The Quest for Vegan Food: User Flow
I’m an addict to searching for where to eat. I love the process, and will often spend twenty minutes looking at all the options and reading contrasting reviews from each place.
The people I’m with seem to be addicts of trying to get me to hurry up!
The user flow for searching for vegan food in Boston (of which there is not much, sadly) is one I’ve become quite familiar with.
One of the aspects of this user flow is the fact that it’s not super fast or convenient. There are plenty of websites that have been built to help people find vegan food (happycow.com is particularly good). Yet, the google search, to google maps, to finding a pin, etc. is an engrained habit.
I often enjoy watching people use their devices. (I know it sounds creepy, but I also know some of you get what I mean.) It boggles my mind as I watch people who still go up to the edit menu and press copy and then back up to the edit menu to press paste. And no matter how many times I remind them of command+C, command+V, they insist on the less efficient version.
When I get excited to blow their mind with option+drag, they often act insulted, as if their user flow is a dear friend, and I’ve upset them.
I believe it is important as UX designers not to forget that people have habitual, and sometimes emotional attachments to the way they’ve done things in the past, efficiency and beauty, be damned. How to navigate the fine line between making something easier for a user and not insulting them is complex.
BUT, if you’re reading this and still using the edit menu for copy and paste, it’s time to change. And if you’re reading this and vegan, I discourage you from taking any vacations to Boston!
