THE ASK

A leading global QSR, McDonald's set out to reimagine its internal Technology

Reinvestment Tool.

The goal was to transform a complex, data-heavy platform into an intuitive & responsive dashboard experience across devices.

Experience Design

Responsive Design

Dev. Hand-Off & VQA

A leading global QSR, McDonald's set out to reimagine its internal Technology Reinvestment Tool.

The goal was to transform a complex, data-heavy platform into an intuitive & responsive dashboard experience across devices.

MCDONALD'S: THE BRAND

Founded in 1940 in San Bernardino, California, today McDonald's stands to be the largest QSR in the world. The brand sees nearly 65-70 million daily visitors, which is almost 1% of the world's population.

13,500+

U.S. Locations

Densest national footprint

for a restaurant chain.

Densest national footprint

for a restaurant chain.

100+

Countries Around the World

With over 43,000+ restaurants worldwide.

THE TECHNOLOGY REINVESTMENT TOOL

TRT (Technology Reinvestment Tool) is an internal enterprise planning platform designed to forecast hardware upgrades and OS transitions, enabling proactive and efficient reinvestment decisions.

At an organisational level, it is leveraged across all U.S. stores to streamline technology lifecycle planning and infrastructure readiness.

TRT serves 3 primary user groups:

• Corporate Admin (Corp. Admin)

• Owner Operator (OO)

• Operational Technology Partner (OTP)

And each of these entities interact with this platform in distinct operational and decision-making contexts.

SO, WHAT DOES THE TOOL DO

We started off with exploring the tool in depth to understand how it functions and aids users:

Forecast upcoming hardware upgrades and device replacements

Track operating system transitions and compliance requirements

Support data-driven budgeting and infrastructure planning

Align the Corp. Admins, OOs and OTPs on replacement / upgrade timelines

NOW, WHERE DO WE COME IN

Distinct operational contexts, meant reimagining the platform as a role-based system- with tailored experiences and workflow-specific interactions.

Further, as OTPs frequently access the platform in the field, the experience needed to be fully responsive across Tablet and Mobile breakpoints.

• Role-based system design

• Responsive design

Operational Technology Partner

Partners that provide on-ground technical support to ensure that the devices remain compliant.

Data Updater

Owner Operator

Franchise owners who coordinate with OTPs to manage store-level operations and store-specific replacements and upgrades.

Data Consumer

Corporate Admin

Corporate-level stakeholders that oversee compliance requirements, infrastructure readiness and budgeting strategies.

Hardware / Software Data Overseer

IMMERSION AND DISCOVERY

Our process began with an in-depth study of the Tool and for this- we participated in 4 Demo Walkthroughs conducted by the Onshore Team.

DEMO 01

• Walkthrough of the Dashboard
• Different user groups using TRT

• Introduction to Hardware

• Walkthrough of the Dashboard
• Different user groups using TRT

• Introduction to Hardware

DEMO 02

• Hardware in detail

• Budget
• Introduction to Impersonation

• Hardware in detail

• Budget
• Introduction to Impersonation

DEMO 03

• Impersonation
• Introduction to TRT Admin
• Q&A

DEMO 04

• TRT Admin

• Summarising TRT
• Q&A

• TRT Admin

• Summarising TRT
• Q&A

IMMERSION AND DISCOVERY

We learnt that McD makes use of Telerik's Kendo UI for its design library requirements, so our next step involved studying their DLS.

The Kendo UI Kit offers over 1,000 components; however, only a subset was relevant to TRT’s functional and interactive requirements.

We conducted a detailed audit of the platform to identify reusable components and strategically adapted them to establish an internal design library for TRT.

IMMERSION & DISCOVERY

Designing for responsiveness required rethinking table-heavy interfaces for smaller screens.

PRIMARY RESEARCH

For our next step, we conducted Primary Research to understand the challenges and expectations of the different user groups while working with TRT.

remote interviews

survey responses

THE CHALLENGES THAT EMERGED

Insights from Primary Research helped us uncover role-specific challenges that we could cater to with UX enhancements whilst designing for responsiveness.

If you had something that highlights what and why the graphs or widgets are important or what they mean.

-Owner Operator

CLEAR VISIBILITY & PRIORITIZATION

Owners need instant visibility into urgent actions and upcoming deadlines.

CONTEXTUAL CLARITY AND TIMELY UPDATES

They need clarity on what each widget represents and timely alerts for items requiring attention.

IMPROVED INTEGRATION

FOR EFFICIENCY

IMPROVED INTEGRATION

FOR EFFICIENCY

IMPROVED INTEGRATION

FOR EFFICIENCY

Lastly, they also require better integration with the hardware vendors for accurate costs.

