What was the problem?

When browsing a restaurant, users rely on reviews to decide if it fits their needs, but reading multiple reviews is time-consuming and can lead to fatigue. On the Restaurant Page, reaching the reviews section usually means they’re close to deciding, yet many skim a few comments, miss key insights, or give up before feeling confident to book.

From a business perspective, we needed to keep the page clean and easy to scan while offering a direct, trustworthy “taste” of the dining experience. The goal was to highlight only the most relevant insights (Pros and Cons) giving users clarity, relevance, and confidence in just a few seconds.

Before the Review Summary's release

Assumptions & ideations

We assumed that users didn’t need more reviews -> They needed a faster, smarter way to understand them. The hypothesis was that summarizing collective sentiment and highlighting key themes could help users decide faster while keeping the Restaurant Page compact and more digestible.

We explored different ways to surface these insights: from keyword-based summaries and sentiment visualizations to AI-driven textual summaries.

Through quick workshops and concept explorations, we identified that users valued clarity and tone consistency over volume , preferring a short, trustworthy synthesis that captured the essence of what others said.

Solutions

We designed Review Summary as a compact, scannable block very noticeable (compared to the other elements in the page) to provide a new shortcut to our users.

This approach helped reduce cognitive load while increasing confidence. Users no longer had to scroll through multiple reviews to form an opinion — the summary did the heavy lifting, transforming the review experience from overwhelming to reassuring and efficient.

Visually, the design strikes a balance between warmth and clarity. Thanks to this project, for the first time at TheFork, we introduced a dedicated brand identity for AI using soft, warm tones (like pink shadows) and subtle micro-interactions and animations that evoke the feeling of something happening behind TheFork.

The new Brand Identity

Impact & outcomes

Early results show a strong positive impact over the last 60 days: on apps, CTR from Restaurant Page to booking flow increased by 18% and CVR by 22%, while on web (especially for new users), CTR rose by 11% and CVR by 18.2%.

The feature also introduced a careful approach to negative content. Rather than removing insights about drawbacks, we verify that they align with multiple reviews and the AI-powered Review Highlights, ensuring accuracy and maintaining user trust. This balance between transparency and relevance has been key to improving engagement, decision confidence, and overall conversion metrics.

Reflections & key learnings

This project reinforced the importance of distilling complex information into concise, actionable insights for users. Working in the AI era, the Review Highlights highlighted the need for careful verification of automated outputs, especially when dealing with potentially negative content. Balancing transparency with user confidence became a core principle of our approach.