Part A
Project Overview
ROLE
Product + UI/UX Designer
TIMELINE
1 month
TEAM
PM + Developer + Merchant
PLATFORM
Admin Web + Customer App
MY ROLE & SCOPE
Product & UI/UX Designer
As the Product Manager and sole UI/UX Designer on this project, I was responsible for identifying the root causes of the reservation issues and redesigning the end-to-end reservation experience.
Reservation Logic
Booking Workflows
Operational Dashboards
Customer-facing Experiences
Settings
Email Settings
PROJECT BACKGROUND
SparkEPOS Reservation Redesign
In early 2026, SparkEPOS faced increasing complaints from restaurant merchants regarding the reservation system. Several long-standing issues, including rigid booking rules, inefficient reservation workflows, and limited operational visibility, were impacting merchants' daily operations and customer experience. Following the loss of two key merchants, redesigning the reservation experience became a business priority.
Early 2026 · Business Priority Initiative
Outcome Direction
THE REDESIGN FOCUSED ON THREE KEY OUTCOMES
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Increasing reservation flexibility and reducing rejected bookings
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Improving operational efficiency for restaurant staff
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Creating a consistent reservation experience across admin, customer, and communication channels
01
Flexibility
Support different restaurant operating styles and booking behaviours.
02
Operational Efficiency
Improve reservation management and table utilisation.
03
Consistency
Create a unified reservation experience across all touchpoints.
Part B
Understanding the Problem
Based on merchant surveys across restaurant operators using SparkEPOS.
Booking Rejection
90%
of merchants reported that valid bookings were rejected due to rigid reservation rules.
Booking Confusion
70%
found booking flow and timeline management confusing during busy periods.
Flexibility Gap
40%
wanted greater flexibility in reservation management and customer communications.
USER RESEARCH FINDINGS
Key Insight
Restaurant operations require flexibility. Reservation systems should support business decisions rather than enforce overly restrictive booking rules.
User Personas
RESTAURANT RESERVATION PLATFORM · 2 PERSONAS
Part C
Design Solution
Design Solution A
Introduced Flexible and Standard Reservation Modes
Problem
The existing reservation logic strictly linked dining duration to party size. This caused valid reservations to be rejected and reduced table utilisation.
Solution
To balance operational control and flexibility, I introduced two reservation modes:
Standard Mode — follows predefined booking rules, where dining duration is automatically determined by party size.
Flexible Mode — removes the dependency between party size and dining duration, giving merchants full control over reservation times.
Key Features
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Standard Mode requires only a start time.
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Flexible Mode requires both start and end times.
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Reservation modes cannot be switched when active bookings exist.
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Session time configuration is hidden when Standard Mode is enabled.
Outcome
-
Reduced unnecessary reservation rejections
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Improved table utilisation
-
Supported different restaurant operating styles
Design Solution B
Redesigned the Table and Time Selection Experience
Problem
Table selection and time selection were treated as separate steps, despite being highly dependent on each other, resulting in inefficient booking workflows.
Solution
I combined table and time selection into a single step and introduced two booking approaches to support different reservation behaviours.
Key Features
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Time View: Select time first, then choose an available table.
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Table View: Select table first, then choose an available time.
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Added support for table combinations for larger parties.
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Provided real-time availability validation.
Outcome
-
Reduced booking errors
-
Improved reservation efficiency
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Supported real restaurant booking behaviours
-
Increased flexibility for staff
Before
After
Design Solution C
Redesigned the Reservation Management Experience
Problem
The reservation management pages lacked operational context, making it difficult for staff to monitor reservations and manage bookings efficiently.
Solution
I redesigned the All Reservations dashboard and Timeline View to better support operational workflows.
Key Features
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Introduced operational summary cards.
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Organised reservations by status and lifecycle.
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Redesigned timeline visual hierarchy.
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Added flexible booking indicators and conflict warnings.
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Improved table status visibility.
Outcome
-
Improved reservation monitoring
-
Increased operational efficiency
-
Enhanced table utilisation
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Reduced manual management effort
Before
After
Additional Design Improvements
Email Template Management
Challenge
Reservation emails lacked consistency and were difficult for merchants to customise.
Improvments
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Redesigned the email template editor
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Added support for multiple reservation statuses
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Introduced brand customisation options
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Protected system-generated fields from accidental deletion
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Added email preview functionality
Reservation Settings Redesign
Challenge
Reservation emails lacked consistency and were difficult for merchants to customise.
Improvments
-
Redesigned the email template editor
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Added support for multiple reservation statuses
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Introduced brand customisation options
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Protected system-generated fields from accidental deletion
-
Added email preview functionality
Customer Reservation App Redesign
Challenge
The customer booking experience lacked clarity and did not provide enough feedback during the reservation process.
Improvments
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Redesigned the booking flow
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Improved table and time selection experience
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Added reservation confirmation states
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Improved payment and deposit experience
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Enhanced mobile usability and accessibility
Key Learnings
