A critical look at Yo Sushi's wacky new website

Yo Sushi (I refuse to use the exclamation mark) has released a new website, which is interesting to say the least.

While ecommerce sites have become more user friendly over the years, thanks to the simple fact that usable sites make more money, Restaurant websites in general have been a playground for the imaginations of designers.

It seems to me that many have been created without a passing thought for usability.

For example, Buddokan’s website (click on image to find out) has a completely pointless intro page which forces users to click on a tiny link to view the proper site.

buddokan

 

In short, many restaurants have failed to think about what their users actually want and how they use the site and have just decided to go for a design which makes a statement.

This means that users who (mainly) just want to see locations, menus and perhaps make a booking have to work very hard to find such basic information.

The latest such design comes from Yo Sushi. Here it is.

(click image to visit site).

new yo sushi site

Now, I like the design a lot. I can see the impact the scrolling effect must have had at various meetings at Yo Sushi HQ, and the site does fit very well with the brand.

I also like the carousel effect on this food page:

sushi food page

However, when you look at how people actually use websites, then the cracks start to appear.

For example, try and find that food page using the scrolling homepage. It is possible, but it’s much more difficult than it needs to be.

Indeed, it’s much easier to click the hamburger menu option and navigate that way.

yo sushi naviagtion

 

So, on a desktop it looks good, it’s fun, but it doesn’t actually work that well. Now let’s go back to the point about designing for how people use your site.

This brings us to mobile. Mobile is very important for restaurants and, in a world where mobile usage is on the rise, restaurant site design really needs to cater for mobile users.

Indeed, a JiWire study from 2014 found that mobile users were more than twice as likely to use mobile over desktop as a source of information on dining decisions.

However, this site isn’t great on mobile. It uses responsive design so the desktop and mobile design is just the same.

This is a perfectly acceptable approach on lots of sites but works less well when the desktop version has a design like this.

On mobile, the scrolling movement of down down the street is instead very jerky, and this was on wi-fi. On variable mobile internet connections it will infuriate some users.

As such, the ‘navigation by street sign’ technique is even more difficult.

Yo Sushi mobile site

 

Speed is an issue for mobile, more so since Google’s Mobile-Friendly update made it a ranking factor.

As shown by Google’s Page Speed tool, this site isn’t the fastest:

page speed yo sushiIt just doesn’t work very well, and lacks some of the obvious features of a mobile site. For example, it doesn’t ask to use my location to find the nearest restaurant, which is pretty standard on most mobile sites.

Also, the map is fiddly to move while, when you click on a pin, you often only see half of the details:

yo sushi mobile locator

 

Other obvious features are missing too.

Here, on the locator page for one of its restaurants, it has integrated maps but hasn’t added the option of directions. A small thing perhaps, but one which improves the user experience on mobile.

yo sushi restaurant locator

In summary

This is a classic case of style over substance. On first impressions, the homepage looks great, and the scrolling effect produces that wow factor.

However, on closer inspection, the site makes it harder for customers to find information on the food, or find one of its restaurants, which is surely the point of its site.

Indeed, it is these user needs which the site fails to consider, especially on mobile. For a comparison, look at this mobile homepage from Pizza Express, another chain restaurant.

There are four tasks which users can perform easily from this page. Ones which, I would guess, Pizza Express has identified through analytics and user testing.

Pizza express mobile homepage

 

 

Mobile users are often in a hurry, so the key tasks should be easy to carry out. Pizza Express (and others) get this, it seems Yo Sushi doesn’t.

All the flashy design counts for nothing if the the user experience is so poor.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource