Building a Local Food Directory App (without knowing how to code)
Research, Design & Development
In early 2020, I recognized that people in my community were trying to support black owned restaurants by promoting locations on social media. I saw Google sheets with addresses, individual posts and comments all over the place.
The main issue was that after a day or even a few hours the post would become lost in my feed. There was not a simple way to gain awareness or support these local businesses. I figured there had to be an easier way.
I was already playing with a platform called Glide when the idea sparked. Glide is a platform that allows you to create no code web applications. This would be my first public app that would allow people in the Greater Houston area to find nearby black owned restaurants, food trucks and bakeries. It is meant to create awareness for local small black owned food businesses.
Learning Curves
The backbone of the application is the data. All of the details are manually logged into a Google Sheet where I learned how to create my own database.
The components connect to the data fairly quickly so I mainly focused on the information architecture. I analyzed apps like Yelp, Uber Eats and DoorDash to better understand how they arrange their home page. I wanted it to have a familiar experience. The main difference was displaying the restaurants by proximity to your location. The user would primarily see the places closest to them.
What’s Nearby?
After an early test run, I received feedback requesting a map of the Houston area so people could quickly scan the Houston area.
The image below displays the breakdown of the Greater Houston area. The red menu at the bottom right also opens up a list of all the restaurants based on user’s nearest location.
Reviewing Analytics
I connected the app to Google Analytics and began to understand certain habits from users. I was able to prioritize food options based on the most popular options. I was also able to locate and fix a bug that kept users from accessing the admin section of the app.
The app is now running smooth and I am proud to have completed and released my first no code app.
Welcome to BlackEats where everyone is invited to the feast!