The Design Village students design app to simplify food ordering at college canteen

Fifth semester students of Interaction Design at The Design Village (TDV) in Noida have designed a smartphone app from scratch to facilitate hassle-free food ordering and payments at the college canteen.

The project was a culmination of the learnings and skills acquired over three years at the institute. The batch was asked to choose hyper-local issues in their immediate environment and come up with multiple experience design interventions, using their accumulated skills.

The students found the problem in food ordering and payments at the canteen and after in-depth research, the design team felt the need for a transparent platform that not only improved the canteen experience but also added to the cultural vibe of The Design Village.

Tushar Kaladharan, mentor and facilitator at TDV, said, "The end result was a digital experience through a smartphone application that serves both customers and the canteen personnel. Food ordering, ledger systems and payments were all packaged into a seamless experience with future considerations of inventory management and employee ratings and feedback features."

Mobile app design encompasses both the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Designers are responsible for the overall style of the app, including things like the colour scheme, font selection, and the types of buttons and widgets the user will use. However, developers are the ones who work on making the app function smoothly.

The final outcome of the course was an application simulation and kick-starter-style pitch video showing the possibilities of an integrated smartphone and web platform, aptly named after the existing ‘Village Cafe’. Students have also pitched to the higher management for funds to launch the Village Cafe app and make it available for the students of the institute.