Coffee App

Designing an AI-Powered Café Seat Reservation App with 360° Ambience Preview for a Better Pre-Visit Experience

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Role

I focused on researching the problem, validating and sketching solution along with design system and built this rapid prototype in figma make to bring my vision to life

Time Taken

2 Weeks (MVP Design Sprint)

Team

Me as Product Designer/ Product Manager and AI as UI designer

Tools

Figma Make, Claude

Pain Points

As a coffee lover on a quest to find “the one” cafe, I interviewed fellow coffee enthusiasts, cafe goers, and even strangers in cafes to uncover the real pain points in finding the perfect spot, and here is what they said

"It’s frustrating when I reach a café and there are no seats left"

"I want to know if it’s quiet enough to work or if it’s more of a social spot"

"I want to feel the space before I go"

"Some cafés look cozy online but end up being too loud or cramped in real life."

Market Validaiton

• 3 regularly work or study from cafés.

• 7 said they often struggle to find a seat, especially during peak hours.

• 8 mentioned that online photos don’t match the actual ambience.

• 6 wished they could preview the café’s vibe or layout before visiting.

• Most agreed that weekends feel overcrowded, with cafés operating at roughly 85–95% capacity.

• 3 regularly work or study from cafés.

• 7 said they often struggle to find a seat, especially during peak hours.

• 8 mentioned that online photos don’t match the actual ambience.

• 6 wished they could preview the café’s vibe or layout before visiting.

• Most agreed that weekends feel overcrowded, with cafés operating at roughly 85–95% capacity.

• 3 regularly work or study from cafés.

• 7 said they often struggle to find a seat, especially during peak hours.

• 8 mentioned that online photos don’t match the actual ambience.

• 6 wished they could preview the café’s vibe or layout before visiting.

• Most agreed that weekends feel overcrowded, with cafés operating at roughly 85–95% capacity.

Competitor Analysis

While researching competitors, I discovered:

Restaurant apps (OpenTable): Too formal for casual café visits.

Coworking apps (Deskpass): Too expensive and focused on office spaces.

Café ordering apps: Convenient for ordering, but don’t help users find or reserve seats.

From this, it was clear that no existing app solves the real problem of finding the right café with the right vibe and available seating.

While researching competitors, I discovered:

Restaurant apps (OpenTable): Too formal for casual café visits.

Coworking apps (Deskpass): Too expensive and focused on office spaces.

Café ordering apps: Convenient for ordering, but don’t help users find or reserve seats.

From this, it was clear that no existing app solves the real problem of finding the right café with the right vibe and available seating.

While researching competitors, I discovered:

Restaurant apps (OpenTable): Too formal for casual café visits.

Coworking apps (Deskpass): Too expensive and focused on office spaces.

Café ordering apps: Convenient for ordering, but don’t help users find or reserve seats.

From this, it was clear that no existing app solves the real problem of finding the right café with the right vibe and available seating.

MVP Features

Browse nearby cafés with real-time availability

Select date, time, duration (2-4 hour blocks)

Modify booking (time/duration), and cancel with policy enforcement

View upcoming reservations

Instant booking confirmation

Save favorite cafes for faster reservations

Wireframes

I started first with rough pencil sketches to map out early ideas and user flows, later enhanced using AI tools for precision and iteration.

Design System