Disciplines
Disciplines
Interaction Design
Art Direction
Interaction Design
Art Direction
Team
Team
Lily Lin
Yassin Mudawi
Lily Lin
Yassin Mudawi
Timeline
Timeline
9.2025-10.2025
9.2025-10.2025
Skills
Skills
UX Research
Interaction Design
Visual Design
Prototyping
App Concepting
UX Research
Interaction Design
Visual Design
Prototyping
App Concepting
Tools
Tools
Figma
Adobe Creative Suite
Figma
Adobe Creative Suite
YaleMenus is the dining app used daily by all Yale undergraduates to browse menus across 14 residential colleges.
THE CONTEXT
THE CONTEXT
At Yale, food is culture. Ask any undergrad and they’ll tell you: half of college life happens in the dining halls. Students swear by their favorites — Silliman for the brunch, Berkeley for pizza, Morse for athlete leftovers. It’s not just where we eat, but where we catch up, debate, and unwind.
For years, students would open Yale Hospitality’s clunky website mid-lecture, scrolling through endless PDFs just to see who had the best lunch. Then came YaleMenus — a student-built app that made those menus mobile-friendly and even let users rate dishes and leave comments (“Trumbull chicken tenders hit different”).
At Yale, food is culture. Ask any undergrad and they’ll tell you: half of college life happens in the dining halls. Students swear by their favorites — Silliman for the brunch, Berkeley for pizza, Morse for athlete leftovers. It’s not just where we eat, but where we catch up, debate, and unwind.
For years, students would open Yale Hospitality’s clunky website mid-lecture, scrolling through endless PDFs just to see who had the best lunch. Then came YaleMenus — a student-built app that made those menus mobile-friendly and even let users rate dishes and leave comments (“Trumbull chicken tenders hit different”).
Our goal was to redesign YaleMenus into an adaptive, student-centered tool that reflects the evolving dining landscape and helps students make faster, smarter dining choices.
Our goal was to redesign YaleMenus into an adaptive, student-centered tool that reflects the evolving dining landscape and helps students make faster, smarter dining choices.
THE PROBLEM & PAIN POINTS
THE PROBLEM & PAIN POINTS
A changing system
A changing system
Yale Hospitality recently restructured its dining model — introducing new meal “concepts” like Greens, Grains & Grill and varied serving hours across colleges. The old menu system no longer aligned with the new dining organization, leaving students confused about which halls offered which meal types.
Yale Hospitality recently restructured its dining model — introducing new meal “concepts” like Greens, Grains & Grill and varied serving hours across colleges. The old menu system no longer aligned with the new dining organization, leaving students confused about which halls offered which meal types.
The email Yale Hospitality sent out to students with subject line “The Latest with Dining: Hours & Menu Updates” (overwhelming I know)
The email Yale Hospitality sent out to students with subject line “The Latest with Dining: Hours & Menu Updates” (overwhelming I know)
Endless Scrolling
Endless Scrolling
The existing Yale Menus app presented every dining hall item in one long, continuous list with little hierarchy or categorization. Always offered items cluttered the interface, making it difficult for students to figure out what the actual unique main dish was for the day.
The existing Yale Menus app presented every dining hall item in one long, continuous list with little hierarchy or categorization. Always offered items cluttered the interface, making it difficult for students to figure out what the actual unique main dish was for the day.
"The main's for some reason are never at the top, I know what the salad bar consists of I dont need to endlessly scroll through dressings”
"The main's for some reason are never at the top, I know what the salad bar consists of I dont need to endlessly scroll through dressings”
-Yale student, Class of 2026
-Yale student, Class of 2026
Unintuitive Information Architecture
Unintuitive Information Architecture
Students often had to jump between pages or scroll excessively to find simple information — like which dining halls were open and what they were serving. The app didn’t prioritize user intent, forcing multiple steps for tasks that should’ve been intuitive and quick.
Students often had to jump between pages or scroll excessively to find simple information — like which dining halls were open and what they were serving. The app didn’t prioritize user intent, forcing multiple steps for tasks that should’ve been intuitive and quick.
"Couldn’t find out what I needed at the same time. I want to be able to open the app and see right away which dining halls were open and then what they were serving”
"Couldn’t find out what I needed at the same time. I want to be able to open the app and see right away which dining halls were open and then what they were serving”
-Yale student, Class of 2027
-Yale student, Class of 2027
YaleMenus Old Mobile Interface 2020
YaleMenus Old Mobile Interface 2020
USER RESEARCH
USER RESEARCH
To understand how Yale students interact with dining hall menus and identify key pain points, we surveyed over 40 undergraduates across 10 residential colleges and conducted 12 short interviews to learn how, when, and why they use Yale Menus in their daily routines.
