This is my UX design case study about how might we improve customer experience to buy take-away coffee in a busy time, so it can be convenient for them. During the 10 weeks of part-time study, I understand how to involve in research and conducting an overview before proceeding with prototyping and final product implementation.
Acknowledgement
This project has come across my mind when I went to a coffee shop and start ordering a coffee. Then, I began to realize there is a long queue in the cafe during the peak hour. Everyone is waiting to order and collect their coffee. The same situation always happens during weekdays. Based on my experience, I decided to seek what can be done to solve this problem.
Goals in this project
- Understand why many customers feel stressed out when queuing only to order a takeaway coffee
- Provide an alternative way of ordering coffee to avoid the bottleneck in customer queuing time
Research and Gathering Information
I was started with a user interview process to collect qualitative data. This user interview process was conducted to random people on the street and on the open space area. The interview was about 10 minutes asking for their experience when buying coffee in a cafe or a coffee shop. This technique helps me identifying what their experience as a customer when buying the coffee from a busy cafe.
Interview Script 1
- What do you do for your work? (What is your job?)
- Do you frequently go to a café or a coffee shop?
- When is the best time for you to go to the café or the coffee shop?
- Could you please tell me how do you know the café or the coffee shop?
- Do you prefer buying a take-away coffee or sit down in the café?
- Could you please tell me how do you get into the café or the coffee shop?
Interview Script 2
“I would like you to remember your past experience when you went to a café or a coffee shop last time either alone or with friends during a busy hour (morning time on weekdays or on weekends)”
- Could you describe the situation when you arrive in a café or a coffee shop during that busy hour
- What concern you most when you arrived in the busy café?
- Could you please tell me what was your expectation before you want to order a coffee in the café or in the coffee shop?
- Could you please tell me what was your experience after visiting the café or the coffee shop? (after ordering and purchasing the coffee in the busy cafe)
- What do you require as an alternative to avoid the queue in the café or the coffee shop?
- Could you please tell me what you would like to expect if you are going to visit the same café or the same coffee shop again in the future?
Interview Result and Findings
From the interview process, I have collected six different candidates telling what they had experienced about when ordering coffee from a busy café or a busy coffee shop.
Empathy Mapping
Experience
From this Research process, I learn to collect multiple data from people’s opinion about their experience of ordering coffee. I also have better understanding about their frustration and to get deeper intuitions about this case.
Prototyping
To start with prototyping, I begin with identifying the most important part of the application development with Prioritization Matrices.
This diagram shows the product features that can meet the Minimum Viable Products (MVP) Approach, that most likely to be developed in the next prototyping process.
I continue with a drawing concept design for ordering coffee online from the mobile application. At this stage, I would rather focus my design for IOS mobile users due to most of the audiences are IOS users. I come up with the low fidelity prototype for the basic user interface design.
Usability Testing and User Feedback
After the prototype was hand over for the testing process, I started to collect user feedback about his experience using the application. There are several parts of the application that still have its limitation.
- User confused in booking table button. User believe ordering coffee should be very quick and does not require a booking table option.
- User struggles with the path to order a coffee from the map.
- User thinks that taking a profile photo when user sign up at the first time is not necessary because it can be done later
- User struggles with canceling order button. It seems the button is too small or even not clearly shown
- User unsure about the confirmation code to pick up the order.
- User feels the menu in the app main menu is limited. Some icons can be unclear to other users as well.
Findings
Things to improve from the app
- Booking Table feature may not be necessary since this app is for take-away
- To make an order from the cafe should be obvious. Perhaps by adding “Order Now” button
- Asking to take photo when user register an account is not required when user is register an account. User can upload or update the photo later in the account.
- Confirmation Code when registering an account seems too much. Perhaps this confirmation code features can be applied for a user who wishes to take his/her friend coffee.
- Cancel Order statement should be obvious. Perhaps makes the statement visible or with bigger text.
- The app should have the clear main menu statement instead of using icons only