CanteenPe - A University canteen Application
CanteenPe is a digital solution developed to streamline the food ordering experience within campus environments, specifically designed for students, faculty, and staff of K.R. Mangalam University. The application facilitates quick, contactless ordering from the college canteen, minimizing wait times, eliminating long queues, and enhancing operational efficiency for the canteen staff. By integrating user-centric design and smooth UI/UX flows, CanteenPe promotes a modern, tech-enabled campus culture.
Team Members
Shubham, Pulkit and Om Mishra
Duration of Project
6 months
Rapid Commerce
User Size
8000+
Overview
The objective of CanteenPe was to bridge the gap between traditional food ordering systems and the growing need for digitization within educational institutions. Designed and developed by a student-led team, the project focused on:
Creating a user-friendly mobile interface for browsing menus and placing orders.
Integrating a real-time order management system for canteen staff.
Enabling secure and easy payment options.
Reducing congestion and enhancing service speed during peak hours.
Though not officially adopted by the university, the project served as a practical learning initiative in the field of UI/UX design, app development, and product thinking—executed under the guidance of faculty mentor Jyoti Ma'am.
Challenges
User Adoption & Trust:
Convincing potential users (students/staff) to shift from traditional ordering methods to a digital platform.
Gaining support from the university for institutional recognition.
Real-Time Synchronization:
Building an effective backend to manage real-time order updates and notifications.
Designing for Low-Tech Environments:
Ensuring the app performs well on low-end devices and works with intermittent internet connectivity.
Canteen Staff Training:
Developing an intuitive admin panel and training module for canteen operators who may not be tech-savvy.
Feedback & Iteration:
Incorporating feedback from multiple user types while staying within project constraints and timelines.
100%
Users know where their order/profile data is being stored.
80%
of consumers found animation efficient in reducing cognitive overload.
5%
faced that Fonts are inconsistent or difficult to read across different devices.
Process
Research & Analysis: We conducted user interviews, surveys, and analyzed in-app analytics to understand the pain points and user needs. We also studied competitor apps and industry trends to gather insights
Information Architecture: Based on the research findings, we restructured the app's navigation and content, prioritizing features and information according to user needs.
Wireframing & Prototyping: We designed low-fidelity wireframes to visualize the new layout and navigation, iteratively refining them based on user feedback. Afterward, we built a high-fidelity, interactive prototype to test the design.
Usability Testing: We conducted usability tests with a diverse group of users to validate the design and identify areas for improvement. Based on the feedback, we made necessary adjustments to the design.
Visual Design & Style Guide: We developed a cohesive visual language, including color schemes, typography, and iconography, ensuring consistency throughout the app. We also created a style guide to maintain design consistency in future updates.
Conclusion
CanteenPe stands as a testament to the power of student-driven innovation aimed at solving everyday campus challenges through thoughtful design and technology. Despite not being officially adopted by the university, the project offered immense practical exposure in building a real-world product — from user research and interface design to development and testing.
Through this initiative, our team not only enhanced our technical and creative abilities but also learned the importance of user-centric design, iterative development, and stakeholder collaboration. Guided by Jyoti Ma’am, the journey of creating CanteenPe allowed us to transform a simple idea into a functional, impactful solution that could pave the way for smarter campus ecosystems.
The experience gained from this project lays a strong foundation for future endeavors in product design and development — reaffirming our belief that good design can simplify lives and drive meaningful change, even at the grassroots level.
Full Project - Behance