From these insights, we identified three primary user personas that represent distinct usage behaviors and motivations, determining our 4 major priorities.
To understand how Yale students interact with dining hall menus and identify key pain points, we surveyed over 40 undergraduates across 10 residential colleges and conducted 12 short interviews to learn how, when, and why they use Yale Menus in their daily routines.
From these insights, we identified three primary user personas that represent distinct usage behaviors and motivations, determining our 4 major priorities.
Find meals that fits dietary needs and personal health goals
Find meals that fits dietary needs and personal health goals
FRUSTRATIONS:
FRUSTRATIONS:
No way to track nutrition or allergens in a convenient way
No way to track nutrition or allergens in a convenient way
GOAL:
GOAL:
NEEDS TRANSPARENT NUTRITION DETAILS, ALLERGEN FILTERS AND WAY TO MONITOR INTAKE OVERALL
NEEDS TRANSPARENT NUTRITION DETAILS, ALLERGEN FILTERS AND WAY TO MONITOR INTAKE OVERALL
Check menus fast between class, practice and extracurriculars
Check menus fast between class, practice and extracurriculars
FRUSTRATIONS:
FRUSTRATIONS:
Endless scrolling and unclear which dining halls are open
Endless scrolling and unclear which dining halls are open
GOAL:
GOAL:
NEEDS A FAST MOBILE-FIRST WAY TO SEE WHAT’S BEING SERVED RIGHT NOW
NEEDS A FAST MOBILE-FIRST WAY TO SEE WHAT’S BEING SERVED RIGHT NOW
Coordinate meals with friends, planning for the week
Coordinate meals with friends, planning for the week
FRUSTRATIONS:
FRUSTRATIONS:
Can't easily compare dining halls or know which concepts were being served where, never know when favorite meals are being served :(
Can't easily compare dining halls or know which concepts were being served where, never know when favorite meals are being served :(
GOAL:
GOAL:
NEEDS A CLEAR SYSTEM THAT SHOWS DINING CONCEPTS ACROSS COLLEGES AT A GLANCE AND A WAY TO TRACK WHEN FAVORITE MEALS ARE SERVED
NEEDS A CLEAR SYSTEM THAT SHOWS DINING CONCEPTS ACROSS COLLEGES AT A GLANCE AND A WAY TO TRACK WHEN FAVORITE MEALS ARE SERVED
Clarity
Minimal Navigation
Personalization
Nutrition
IDEATION
IDEATION
We created numerous low-fidelity sketches to explore the hierarchy and layout of the home page, experimenting with what students should see first the moment they open the app.
We created numerous low-fidelity sketches to explore the hierarchy and layout of the home page, experimenting with what students should see first the moment they open the app.
THE SOLUTION
THE SOLUTION
College Horizontal Scroll + Meal-Concept System
College Horizontal Scroll + Meal-Concept System
The order of colleges is organized via distance from college but included option to pin your favorite! (#proudsillimander)
The order of colleges is organized via distance from college but included option to pin your favorite! (#proudsillimander)
BREAKFAST
BREAKFAST
🔥 - Hot Breakfast
❄️ - Continental Breakfast
🔥 - Hot Breakfast
❄️ - Continental Breakfast
LUNCH
LUNCH
🥗 - Greens & Grains
*No Icon Otherwise
🥗 - Greens & Grains
*No Icon Otherwise
DINNER
DINNER
🍕 - Pizza
🌟 - Special Dinner
🍕 - Pizza
🌟 - Special Dinner
A sticky, swipeable row that shows every dining hall and the type of meal currently offered via concept chip.
A sticky, swipeable row that shows every dining hall and the type of meal currently offered via concept chip.
Mains Mains Mains – Prioritizing What Matters
Mains Mains Mains – Prioritizing What Matters
To reduce cognitive load and decision time, only the Mains section appears expanded when users open the app, while sides, soups, and desserts remain collapsed.
This focuses attention on the most relevant information first, helping students quickly see what’s for lunch or dinner without endless scrolling.
The rest of the menu is still accessible with a single tap, keeping the interface both clean and efficient.
To reduce cognitive load and decision time, only the Mains section appears expanded when users open the app, while sides, soups, and desserts remain collapsed.
This focuses attention on the most relevant information first, helping students quickly see what’s for lunch or dinner without endless scrolling.
The rest of the menu is still accessible with a single tap, keeping the interface both clean and efficient.
