Vikki Burnett Design

Grubhub

Onboarding

Role: Product Designer II

Timeline: 6 months

Team: (1) Product Manager, (4) Front-End Engineers, (2) Back-End Engineers, (1) Copy Expert, (3) Sales Partners

Team: (1) Product Manager, (4) Front-End Engineers, (2) Back-End Engineers, (1) Copy Expert, (3) Sales Partners, (1) Legal Partner

Skills: Figma, UX Research, Experience Mapping, Prototyping, Wireframing, Usability Testing, Interaction Design, AI

Overview

Partnering with product, engineering, copy, and sales, I led the design of an optimized onboarding experience that enabled merchants to onboard to the Grubhub platform independently, without needing a sales representative.

Challenge

Only 1% of merchants could complete onboarding independently, creating a manual bottleneck for sales reps and extending onboarding to 2–4 weeks—well above the 3–5 day industry norm. The outdated design caused frustration, delayed merchant activation, and weakened brand trust.

HMW create a sign-up experience that Grubhub merchants feel comfortable completing on their own?

Solution

We redesigned the merchant onboarding flow to be simpler, more accessible, and conversion-focused—reducing friction through clearer language, fewer required fields, intuitive pricing plans, and translation support.

We redesigned the onboarding flow to be simpler, more accessible, and conversion-focused—reducing friction through clearer language, fewer required fields, intuitive pricing plans, and translation support.

Research

We began by conducting Pendo surveys to gather feedback on the existing flow, interviewed around 30 merchant partners, and held focus groups with 2-3 partners at a time to ask them about their experience signing up with Grubhub.

We began by conducting Pendo surveys to gather feedback on the existing flow, interviewing around 30 merchant partners, and held focus groups with 2-3 partners at a time to ask them about their experience signing up with Grubhub.

90%

Couldn’t complete the flow because of the time it took to locate required information

35%

Required assistance to complete the flow due to a language barrier

80%

Had trouble understanding the value of Grubhub's pricing plans

Goals

Show Value

Demonstrate offerings with value props, clear cost breakdowns, and included features

Provide Translation

Provide language translation for the most commonly spoken languages amongst merchants

Reduce Steps

Allow users to skip steps for a more flexible experience

List Requirements

List key information for completing the flow upfront

Experience Mapping

Mapping

I created user flows to outline each step of the onboarding process, from initial signup to account setup completion. These flows clarified decision points, helping align the team on the ideal merchant journey. I strategically mapped where to introduce value propositions to build trust and motivation throughout the process.

I created user flows to outline each step of the onboarding process, from initial signup to account setup completion, and strategically mapped where to introduce value propositions to build trust and motivation throughout the process.

Wireframing

I developed low- and mid-fidelity wireframes to map the end-to-end onboarding experience with a focus on clarity, efficiency, and ease of use. Early iterations explored how to introduce pricing transparency and optional steps to improve flow completion. Partnering closely with product and engineering, I validated user paths through feedback loops and usability testing. These wireframes established the foundation for refining content hierarchy, visual structure, and interaction patterns before advancing to high-fidelity design.

Testing

I conducted moderated usability tests with new Grubhub users to compare signup flows, measuring completion rates, time, errors, and feedback. The accordion design performed best—users found it more intuitive, made fewer errors, and could easily edit information. Stepper designs, however, caused some confusion when navigating backward.

Features

AI Assistance

AI-powered assistance through GrubBot, a chatbot that guides merchants through onboarding with real-time support. GrubBot answers FAQs, clarifies requirements, and reduces drop-off rates through proactive guidance. Designed with a user-friendly interface featuring clear prompts and structured decision paths, the experience was continuously refined through iterative testing and user feedback to enhance engagement and conversion.

AI Assistance

Language Translation

Multilingual support, addressing the most common merchant languages. Merchants can select their preferred language from a dropdown on the initial signup page, allowing for seamless translation of the entire onboarding flow for improved accessibility and inclusivity.

Language Translation

Transparent Pricing

Clear and visually engaging pricing layout showcasing plan tiers — Become a Partner (Basic), Reach More Diners (Plus), and Maximize Sales (Premium). Each plan includes a scannable list of features and exclusions, transparent pricing details, and a 30-day free trial to ease decision fatigue.

Transparent Pricing

Optional Steps

Merchants can skip certain signup steps and complete them later within Grubhub for Restaurants, improving flow completion and reducing friction for busy users.

Optional Steps

Merchants can skip certain signup steps and complete them later within Grubhub for Restaurants, improving flow completion and reducing friction for busy users.

Responsive Design

Fully responsive design across various tablet and mobile devices, allowing merchants to complete setup conveniently from any location or device.

Responsive Design

Fully responsive design across various tablet and mobile devices, allowing merchants to complete setup conveniently from any location or device.

Outcome

The redesigned onboarding flow improved merchant engagement, completion rates, and conversions while decreasing wait times to go live. GrubBot reduced drop-off through real-time guidance, while language translation, transparent pricing, and responsive design made the experience more inclusive, flexible, and user-friendly.

29x completion increase

The rate at which users could complete the flow independently rose from 1% to 30%

1.5x conversion increase

Conversion rose from 20% to 50%

$25M/year revenue increase

Signups increased by 1,500/month, resulting in an estimated $25M increase in yearly revenue

Wait times decreased by 14 days

Decreased wait times

Time-to-live decreased from 4 weeks to 2 weeks

Home

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Onboarding

My Role: Lead Designer

Role: Product Designer II

Timeline: 3 months

Timeline: 6 months

Team: (2) Front-End Developers, (3) Back-End Developers, (2) Product Partners

Team: (1) Product Manager, (4) Front-End Engineers, (2) Back-End Engineers, (1) Copy Expert, (3) Sales Partners

Team: (1) Product Manager, (4) Front-End Engineers, (2) Back-End Engineers, (1) Copy Expert, (3) Sales Partners, (1) Legal Partner

Skills Used: Figma, UX Research, Journey Mapping, User Flows, Prototyping, Wireframing

Skills: Figma, UX Research, Experience Mapping, Prototyping, Wireframing, Usability Testing, Interaction Design, AI