I organised the requirements, content structure and customer journey for Terracotta House's website, with AI assisting implementation. The site provides a restaurant introduction, a categorised menu, opening hours and delivery details, and a route to order by telephone.
I began with practical questions: how does someone find the food they want? What else do they need to know before ordering? Where do they go after reading the menu? Those questions helped determine both the content and how its different parts should connect.
Make the menu easy to browse and understand
Some visitors may arrive looking for a particular dish; others may want to see the choices first. Categories help them find relevant food, while names and descriptions explain the dishes. I think about what each part is for before deciding where it belongs and how much emphasis it needs.
The menu also needs to connect with the practical information. Someone preparing to order may need to check opening times or delivery details. If those are hard to find, choosing the food still leaves them unsure whether or how to continue.
Say what happens when someone clicks
The site's ordering route is a telephone call, so the page needs to direct people clearly to the restaurant. “View the menu” and “Call to order” describe different actions. The button wording should make its purpose clear.
I use that sequence to examine the page: after reading the menu, can someone find how to order? As they prepare to call, can they still refer to the dishes easily? Can they find opening hours and delivery details when they need them? These questions help me judge whether the content works together before considering more complex features.
Plan for the restaurant to take over
The website helps people understand the food and prepare their choices. The restaurant then handles the ordering conversation. Designing the page means considering that handover too: the customer should understand what they have done so far and what they need to do next.
I have also explored tools for restaurant stock control, purchasing, goods receipt and supplier coordination. These remain in development. They have made me more interested in how customers' actions connect to the work inside a restaurant.
Before adding online ordering, I would agree with the restaurant on who receives orders, how customers are told their orders have been accepted, and how changes or problems are handled. Taking payments would also need a clear confirmation process and a way to deal with problems. I would want those arrangements in place before offering the new service.