Ruihan Xu · WRIT 105M Portfolio
Before the First Bite
How college students choose restaurants while traveling—and how ratings, photos, familiar names, and local platforms shape the meal before it begins.
The central idea Top result ≠ best fit
The question
What makes a restaurant feel trustworthy before anyone tastes the food?
These projects follow the same question from research, to visual argument, to a practical guide for student travelers.
Selected work
Three course projects, one useful new tool.
01 Research collection
Padlet Research
A source map of the signals student travelers use to judge unfamiliar restaurants.
02 Visual argument
Image / Text
An original photograph turned into a compact argument about expectation and reality.
03 Social media set
12-Page Field Guide
A mobile guide that turns the research into quick, usable checks for a trip.
04 New website content
30-Second Check
Five interactive questions that help a traveler pause, compare, and choose.
Start with the resource