Sora Sushi

Japanese Restaurant Mobile App

Nataly Kurylov
Project overview

The product:
Sora Sushi is a popular Japanese sushi
restaurant located around the U.S.A.
Sora Sushi targets customers such as
ones who don’t speak English. This app
is created to make their whole
experience easier to read, see, and buy.

Project duration:
April 2023 to July 2023
Project overview

The problem: The goal:

Non-english speakers have difficulty Design an app that translates the
navigating through the app in an apps which also allows customers to
efficient way. have an easy and efficient
experience.
Project overview

My role:
UX Designer designing an app for
Sora Sushi, upon many other
responsibilities.
Responsibilities:
Wireframing (both paper and digital),
low and high-fidelity prototypes, user
research, interviews that were
conducted during the usability study
 ● User research
Understanding ● Personas

the user ● Problem statements

● User journey maps
User research: summary

There has been a series of interviews and surveys done throughout the greater area of
Sacramento. After gathering all of the data, it was identified that there is a high volume user group
of older adults who do not speak English well in the area.

Research revealed that since it was too difficult to understand what items to order and how to
communicate properly, the guests ended up not wanting to come back to the restaurant. There is
also more research showing that the app took more time out of the guests way because they would
have to screenshot and find a way to zoom, or would copy and paste into Google Translate.
User research: pain points

1 2 3

Translation Zoom/Size Accessibility

There needs to be a Some older adults wear Platforms with food

translation button for those glasses and cannot fully see ordering functions, need to
people who do not speak the pictures in their full be easier for people to use.
or read in English. quality from a small image.
This also comes to play
with the small font size.
 Persona:
Alexander
Problem statement:
Alex is a retired old
grandpa from
Ukraine
who needs be able
to easily function the
Sora Sushi Japanese
restaurant app
because he does not
speak English.
User
Journey
Map
Mapping
Alexander’s user
journey showed
how more
accessible and
easier to use we
can make the
mobile app.
 ● Paper wireframes
Starting ● Digital wireframes

the design ● Low-fidelity prototype

● Usability studies
 A lot of restaurants
Paper Wireframes nowadays have very
simple or over
complicated apps.
The creation of Sora
Sushi was supposed
to be something in
between. Enough to
grasp someone's
attention, but not
scare them away.
Digital wireframes
By adding buttons on the The frame
behind is the
main home
home page, it allows the page that lets
the user
navigate to
user to easily access and different pages.

explore the app. The This gives user

the option to
translation button is also pick one of the
many
languages to
located on the home page translate the
app to.
so that will be the first
thing users see.
 The page
before lets

Digital wireframes users confirm

their food first
and then can
fill out the form
easily.
The main point that
was trying to be
achieved was to make
There is a
things simple. The app menu button
featured at the
did not need to be top so then
users can
switch pages if
filled with clutter. A they are
unsure about
simple layout yet had what certain
ingredients are
in an item.
everything the clients
would need.
Low-fidelity prototype CLICK HERE
FOR LOW
FIDELITY
Since Sora means sky in
PROTOTYPE
Japanese, the use of blue was
incorporated into the app
using the 60-30-10 rule. There
were certain aspects such as
buttons and pictures that had
a drop shadow added to them
for more of a 3D effect.
Usability study: findings
There were two studies conducted during the process. It is so easy to get carried away on one
feature while forgetting to work on the others. These studies really put into perspective what
was missing and how things could be made more efficiently.

Round 1 findings Round 2 findings

Users want to add things to the cart There is no way to order multiple of
1 1
but then be able to browse the app the same items.
and come back to their cart later.

2 There should be an ingredient list 2 The homepage buttons are too

under each item on the menu. fake/plain looking

3 There needs to be a way to translate 3 There is no way to enlarge the photos

the language back to English.
 Mockups
Refining
●
● High-fidelity prototype
the design ● Accessibility
 Before usability study After usability study

Mockups
The buttons on the
page before the study
had to be changed to
look more 3D and not
as dimensionless. Also
adding icons to the
page really helps
certain users see what
they are clicking.
 Before usability study After usability study

Mockups
Since this page was
mainly focusing on to go
orders, that section had
to be made bigger, so it
directed users exactly
where to go. There was
also an expansion of the
photo area made, with a
feature to enlarge them.
Mockups
High-fidelity
prototype

Click Here to
View the
High-Fidelity
Prototype of
Sora Sushi
Accessibility considerations

1 2 3

There was a The homepage There is a

feature added to had icons added translation
enlarge photos to the button, so button on the
for individuals it was easier to homepage for
who have trouble navigate to the users, who do
seeing small page that users not speak
items. want. English.
 ● Takeaways
Going forward ● Next steps
Takeaways

What I learned:
Impact:
Conducting usability studies are highly
The Sora Sushi app really meets the users
important, because the feedback lets
requirements by having multiple features
the designer see what is wrong with the
for different needs.
app or what could be improved in

“The feedback was taken into consideration different ways. Each design stuff was

because the app developed so many new heavily impacted by the studies.

features each step of the way.”

- Quote from peer feedback
Next steps

1 2 3

Conduct another More research on Make sure that the

study to get more different features colors and fonts
feedback from a that could be are visible to
wider range of added for everyone.
different people. accessibility needs.
Let’s connect!

Thank you for following the creation journey of the Sora Sushi
Japanese Restaurant mobile app. If you would like to contact me
for any questions or more information, my information is below.

Email: natalyk@live.com
A R I G A T O :)