1. Overview
Chick-fil-A faced inefficiencies in manually receiving inventory at its restaurants. With 3,000+ nationwide branches, leadership wanted a digital solution that increased visibility without disrupting existing procedures. The goal: enable fast, accurate logging of inventory at the point of intake.
When I joined the team, the app was still an early proof-of-concept that needed a UX and visual design overhaul. I was the sole UX designer, collaborating with an Engineering Lead, Product Owner, Front-End Developer, and 4 Full-Stack Engineers. In just 2 months, we transformed a proof-of-concept into a production-ready app.
The app was being developed for a Zebra scanning device, which was an Android based handheld scanner. Despite the fact that we were familiar with the Android OS, we still had to keep certain limitations in mind, like it's the lack of an onboard camera.
2. Research & Discovery
To ground the solution in real-world use, I conducted mixed-method research:
User interviews
Interviewed restaurant team members performing intake.
Stakeholder interviews
Aligned business priorities with operational needs.
Field study
Shadowed backroom staff to observe workflows, pain points, and opportunities for digital tools.
This research surfaced friction in two key areas of the app's existing version. Addressing those pain points became our priorities.
3. Key Challenges & Solutions
I. Login Flow
- Issue: Team members had to select their location at every login, creating unnecessary friction. Frequent session timeouts compounded the problem.
- Solution: I designed a smart default system that remembered the previous location, with the option to change if needed. Partnering with engineering, we migrated from a web wrapper to a native infrastructure, which eliminated session timeout issues.
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After: Login Flow
Dashboard view on a tablet device
II. Scan Screen
- Issue: The scan screen was overloaded with unnecessary elements, including a manual input field that didn’t fit the “auto” scan mode. This increased cognitive load and slowed scanning.
- Solution: I simplified the UI, prioritized core scanning elements, and removed redundant fields. I also built a style library in Figma to unify components, enabling faster design-to-dev handoff and ensuring visual consistency.
4. Final Product
We delivered a clickable prototype on Zebra TC-52 devices for executive review. The prototype mimicked real scanning workflows, which helped stakeholders experience the usability improvements firsthand and secure alignment for rollout.
Screens showcased:
- Simplified login flow
- Optimized scan interface
- Unified design system components
5. Results & Impact
45% faster scanning time in field tests compared to the proof-of-concept version.
Positive reception from executives and branch staff.
Established a scalable foundation for additional feature development.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic delayed full pilot rollout, the app was positioned as a key enabler for operational efficiency across restaurants.
6. Learnings
This project reinforced the value of research-informed iteration and lean design systems for fast-moving pilots. By pairing field insights with technical feasibility, we created a solution that not only reduced task time but also paved the way for ongoing digital transformation at Chick-fil-A.