Food Delivery App Checklist for 2025

Food delivery apps are everywhere — but not all of them work well.

The best ones aren’t just fast or beautiful — they’re frictionless, even under pressure (bad signal, impatient user, messy kitchens).
This food delivery app checklist is a guide for designing systems that actually work — for users, couriers, and restaurants alike.

🧭 1. Onboarding & Account Setup

•  Location permission request with context

•  Clean login/signup flow (email, phone, Apple/Google)

•  Optional tutorial or walkthrough

•  Saved addresses and past orders

•  Language, currency, and preference settings

First impressions matter. Keep it fast, clear, and native.

🍕 2. Discovery & Browsing

•  Smart location-based restaurant listings

•  Filters for cuisine, delivery time, price, dietary tags

•  Featured promos and top-rated picks

•  Real food photos, not placeholders

•  Live prep + delivery estimates

Users are hungry. Don’t make them think too hard.

🧾 3. Menu & Item Pages

•  Item name, price, calories, and ingredients

•  Add-ons (sides, toppings, sauces)

•  Variant logic (size, spice level, etc.)

•  Quantity selector

•  Allergens, dietary notes, and preparation instructions

This is where trust builds. Precision matters.

🛒 4. Cart & Checkout

•  Persistent cart icon

•  Editable order summary

•  Delivery fee, taxes, and tip shown clearly

•  Promo code field

•  Multiple payment options: wallet, card, COD

•  One-tap reorders from past purchases

🎯 Design for speed — but never sacrifice clarity.

🚴 5. Order Tracking

•  Real-time updates from kitchen to courier

•  Courier name + ETA

•  Live map with order location

•  Contact support or courier

•  “Mark as delivered” and feedback options

This is where many apps shine — or fall apart.

🧠 6. UX Touchpoints

•  Empty states with suggestions

•  Tap feedback and loading indicators

•  Error handling and retry flows

•  Animated transitions between stages

•  Accessibility (large tap areas, contrast, alt text)

For behavioral clarity, consider integrating User Psychology 3 — it helps design for how users actually feel when hungry, rushed, or distracted.

🧱 7. Design System & Consistency

•  Tokens for color, spacing, and typography

•  Mobile-first layout and constraints

•  Auto Layout and Variants in Figma

•  Shared components for all CTAs, inputs, and cards

•  Cross-platform consistency (iOS/Android)

•  Localization-ready layouts

The Sigma Design System offers a strong starting point if you want modular, mobile-ready UI blocks that scale.

💬 Final Thought

A great food delivery app isn’t just fast — it feels calm, even when things go wrong.

This checklist helps you design flows that don’t just look good in the studio, but perform under pressure in real kitchens and on real streets.

Because good design, in this case, means someone eats on time.