Market Research

My Choice Restaurant: In-N-Out Burger

For being one of the most popular and ubiquitous fast-food burger chains in Southern California, the current In-N-Out Website is startlingly outdated and aesthetically displeasing. While having some cool features like the option of being able to choose which one of five locations you want to see the exterior of, the overall design is frankly lacking. Most of the links and buttons seems to use images rather than HTML5 graphics or vectors, and the transition between different pages is harsh. Gradients are used a tad too liberally. The pages aren't responsive, and nothing really screams 'smooth'. It has the same aesthetic quality as a DMV driving school or online health class, not a 21st century burgeoning food chain.

Competitive Analysis

Fatburger

While the design of the website is more up to date on design trends, with flat, minimalistic design and pleasing typography, the color scheme is frankly a bit off putting in that it doesn't really seem to match the company's logo or other branding. Additionally the information of the page doesn't fill the entire window, which is also a somewhat visually displeasing. That being said, when it comes to interactivity the website is great. It uses parallax scrolling to emphasis its images (like pictures of milkshakes), all of the buttons change upon hovering and clicking, and there is even a scrollable table of contents on the side featuring section titles like 'Fatburger,' 'Since 1952,' and 'Social Feed'

Fatburger's website excels when it comes to calls to actions. A button for 'delivery' shows up on the center of the page and is the very first element. The user is immediately greeted with a large and prominent 'find a fatburger' button. As soon as you scroll down you're urged to sign for their newsletter with an email form, and this section seemlessly flows into another one highlighting the company's various social media presences on Youtube and Instagram. There's a fixed box element directing the user towards their official instagram replete with eye-catching photos.

My only criticism would be that the company's menu is just a link to pictures of their physical, outmoded menu, and that the images of the various samplings aren't optimal. Otherwise it really is a great design to emulate

Jack In The Box

Jack In The Box's Website lacks no calls to actions, that's for sure. As soon I load the website, I find myself bombarded with ads, almost to an overwhelming degree. Constantly present is a fixed button insisting that I 'Get Free Nuggets'. There are plenty of smoothly animated elements, and I can easily make my way around the website. Once again, I'm prompted to find a location or redeem a deal. While social media aren't as emphasised as in the Fatburger example, I can still easily see the interactive icons linking to the company's profiles in the upper right-hand corner. That being said, not all of the website's images are high-resolution and sometimes the excess of animation caused the webiste to lag on my computer.

McDonalds

McDonald's has one of the best websites when it comes to organizing and displaying pictures of their food, which admittedly is what is most likely to entice customers into making a purchase. The images are all high-resolution, colorful, and stunning. While the navbar could use some work since it seems a little inconsistent with the rest of the website, each page as a whole is aligned very well and is overall both visually appealing and consistent. Once again calls to action take front and center. The home page hosts a form to signup for their mailing list, as well as a section advertising their ability to be delivered off of Uber eats. Social media, however, aren't too highly emphasized, which is somewhat surprising.

Goals And Target Audience

First off, unlike other fast food chains, In-N-Out seems to be vehemently against having a middle-man act as a deliverer, going so far as to sue DoorDash for the practice back in 2015. In-N-Out claims this was because such delivery methods reduce the company's ability to ensure the quality, freshness, and temperature of its final product. Therefore, no emphasis will be placed on the Ddelivery aspect of fast-food, and will instead be focused on encouraging customers to find a nearby location. Additionally, while In-N-Out's competitors use their respective websites to advertise franchising opportunities, In-N-Out is privately-owned business that refuses to franchise it's restaurants. Once again, no emphasis will be placed on this aspect.

Unlike many other chains, however, In-N-Out does seem to place a large emphasis on it's merchandise, so their new website should probably also function as a way to promote this facet of their business as well.

So then, what are In-N-Out's goals as a company?

Simply put, the company's website should encourage visitors to find the nearest location, while also focusing on social media presence in order to increase both brand awareness and sales. As it is, having an outdates and frankly ugly website does not help the company's brand, and refreshing it to a more modern appearance would be a huge step in the right direction.

Who are we designing for?

From my experience at least, In-N-Out serves two main functions.
  1. As a roadside stop for SoCal travellers looking for a quick meal while getting closer to their destination
  2. As a late night hangout spot for teenagers and young adults, which is promoted by In-N-Out's fairly late closing times (~2am)

If I were to pick one, it would be for the latter, as that is likely the most consistent and loyal demographic. Additionally, they are far more likely to purchase clothes than any other demographic out there.

What needs to be done?