EASE AND EFFICIENCY

ON THE FIELD

EASE AND EFFICIENCY

ON THE FIELD

EASE AND EFFICIENCY

ON THE FIELD

OTPs operate in the field and require seamless access to TRT on mobile and tablet devices.

CLEAR PRIORITIZATION

& COMPLIANCE VISIBILITY

CLEAR PRIORITIZATION

& COMPLIANCE VISIBILITY

CLEAR PRIORITIZATION

& COMPLIANCE VISIBILITY

OTPs need clear visual indicators & timely alerts to identify devices requiring immediate action.

IMPROVED INTEGRATION

FOR EFFICIENCY

IMPROVED INTEGRATION

FOR EFFICIENCY

IMPROVED INTEGRATION

FOR EFFICIENCY

OTPs also require better integration with Budgeting tools for streamlined planning.

OWNER OPERATORS

OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

We mapped out the existing IA of the TRT Portal for every specific user-group.

Due to limited data from OO and OTP users, IA-level changes could not be considered. However, preliminary insights from their interviews revealed scope for improvements that could be considered in the future.

THE DESIGN LIBRARY FOR TRT

Leveraging Telerik's Kendo UI ecosystem of 1000+ components, we curated and adapted a design system specifically for TRT that aligned with McDonald's branding and other digital platforms.

-Owner Operator

DESIGN OUTCOMES

Reduced ambiguity and increased

clarity to build trust within the system

Reduced ambiguity and increased

clarity to build trust within the system

-Owner Operator

The redesigned TRT dashboard improved clarity and usability by incorporating contextual tooltips, colour-coded status indicators, and simplified filtering mechanisms.

Tooltips for easy contextual clarity

Easy filtering options to view only necessary widgets

Hover to view

the statistics

Hover to view

the statistics

Hover to view

the statistics

Quick insights for devices requiring immediate attention

DESIGN OUTCOMES

Focus on making tasks

efficient and frictionless

Focus on making tasks

efficient and frictionless

-Owner Operator

Switching between accounts during user impersonation required repeated logins. A persistent “Stop Impersonating” banner streamlined this flow and eliminated unnecessary friction.

Surfaced key alerts at the top for faster navigation

Surfaced key alerts at the top for faster navigation

Access to impersonate fellow Users' Portal to troubleshoot issues

DESIGN OUTCOMES

Intuitive navigation with

clear items of attention

Intuitive navigation with

clear items of attention

To enable faster decision-making, we prioritised highlighting items that required immediate action. Smart filters were introduced to streamline information, making it easier to scan.

Tabs to quickly switch between sections

Filters that allow for easier scan & sort

Bottom-drawer for Mobile Filters

Highlighting actionable items with a coral fill

DESIGN OUTCOMES

Most importantly- making TRT

responsive for on-field usage

Most importantly- making TRT

responsive for on-field usage

-Owner Operator

As TRT saw increasing usage by OTPs in the field, we optimised the platform for tablet and mobile breakpoints to ensure seamless, on-the-go access.

THE FINAL STEPS

Prototyping, Development Handoff and VQA

Following the completion of TRT’s visual design, the next phase involved consolidating key user flows into an interactive Figma prototype. In parallel, I provided detailed development annotations to clearly define expected interactions and behaviours.

As features were built, I conducted thorough Visual Quality Assurance (VQA) reviews to ensure the implemented product aligned closely with the final design specifications.

-Owner Operator

LOOKING BACK

Learnings & Reflections

The McDonald’s TRT program was an intensive 8-week engagement- from product understanding to experience redesign and developer handoff. It reinforced how the design process can be meaningfully applied even within tight timelines.

Working in a lean team of two designers and a team lead allowed me to contribute across the full project lifecycle.

The project also elevated my confidence in client communication- presenting ideas, defending design rationale, and engaging in constructive discussions with clarity and logic.

Most importantly, I was involved from day one through final handoff and VQA reviews, which deepened both my learning and sense of ownership over the project.

Back to Work

Scroll to Deliverable

Back to Work

Scroll to Deliverable

Back to Work

Scroll to Deliverable

SO, WHAT WAS NOT WORKING?

A Failing Digital Touchpoint

Maruti Suzuki’s website struggled with poor navigation, unengaging content, and a dated user experience- resulting in a 92 % drop-off rate by the end of the page.

2 Brands Blurring Into 1

Arena and NEXA, their two sub-brands with distinct personalities, blurred into each other online. Their digital presence simply didn’t match their real-world identities.

The Behavioural Barrier

Indian customers still trust showrooms and test drives over starting their journey online.

Shifting that mindset meant designing a digital experience compelling enough to change habits.

Contact Me :)

If something exciting is brewing ☕️, I'd love to collaborate!

Bangalore, India

+91 9916059432

lubhavni.chauhan@gmail.com