012024 research
Investigate
Understand discovery, trust and coordination.
A meal is just
the beginning.
Connecting guests with Saudi food, local hosts and shared experiences.
ProjectLamma
ContributionUX/UI design
ExperienceLocal food & shared experiences
Tools
Figma · Codex
DesignerSalah Jibril
A meal is just the beginning. Lamma connects guests with local food, Saudi hospitality and the people who make it meaningful.
A meal.
A story.
A beginning.
Find a taste
of somewhere.
Explore food, meet the host, and take the next step with context.
From thesis to a shared table
The original study began with the difficulty of buying from home-based sellers. The thesis shaped the guest–host concept; Lamma extends it into connected journeys.
022024 thesis
Design
Explore how guests and Saudi food hosts connect.
032026 enhancement
Evolve
Connect the front-stage experience to the work of hosting.
Understanding
the journey
My experience coordinating deliveries for home-based sellers in 2011 informed the starting point. Reviewing online comments, ordering firsthand and mapping the process revealed how much coordination fell to guests and hosts.
The journey
Original research journey, condensed into five stages. Needs come from the research board; design responses describe Lamma. Emotions are interpretive.
Discover
GOAL
Find a local seller
ACTIONS
Search social posts and recommendations
POTENTIAL FRICTION
Offerings are hard to compare
DESIGN RESPONSE
Searchable meals and experiences
Curious
Understand
GOAL
Know what to expect
ACTIONS
Ask about menu, portions and price
POTENTIAL FRICTION
Quality and details are uncertain
DESIGN RESPONSE
Host information and clear details
Uncertain
Arrange
GOAL
Confirm the plan
ACTIONS
Call or message to confirm the order
POTENTIAL FRICTION
Details spread across conversations
DESIGN RESPONSE
A connected booking sequence
Coordinating
Receive
GOAL
Enjoy the meal or visit
ACTIONS
Get the location, pay and collect
POTENTIAL FRICTION
Limited visibility after confirmation
DESIGN RESPONSE
Order and booking status
Anticipating
Return
GOAL
Keep a useful connection
ACTIONS
Share feedback or contact the seller
POTENTIAL FRICTION
Support and feedback are fragmented
DESIGN RESPONSE
Reviews, messages and support
Reflecting
The people around the table
Two personas from the original research board connect the guest experience with the practical needs of a home cook.
Research-board personas · Scenarios summarise the original design material; these statements are not participant quotations.
The curious guest
Ahmed
Finding local food in Jeddah
Discover a place through its food.
An engineer and traveller, originally from Pakistan and living in Jeddah. Ahmed wants affordable homemade meals and a way to experience local culture beyond familiar commercial options.
ContextJeddah, Saudi ArabiaResearch statusResearch persona
Goals
- Find authentic, affordable food
- Understand the host and the meal
- Explore local cuisine with confidence
Frustrations
- Uncertainty about quality and taste
- Difficulty finding home-based sellers
- Details scattered across conversations
Product needs
- Clear menus and host information
- Useful reviews and discovery filters
- A simple order or booking journey
DESIGN IMPLICATION
Give guests enough context to choose with confidence.
Understanding the guest
A synthesis of Ahmed’s scenario and the original research board. These are design interpretations, not direct interview quotations.
Needs
An affordable meal with a local story.
Enough information to choose an unfamiliar host.
Thinks
Will the meal match my taste and expectations?
Will I know what happens after booking?
Does
Looks for local food and recommendations.
Compares menus, prices and host information.
Feels
Curious about a new food experience.
Uncertain when details or support are unclear.
The opportunity
—
Finding a seller takes research across social channels.
—
Menus, portions and prices often need a conversation.
—
Orders, feedback and support are difficult to keep together.
A clearer way
Bring discovery, booking and follow-up into one shared journey. Help guests understand an offer and give hosts a clearer way to manage the experience.
Who we’re designing for
One service supports everyday food discovery, cultural experiences and the people hosting them.
The local guest
Find a homemade meal that fits the day, the budget and personal preferences.
The visiting guest
Discover local food, understand the host and book a culturally meaningful experience.
The food host
Present food and experiences, manage orders and keep guests informed.
Wireframing
Exploring the hierarchy of discovery, offer details and order management. These retrospective studies explain the enhanced prototype’s structure.
Components
Interface details from the Lamma prototype · Sample content shown.
Search
Food categories
Navigation
Host context
Fulfilment choice
Price & action
A recognizable identity
Mint, lavender and dark navy connect Lamma’s food and experience journeys. The identity carries the idea of gathering from the interface to the shared table.
A meal.
Your people.
A recognizable mark
The same identity, from the app to the shared table.
A deliberate contrast
Navy brings consistency. Mint highlights the next step.
A sense of hospitality
Warm light and familiar food connect the interface to everyday life.
A meal.
Your people.
Your next story starts here.
More than
a meal.
Food with a story to share.
A place at the table
Lamma brings homemade food and local experiences into one place, with a clear route from discovery to the host behind the offer.
Something local.
Something shared.
Food, experiences and the people who bring them to life.
Flow
From finding a meal
to making a plan.
Guests explore offers, review the dish and host, then choose delivery, collection or dining with the host. Orders and experience bookings remain available to manage afterward.
The offer stays in context as guests choose how to receive it and return to manage their plans.
Host experience
More time
for hospitality.
Host tools bring offers, incoming orders and earnings together. The shared visual language connects both sides while giving hosts a view of what needs attention.
Stay connected
A shared understanding
Keep food and experience conversations close to the order, with one place to return to the discussion.
Keep the
conversation close.
A conversation stays connected to the practical steps of ordering and hosting.
REFLECTION / FROM THESIS TO LAMMAA clearer journey.
A clearer journey.
More to learn together.
The 2024 thesis documents testing with 15 participants: eight local users and seven international tourists. Lamma extends the concept in 2026; these new journeys still need a fresh user study.
Make the offer clear
The research raised uncertainty around food quality, portions and expectations. Lamma gives dishes and hosts a more structured presentation.
NEXT VALIDATION
Observe whether guests can explain what is included before placing an order.
Make the next step clear
The thesis reports requests for clearer booking instructions. Lamma connects configuration, review, confirmation and order management.
NEXT VALIDATION
Test completion and recovery across booking, cancellation and support.
Support both sides
The enhanced prototype includes guest journeys and host offers, orders and earnings. Payments and payouts remain local prototype records.
NEXT VALIDATION
Evaluate host workload and whether guest and host status remain understandable.
THE DESIGN TAKEAWAYThe meal begins
The meal begins
a bigger connection.
Designing beyond discovery brought the project’s purpose into focus: making local hospitality easier to find, arrange and share.