Hard to believe that the Domino’s Pizza tracker debuted in 2008. The moment was ripe for them—about a year after the debut of the iPhone. Mobile e-commerce was in its early days.

Alex Mayyasi for The Hustle:

…the tracker’s creation was spurred by the insight that online orders were more profitable – and made customers more satisfied – than phone or in-person orders. The company’s push to increase digital sales from 20% to 50% of its business led to new ways to order (via a tweet, for example) and then a new way for customers to track their order.

Mayyasi weaves together a tale of business transparency, UI, and content design, tracing—or tracking?—the tracker’s impact on business since then. “The pizza tracker is essentially a progress bar.” But progress bars do so much for the user experience, most of which is setting proper expectations.

preview-1756791507284.png

How the Domino’s pizza tracker conquered the business world

One cheesy progress update at a time.

Earth 3 Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.comthehustle.co
Sign Hashtag Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.com
digital marketing
marketing strategy
ux design

Subscribe for updates

Get design insights in your inbox. Sent weekly (or so).

Related

For the Rest of Us
Essays iconEssays

For the Rest of Us

Apple's recent advertising campaigns "Your Verse" and "Powerful" aren't just commercials—they're rallying cries for the faithful. As a long-time Apple fan and former employee, I see these ads following in the footsteps of the legendary "Think Different" campaign, serving to inspire existing users rather than convert new ones.

Adapt or Die
Essays iconEssays

Adapt or Die

As tablets and smartphones become our primary computing devices, the line between work and personal life continues to blur. For designers and marketers, ignoring this shift toward mobile-first content consumption isn't just shortsighted—it's potentially fatal.