Consuming Menu Design
- Disorganised Recipes
- Language Barriers for regional dishes
2. Poor Financial Control & Inaccurate Quoting
- Inaccurate Cost estimation
- Unprofitable Pricing due to variable raw material cost
- Lack of Centralised finances

3. Inaccurate Planning & Resource Wastage
- Food & Material Wastage
- Ingredient Shortages
- Disorganised raw material Procurement
4. Data Accessibility & Workflow Issues
- Data Loss
- Clunky User Interaction
- Manual Reporting

How Might We...

Based on the research and identified problems, we framed our design challenges using the following questions:

HMW find a way for caterers to get relieved of manual data entry and ease document preparation?
HMW present financial data and an overall summary so it is available at a glance?
HMW design a system that actively promotes less food wastage?
HMW reduce the cognitive load for the user and simplify access to essential features?

Scope

In Scope
- Redesign key screens to improve usability.
- Introduce essential B2C flows to reduce the caterer's workload.
- Create a scalable design system for web, tablet, and mobile.
- Develop a complete mobile version of the software.

Not in Scope
- Changing the pre-existing information architecture was not feasible due to time and development constraints.

Research & Discovery

Research Questions

What is the one single task in the entire workflow from client call to event cleanup that the caterer would make disappear, and why is it so frustrating?

A time a small detail was missed or a calculation was wrong that caused a major headache later? What was the original cause of that mistake?

What parts of the job still rely heavily on pen-and-paper, memory, or basic spreadsheets, and why haven't they found a digital tool that handles those things effectively?

When they think about the financial side of your business, what is the one number or piece of information that is the hardest for them to find or calculate quickly?

Beyond the software they currently use (Neviscater), what is the biggest gap in its features? What problem do they wish it would solve that it currently doesn't?

Research Methodology

1. Heuristic Evaluation
We performed a heuristic evaluation on the important screens and gave the screens a severity rating to identify problems.

2. User Interviews
We interviewed nine caterers, enquiring about their workflow and current experience of the software. The insights were as follows:

Fragmented Information Management: Most caterers rely on a patchwork of tools—physical notebooks, WhatsApp chats, and Excel sheets—to manage event details. This creates a scattered and unreliable system.
Admin Tasks are a Major Time Sink: The most time-consuming and tedious parts of their job are repetitive administrative tasks, specifically manual menu creation and recalculating material quantities every time a guest count changes.
Financial Health is Opaque: Caterers lack a clear, real-time overview of their event finances.
Significant Food Wastage: Caterer's consistently over-purchase ingredients as a "safe" buffer to avoid shortages.
Mobile is a Necessity, Not a Luxury: The caterers we interviewed were constantly on the move—at the market, in the kitchen, or on-site at an event. They expressed a critical need for a mobile solution to manage their operations from anywhere, as they are rarely sitting at a desk.

Information Architecture

Website and mobile:

Design process

User Journey Map

Following the user interviews, I consolidated all the findings into an user journey map. By visualising their pain points and emotional lows, we were able to pinpoint the most impactful areas for improvement, directly validating the conceptualisation of features like the Finance Dashboard and automated Menu Catalogue.

Design System

Once the user journey map was finalised, we faced a significant time constraint that required us to accelerate our design and development schedule. This meant we did not have the runway for the traditional stages of wireframing and usability testing. We created a design system and focused on creating the screens and prototypes.

Final Designs

Reflections

What I am grateful for -
It was an insightful lesson in understanding a user base whose work is intensely physical and time-sensitive. Learning about their unique pressures and workflows firsthand went far beyond what any standard design brief could offer.
One of the most fulfilling parts of this project was realizing we could build something that wasn't just a business tool, but also a vehicle for social good. Advocating for the feature to connect caterers with NGOs for surplus food was a personal highlight for me, and it reinforced my belief that thoughtful design can and should have a positive community impact.
What we wish went differently -
I would have preferred to dedicate more time to wireframing and multiple rounds of usability testing. Moving directly from research insights to high-fidelity designs was a major challenge due to project deadlines. I still believe that iterative testing would have uncovered nuances that could have made the final product more intuitive.