Customization and Tracking
Customization and Tracking
YaleMenus adapt to you — dietary filters personalize what’s visible at a glance.
YaleMenus adapt to you
In the new profile tab, users can set dietary preferences and restrictions such as vegetarian or vegan.
Once selected, these filters carry over to the home page, where non-relevant dishes automatically gray out.
This allows students to instantly scan menus that match their needs without manual filtering, creating a more inclusive and streamlined dining experience.
In the new profile tab, users can set dietary preferences and restrictions such as vegetarian or vegan.
Once selected, these filters carry over to the home page, where non-relevant dishes automatically gray out.
This allows students to instantly scan menus that match their needs without manual filtering, creating a more inclusive and streamlined dining experience.
item nutrition pop-up
item nutrition pop-up
home
home
nutrition page
nutrition page
Selecting any dish opens a detailed nutrition pop-up, showing calories, macronutrients, and allergen information at a glance.
From there, users can tap “Add to Food Log” to track meals directly within the app. This addition transforms YaleMenus from a simple reference tool into a personal wellness companion, supporting students who want to eat mindfully and align dining choices with fitness or dietary goals.
The standalone Nutrition Page consolidates all logged items, offering a clear overview of daily intake and trends over time.
Selecting any dish opens a detailed nutrition pop-up, showing calories, macronutrients, and allergen information at a glance.
From there, users can tap “Add to Food Log” to track meals directly within the app. This addition transforms YaleMenus from a simple reference tool into a personal wellness companion, supporting students who want to eat mindfully and align dining choices with fitness or dietary goals.
The standalone Nutrition Page consolidates all logged items, offering a clear overview of daily intake and trends over time.
Personal Welness Companion — Nutrition Insights and Food Logging
Personal Welness Companion — Nutrition Insights and Food Logging
IMPACT
IMPACT
The redesigned YaleMenus app is scheduled to relaunch at the end of October, and anticipation across campus is already high there’s even a launch party planned to celebrate its return.
The redesigned YaleMenus app is scheduled to relaunch at the end of October, and anticipation across campus is already high there’s even a launch party planned to celebrate its return.
Students have been vocal about missing the original app, with posts on Yale’s anonymous platform Fizz like “rip yale menus” and “every day I miss YaleMenus.” Seeing that energy and nostalgia only reinforces how essential the app has become to daily campus life — and how meaningful it feels to bring it back, redesigned for the way students actually eat and plan today.
Students have been vocal about missing the original app, with posts on Yale’s anonymous platform Fizz like “rip yale menus” and “every day I miss YaleMenus.” Seeing that energy and nostalgia only reinforces how essential the app has become to daily campus life — and how meaningful it feels to bring it back, redesigned for the way students actually eat and plan today.
Screenshots from Fizz (Yale’s anonymous platform)
Screenshots from Fizz (Yale’s anonymous platform)
TAKEAWAYS
TAKEAWAYS
Navigating Team Disagreements
Navigating Team Disagreements
As my first UI/UX project, YaleMenus was a crash course in collaboration. Balancing ideas across designers, developers, and stakeholders meant learning when to push for a design decision and when to step back. Every compromise ultimately made the product stronger and more cohesive.
As my first UI/UX project, YaleMenus was a crash course in collaboration. Balancing ideas across designers, developers, and stakeholders meant learning when to push for a design decision and when to step back. Every compromise ultimately made the product stronger and more cohesive.
Functionality >>>
Functionality >>>
In architecture, functionality and flow are everything — every space is designed with intention, hierarchy, and user experience in mind. Resizing that mindset to the mobile scale made me realize how transferable those principles are. Whether it’s a building or an app, the goal is the same: to create environments that people can navigate effortlessly.
In architecture, functionality and flow are everything — every space is designed with intention, hierarchy, and user experience in mind. Resizing that mindset to the mobile scale made me realize how transferable those principles are. Whether it’s a building or an app, the goal is the same: to create environments that people can navigate effortlessly.
Iterating With Developers
Iterating With Developers
Working closely with the development team reshaped how I think about the design process. I came to appreciate the iterative rhythm between design and development — testing, refining, and aligning constraints with creativity. It wasn’t always smooth, but it built my confidence in communicating across disciplines and translating design intent into real, functioning products.
Working closely with the development team reshaped how I think about the design process. I came to appreciate the iterative rhythm between design and development — testing, refining, and aligning constraints with creativity. It wasn’t always smooth, but it built my confidence in communicating across disciplines and translating design intent into real, functioning products.
Last updated Oct. 2025
Contact
s.feng@yale.edu