About

ToDate is a restaurant reservation system tailored for small and medium-sized restaurants. It represents Taipei Digital Group’s effort to bridge the digital divide within Taiwan’s catering industry and serves as the foundation for a larger project aimed at achieving more precise audience segmentation. Initially designed and developed by TDG's engineering department, the product struggled with limited market traction and required revitalisation to become a competitive offering.

Responsibilities

I served as the product manager during the first phase of ToDate’s redevelopment.

Product Strategy and Development

• Conducted market research to benchmark ToDate against competitors and identify areas for improvement.

• Planned and designed new system functions, writing detailed product specifications to guide development.

• Defined and managed the product roadmap, outlining short- and long-term goals for the system’s evolution.

• Prioritised tasks and deliverables to balance quick wins with long-term strategic improvements.

• Conducted client feedback sessions and usability tests to identify pain points and areas for improvement.

• Incorporated user insights into future development cycles to create user-centric features.

Financial Analysis and Business Planning

• Analysed financial aspects, including cost evaluation, investment return projections, and bonus structures for resellers and salespersons.

• Developed pricing strategies for the system and text message packages.

• Created comprehensive business proposals and plans to support stakeholder alignment.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Communication

• Facilitated communication between departments, including the engineering and sales departments, to ensure alignment throughout the project lifecycle.

• Coordinated with UX/UI designers, engineers, and sales teams to ensure the product aligned with user needs and business goals.

• Ensured timelines, budgets, and resources were allocated effectively to meet project milestones.

Marketing Strategy

• Provided strategic marketing support after the product's first revision by developing the brand tagline, slogans, and the brand story.

Localisation (currently in progress)

• Lead the localisation for English and Japanese audiences, ensuring cultural relevance and maintaining user-friendly communication across different markets.

Challenge

The absence of comprehensive marketing analysis and follow-up user interviews during the initial development phase, due to limited resources, resulted in a significant lack of competitive features. This left the product struggling against similar solutions that had already captured the market. Feedback from initial trial users indicated a high level of dissatisfaction, revealing that the product failed to meet the needs of restaurant owners. Additionally, customer support was inadequately planned. The primary objective was to overhaul the system to align with market expectations, rebuild client trust, and achieve profitability while remaining cost-effective for small and medium-sized restaurants.

Solution

After my department assumed responsibility for the project, we shifted the development approach from software design to service design, enabling us to identify critical gaps in both system functionality and customer support. I led the project’s transformation by conducting in-depth market research, competitor analysis, and stakeholder interviews to identify key market trends and client needs.

By designing and implementing enhanced system features, optimising user workflows, and improving the user interface, we significantly increased ToDate’s overall usability and competitiveness. One of the most impactful changes I introduced was redefining how the system managed customer and table allocations, allowing for unmatched seating (e.g., two guests occupying a table for three) and table combinations (e.g., merging tables to accommodate larger groups).

I collaborated closely with a UI designer to restructure the interface, ensuring that information was categorised logically and presented clearly, thereby improving the overall user experience. Additionally, I redesigned the user workflow to include a process for restaurant owners to import their existing reservation data, facilitating a seamless transition from traditional to digital restaurant management.

The business strategy also included a comprehensive financial roadmap that outlined projected returns and a scalable bonus structure to incentivise resellers and sales teams. The pricing model was optimised to ensure the product would achieve profitability by the second year while remaining affordable for small and medium-sized restaurants.

To support the product’s relaunch, I developed the brand tagline, brand story, and several marketing slogans that reinforced ToDate's value proposition. Each element was designed to convey an approachable, user-friendly image that resonated with small and medium-sized restaurant owners.