Lunjoe
Helping people secure study spots while giving cafés more control over their space.
Helping people secure study spots while giving cafés more control over their space.
My Process
User research, wire framing, prototyping, user testing, brand identity.
User research, wire framing, prototyping, user testing, brand identity.
Category
Startup, mobile, desktop
Startup, mobile, desktop
Tools
Figma, Notion, Illustrator
Figma, Notion, Illustrator
Founding team
Daniel Greenberg (CEO)
Nina Chang (CPO)
Jason Silva (CTO)
Daniel Greenberg (CEO)
Nina Chang (CPO)
Jason Silva (CTO)
Background
Background
Many people, especially students, visit cafes to study or do work. However, it is often hard to secure tables, especially in college towns.
Many people, especially students, visit cafes to study or do work. However, it is often hard to secure tables, especially in college towns.
My role
My role
I am the Chief of product and UX designer for Lunjoe, collaborating closely with our CEO and a team of three developers to shape the vision of the product.
I am the Chief of product and UX designer for Lunjoe, collaborating closely with our CEO and a team of three developers to shape the vision of the product.
Finding a seat at a café shouldn't feel like winning the lottery, but in busy college towns, it often does.
Finding a seat at a café shouldn't feel like winning the lottery, but in busy college towns, it often does.
Want a table? Need an outlet? Meeting your Tinder date? Good luck.
Want a table? Need an outlet? Meeting your Tinder date? Good luck.
*Scenes from Providence RI.
Then, we had an idea - what if you could reserve a table ahead of time?
Then, we had an idea - what if you could reserve a table ahead of time?
That was Lunjoe’s origin idea- a platform where people can book tables at cafes, beating the wait.
That was Lunjoe’s origin idea- a platform where people can book tables at cafes, beating the wait.
Jump to final product
Research
Research
How is this problem currently solved?
How is this problem currently solved?
There are no mainstream applications for reserving study spaces in cafes, although many restaurant reservation apps exist. I explored some popular platforms like Resy, Tock, and OpenTable to understand how they excelled and where they fell short.
There are no mainstream applications for reserving study spaces in cafes, although many restaurant reservation apps exist. I explored some popular platforms like Resy, Tock, and OpenTable to understand how they excelled and where they fell short.
It is clear there’s a gap in the market.
It is clear there’s a gap in the market.
It is clear there’s a gap in the market.
Interviewing cafe goers
Interviewing cafe goers
I wanted to better understand the problem space I was working within. I went into cafes and talked to people using these cafe spaces to learn more about why they choose to work in cafes and their experience in securing tables.
I wanted to better understand the problem space I was working within. I went into cafes and talked to people using these cafe spaces to learn more about why they choose to work in cafes and their experience in securing tables.
College professor
College professor
“I like to come to cafes before my classes to review my lesson plans or to hang out with my coworkers. However, it’s pretty hard to find enough seats for everyone.”
“I like to come to cafes before my classes to review my lesson plans or to hang out with my coworkers. However, it’s pretty hard to find enough seats for everyone.”
“I like to come to cafes before my classes to review my lesson plans or to hang out with my coworkers. However, it’s pretty hard to find enough seats for everyone.”
College freshman
College freshman
“Its frustrating to walk all the way to a cafe to work only to find that there are no seats available. Its a gamble so I usually prefer to come at odd hours or just stay at my dorm. Neither is ideal.”
“Its frustrating to walk all the way to a cafe to work only to find that there are no seats available. Its a gamble so I usually prefer to come at odd hours or just stay at my dorm. Neither is ideal.”
“Its frustrating to walk all the way to a cafe to work only to find that there are no seats available. Its a gamble so I usually prefer to come at odd hours or just stay at my dorm. Neither is ideal.”
Student
Student
“It is pretty hard to get seats around here especially in the afternoon because everyone is here after their classes.”
“It is pretty hard to get seats around here especially in the afternoon because everyone is here after their classes.”
“It is pretty hard to get seats around here especially in the afternoon because everyone is here after their classes.”
