Fresh Bake Production System
01 — Overview
Fresh Bake is a family-owned bakery with a loyal local following that wanted to scale their business through digital ordering while maintaining their artisan quality and zero-waste commitment.
02 — The Challenge
The bakery was losing money through overproduction (wasted bread at end of day) and underproduction (missed orders during peak times). Phone-based ordering was unreliable, and there was no way to predict daily demand accurately. Staff spent hours on manual order tracking.
03 — Research
I spent a week working alongside bakers, observing their 4am start times and production rhythms. I analysed 6 months of sales data to identify demand patterns. Interviews with 25 regular customers revealed that freshness guarantees and delivery windows were the top priorities.
04 — UX Process
I designed two interconnected interfaces: a customer ordering app and a kitchen display system. The key insight was that the system needed to work backwards from production capacity, not forward from customer demand. Wireframes evolved through 4 iterations as we refined the predictive algorithm interface.
05 — UI Design
The customer app uses warm, appetising photography with a simple three-tap ordering flow. The kitchen display is high-contrast and large-text for readability in a busy kitchen. Real-time order queues update with colour-coded urgency indicators.
06 — Testing & Iteration
We ran a 4-week pilot with 50 customers and the bakery team. The predictive algorithm improved accuracy from 60% to 92% after 2 weeks of learning. Customer satisfaction scores jumped from 3.8 to 4.9 out of 5.
07 — Final Solution
An intelligent production management system with a customer-facing ordering app and kitchen display system. The platform uses historical sales data, weather patterns, and local events to predict daily demand. Orders sync in real-time with production schedules.
08 — Outcome
Zero food waste achieved within 3 months. Revenue tripled through expanded delivery reach. Same-day fresh delivery success rate of 99.2%. Kitchen efficiency improved by 55%. Customer satisfaction score reached 4.9/5.
09 — What I Learned
This project taught me that the best UX decisions sometimes serve the business, not just the user. The predictive algorithm wasn't visible to customers, but it was the key to delivering on the freshness promise that made them happy.