OMTOU — Hao Nan Peter Zhang

Product Design / Startup

What is OMTOU?

OMTOU is a unique iOS app that aims to transform the way we explore NYC and discover new locations . Through a series of simple user inputs, the algorithm introduces you to destinations around the city, each guiding you toward a unique culinary and cultural experience.

My role

In 8 weeks, I worked closely with the founder, a co-designer and engineers to redesign the entire UX flow of the app, adding key screens such as onboarding, activity selection and navigation, and solidifying OMTOU’s brand identity and visual language.

Try it out on the app store!

A new type of location discovery app

UX Designer

iOS Startup App

8-Weeks

Figma, Midjourney

2 Designers, 6 SWE, 1 Founder/PM

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The Problem

Crafting a complete user journey

When I was onboarded, the app worked but a lot of the core functionalities envisioned were missing. For instance, there was no onboarding to properly introduce users to this novel experience and no user control over the type of destinations they received. Moreover, users had to exit the app in order to use third party navigation in order to reach their destinations, adding friction to the experience. So I was responsible for crafting those missing screens and connecting all the pieces of the experience together.

Final Screens depicting current UX Flow of OMTOU

Onboarding

Inviting users onboard through friendly mascot

My first action item was to design a set of inviting onboarding screens to welcome new users to our app. These initial screens invite users to “dive” into the experience without revealing too much functionality.

We chose to include a friendly mascot here as our first point of contact to build a more human connection, greeting our users with a warm message accompanied by vibration haptics mimicking that of a human heartbeat.

Activity Selection

Decision fatigue is very real and with no many restaurant and destination options to choose from in NYC, users can often get overwhelmed. Giving only two simple toggles for distance and budget allows for some user preference while keeping the overall experience spontaneous.

We crafted 6 unique categories to cover an array of activities and destinations across the city, catering to user’s different moods and cravings.

Limiting the amount of choices user have to make

Devour

From cozy local grubs to fine dining establishments.

Nibble

From corner patisseries to specialty ice cream parlors

Tipsy

From neighborhood pubs to hidden cocktail bars.

Savor

From charming coffeehouses to artisanal espresso bars

Provoke

From immersive museums to avant-garde galleries.

Curios

From trendy boutiques to exotic spice shops.

Circular selection wheel

Old layout

Redesigned layout

The circular motif remains a core identifier of the OMTOU branding and carries over into the activity selection interface as well. The placement of the selection wheel in the bottom right corner allows for ease of swiping through the categories with one hand.

Navigation

Initially relying on Apple Maps to guide users to their surprise destination, we prototyped an in-app navigation screen that offers real-time location data and estimated arrival time while keeping the option to use a third-party app if they wish.

A large part of OMTOU’s design philosophy and appeal lies with its mysteriousness. While on the navigation screen, not only is your destination name hidden, but all relevant information is also revealed in layers.

Revealing information in layers

Different card heights displaying varying levels of information

Ensuring users’ return to the app

Part of the design challenge was making sure users returned to OMTOU after arriving at their destination in order to complete the experience. Therefore, we displayed additional instructions before revealing the third-party links.

Share with Friends

Exploring new restaurants and bars with friends is all about the memories created. At OMTOU, we're giving users the chance to take a piece of their journey home, whether to share on social media or keep as a personal memento. Our app provides a snapshot of their adventure upon arrival at their destination, featuring details like the date, merchant name, mystery box, and a category-specific AI-generated background.

These postcards are designed to be visually enticing, encouraging users to share their experiences and engage with others. By doing so, we aim to foster a vibrant online community around the excitement of discovering the unknown with OMTOU.

Capture your adventure

My Takeaways

1. Products are constantly evolving, especially in startups

OMTOU is still quite a ways away from what it sets out to be. Crucial business considerations such as how to monetize the product and proper marketing campaigns are amongst the most urgent issues that will unfortunately outlive my time on the team. Just like a company’s business model, its product will undoubtedly undergo numerous changes and iterations throughout its lifecycle and it’s important for design to adapt to these new factors and adjust accordingly.

2. When to be detail-oriented and when not to be

At times, it’s about pushing out quick prototypes to test if a solution is viable while sometimes it’s about really finessing the details of a particular screen. Regardless of the situation, the dev team will almost always push for design and it is up to the designers to provide the right complexity level of instruction with the right degree of fidelity at the right time.

3. Communication makes the dream work

But the way in which those instructions are conveyed also plays an often overlooked role in how your design is received. In order to deliver a successful product, the engineers and designers need to be on the same wavelength and speaking the same language. At the end of the day, engineers are humans and some may even end up becoming your friends, as in my case. And people always receive criticism better and give better feedback when they know their voices are being heard.