During my time at REKKI, I visited many kitchens in London and found a strong hierarchy in place. Head chefs were responsible for ensuring everything ran smoothly, as even one missed order could lead to significant profit loss. They preferred to test REKKI with one supplier initially. If the first 5 orders went well, they were happy to add other suppliers to order from and involve the entire team in collaborating on orders, checking deliveries, and managing stock.

These first 5 orders were crucial for successful adoption. So when it came to designing the onboarding experience, this piece of data was our guiding principle.

Running a kitchen smoothly is a challenge, and unexpected errors like missed deliveries or incorrect orders can create chaos. That's why many chefs preferred the traditional method of jotting down orders on a napkin and calling the supplier. They distrusted technology, disliked having phones in the kitchen, and often dealt with connectivity issues that reinforced their skepticism. This highlighted the importance of providing extremely clear and visible feedback for all actions in the app; simple notification banners wouldn't suffice.

Throughout the day, head chefs and their teams have multiple tasks related to ordering. It's not a linear process and is often handled by multiple people. Chefs might start the process but leave halfway through, only to return hours later. This translated into another product design principle: Create flows that can be easily resumed and managed in short bursts of time.