Surveys
Surveys
To validate what I heard in interviews, I surveyed 18 people in busy cities and college towns about their experience
50%
50%
said they were highly likely to work in cafés if they could guarantee a seat.
61%
61%
rated the difficulty of getting a seat as high.
1/2
1/2
said they often walk out without securing a seat.
When asked to describe the experience in a few words, respondents used terms like:
Difficult
Difficult
Difficult
Painful
Painful
Painful
Stressful
Stressful
Stressful
Uncertainty
Uncertainty
Uncertainty
The results confirmed a clear pattern:
Securing a table at a café is both frustrating and uncertain.
Securing a table at a café is both frustrating and uncertain.
Then, we discovered the other side: The cafe owners
Then, we discovered the other side: The cafe owners
We realized that this isnt just a problem with customers. Cafe owners were just as frustrated.
“I shut my Wi-Fi off to detract laptop users from my cafe” - CEO of Birch Coffee, NYC”
“I shut my Wi-Fi off to detract laptop users from my cafe” - CEO of Birch Coffee, NYC”
“I shut my Wi-Fi off to detract laptop users from my cafe” - CEO of Birch Coffee, NYC”
“People used to order one drink and stay for hours on their laptops. Now I set table limits.”
“People used to order one drink and stay for hours on their laptops. Now I set table limits.”
“People used to order one drink and stay for hours on their laptops. Now I set table limits.”
“I started taping over outlets to discourage people from staying long.”
“I started taping over outlets to discourage people from staying long.”
“I started taping over outlets to discourage people from staying long.”
Store owners needed a way to manage space without alienating loyal customers.
Both cafe goers and cafe managers are frustrated over how seating is currently handled
Both cafe goers and cafe managers are frustrated over how seating is currently handled
Insights
Insights
The pain points
The pain points
The customers
The customers
Uncertainty about table availability
Uncertainty when tables will open up
Unable to find tables of their preference (eg. outlets).
The cafe owners
The cafe owners
Loss of revenue from overstays
No control over table turnover
User personas
User personas
Tabitha
The group studier
The group studier
Tabitha is a college junior who works at a cafe near her dorm with her friends.
Pain Points
Cafes near her dorm often do not have enough seats available for all of her friends to work together.
Wants
She wants to be able to find cafes with enough tables to accommodate her and her friends and also be able to choose a table that meets her preferences.
Tabitha is a college junior who works at a cafe near her dorm with her friends.
Pain Points
Cafes near her dorm often do not have enough seats available for all of her friends to work together.
Wants
She wants to be able to find cafes with enough tables to accommodate her and her friends and also be able to choose a table that meets her preferences.
Jason
The remote worker
The remote worker
Jason is a remote software developer living in a college town who enjoys working in cafes.
Pain Points
Sometimes, only after arriving at the cafe does he find that there are no seats available, forcing him to scramble to find another place to work.
Wants
He wants to find a cafe that is not too packed and be able to know if there are seats available before arrival.
Jason is a remote software developer living in a college town who enjoys working in cafes.
Pain Points
Sometimes, only after arriving at the cafe does he find that there are no seats available, forcing him to scramble to find another place to work.
Wants
He wants to find a cafe that is not too packed and be able to know if there are seats available before arrival.
Jason is a remote software developer living in a college town who enjoys working in cafes.
Pain Points
Sometimes, only after arriving at the cafe does he find that there are no seats available, forcing him to scramble to find another place to work.
Wants
He wants to find a cafe that is not too packed and be able to know if there are seats available before arrival.
Annie
The cafe owner
The cafe owner
Annie is a cafe owner in Maryland. Her shop attracts busy steam of students, remote workers, and locals.
Pain Points
People with laptops often occupy tables for hours after ordering just one drink, leaving no seats for other customers. Annie tried using signs to set time limits, but many guests ignore them.
Wants
She wants a way to make seating more accessible for all customers and discourage long stays.
Annie is a cafe owner in Maryland. Her shop attracts busy steam of students, remote workers, and locals.
Pain Points
People with laptops often occupy tables for hours after ordering just one drink, leaving no seats for other customers. Annie tried using signs to set time limits, but many guests ignore them.
Wants
She wants a way to make seating more accessible for all customers and discourage long stays.
How can we create a platform that helps people reserve tables at cafes while allowing owners to manage their space?
How can we create a platform that helps people reserve tables at cafes while allowing owners to manage their space?
Wire-framing
Wire-framing
User flow
User flow
Customer flow
Customer flow
Booking a table
Booking a table
Admin flow
Admin flow
Setting a schedule + tacking data
Setting a schedule + tacking data
Lo-fi sketches
Lo-fi sketches
Customer screens: Mapping how to display stores and book.
Customer screens: Mapping how to display stores and book.
Mid-fi wireframes
Mid-fi wireframes
The admin side
The admin side
We spoke to cafe owners to design an admin dashboard that suited their needs. They wanted something simple and easy to navigate and view.
We spoke to cafe owners to design an admin dashboard that suited their needs. They wanted something simple and easy to navigate and view.
User testing
User testing
Gathering real world feedback
Gathering real world feedback
Iterating the cafe visitor experience.
Iterating the cafe visitor experience.
I asked participants to navigate through the flow of booking a table, while vocalizing their thought process and feedback.
I asked participants to navigate through the flow of booking a table, while vocalizing their thought process and feedback.
Feedback: UI design
Solution
Solution
Feedback: Viewing cafe details
Solution
Solution
Iterating the cafe admin experience.
Iterating the cafe admin experience.
I asked coffee shop owners to navigate through the flow of setting a schedule and tracking bookings.
I asked coffee shop owners to navigate through the flow of setting a schedule and tracking bookings.
Feedback: Viewing bookings
Solution
Solution
Feedback: Encouraging store owners to make more tables available
Solution
Solution
Brand Identity
Brand Identity
Color palette
Color palette
Color palette
Color palette
Header 1
Font: Lexend Bold 24px
Font: Lexend Bold 24px
Header 1
Font: Lexend Bold 20px
Font: Lexend Bold 20px
Body 1
Font: Lexend Regular 18px
Font: Lexend Regular 18px
Body 2
Font: Lexend Regular 16px
Font: Lexend Regular 16px
Final Design
The customer experience
The customer experience
Tired of fighting for café tables? Lunjoe lets you book a table and get straight to work.
Tired of fighting for café tables? Lunjoe lets you book a table and get straight to work.
Browse cafes
Browse cafes
Book a table
Book a table
The mobile experience
The admin dashboard
The admin dashboard
Set your cafe schedule and manage your cafe goers.
Set your cafe schedule and manage your cafe goers.
Set your schedule
Set your schedule
View reservations
View reservations
Tabitha’s view
Tabitha’s view
The group studier
The group studier
Annie's view
Annie's view
The cafe owner
The cafe owner
Closing thoughts
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
Communication is key, especially when working on a small team.
Communication is key, especially when working on a small team.
Working on a startup project with a team of just 4 means that each person contribution is crucial to the project's success. Clear and open communication allows progress to move along and be tracked effectively.
Working on a startup project with a team of just 4 means that each person contribution is crucial to the project's success. Clear and open communication allows progress to move along and be tracked effectively.
When stuck on the best way to design a function, iterations are crucial.
When stuck on the best way to design a function, iterations are crucial.
At points during the project, my initial ideas did not always work out as expected, forcing me to go back to the drawing board. Quickly sketching out more frames helped me generate more ideas and view ideas from different perspectives.
At points during the project, my initial ideas did not always work out as expected, forcing me to go back to the drawing board. Quickly sketching out more frames helped me generate more ideas and view ideas from different perspectives.
What's next?
What's next?
We’re actively testing Lunjoe with partner cafés to refine the experience. Stay tuned.
We’re actively testing Lunjoe with partner cafés to refine the experience. Stay tuned.
