Seats Reservation System
The Reserve Your Seat System (RYSS) is a mobile and internet-based platform designed specifically for coffee shop-goers such as Starbucks, Bluebottle, Compass, and more. It aims to transform the process of reserving seats in coffee shops, drawing inspiration from ordering movie tickets. With RYSS, customers can access real-time business capacity information, visualize the seating arrangement of the coffee shop, and reserve seats up to 30 minutes before their arrival. RYSS addresses the common problem of customers arriving at a coffee shop without knowing whether there are available seats that suit their needs. This system complements existing coffee shop applications or websites, providing an easy-to-use platform for customers to reserve seats and order drinks. By streamlining the seat-finding process, RYSS reduces the time customers need to spend looking for a seat and increases the likelihood of enjoying a pleasant coffee time with friends.
Key Words:
Case study / Application / UX / UI
Steps
01 Understand
Observation
Interview
02 Ideate
Ideation
03 Decide
Conceptual Design as Mapping
04 Prototype
Wireframe & Prototype
05 Test
01 Understand
To prepare for my interview and observation, I followed the "Understand Needs" lifecycle activity. This involved a series of steps, starting with the concept statement, where I identified the customer's needs. These needs included reducing the time spent looking for a coffee shop, having the ability to comfortably and suitably seat groups for work or study, and providing accessible seats for walk-in customers. Understanding these needs informed the questions I prepared for the interviews and observation.
To ensure a well-rounded understanding of user needs, I chose to interview two different groups: the general public and coffee shop workers. I conducted interviews and observations at Blue Bottle Coffee and Capital One Cafe, which have distinct atmospheres and potentially different customer needs. To facilitate note-taking during interviews, I brought my iPad.
By following the "Understand Needs" lifecycle activity and using a combination of observation and interviewing methods, I gained valuable insights into the needs and preferences of coffee shop-goers, which will inform the development of a more user-friendly coffee shop experience.
Observation - Numbers of people seated in time
Thursday, Sep 12nd
Friday, Sep 13rd
11 am
6 new customers
23 customers
1 group of 3 people
3 groups of 2 people
11 am
5 new customers
22 customers
1 group of 3 people
1 group of 2 people
Interviews
Interview Questions
- For the general public:
What’s your name?
What do you do for a living?
How often do you go to a coffee shop?
What do you usually do in the coffee shop? Meeting? Working? Studying? Relaxing?
Do you prefer to go alone or with friends?
How long do you usually stay in a coffee shop?
Do you often use coffee shop apps?
Have you ever worried about having no seat in a coffee shop when you arrive?
What would you do if you saw the shop was full?
How do you choose the coffee shop you are going to? Brand? Distance?
How far do you accept going to a coffee shop?
What transportation do you use to go to a coffee shop?
Summary
11:30 am
12 new customers
14 customers
0 group of 3 people
2 groups of 2 people
11:30 am
12 new customers
23 customers
0 group of 3 people
2 groups of 2 people
Extracted data from observation:
- 12 p.m. to 12:30 pm is the busiest time, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 11:30 a.m. is the pick time for the coffee shop.
- Working and studying is what most people do in a coffee shop.
- Most people who come into the coffee shop and work usually stay more than 2 hours.
- If a person comes alone tends not a sit with a stranger. For example. four people individually took seats in front of a big table that might fit six people. Many seats are not in use.
Extracted from the interview:
- 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. is the busiest time of the day
- People generally (6 people out of 7) accept going to a coffee shop between 15 - 30mins walk
- The purpose of going to a coffee shop is mostly about studying and working
- The problem with seats depends on the size of the coffee shop
- Worrying about having no seats when arriving at a coffee shop exists (5 people out of 7 agreed)
12 pm
8 new customers
27 customers
1 group of 4 people
1 group of 3 people
3 groups of 2 people
12 pm
4 new customers
27 customers
0 group of 3 people
4 groups of 2 people
- For Coffee shop workers:
What’s your name?
What time is the most crowded time of the day?
How long do you work for a week?
When does the shop have the least customers?
Have you ever noticed people come in and leave because there is no seat?
Do you go to coffee shops? And how often do you go?
How far do you accept going to a coffee shop?
How long does it take to make a cup of coffee?
Users
Walk-in Customer
Planned Customer
Store Manager
Marketing team
Barista
12:30 pm
1 new customer
23 customers
1 group of 3 people
3 groups of 2 people
1 pm
27 customers
1 group of 3 people
6 groups of 2 people
1 group of 5 people
Problems
Long line
Can’t fit the group
Inviting people to event
Rush to make coffee
Need to find another coffeeshop
Empty seats could be user but not
Not many people use app
Wifi connections
AC too low
Collecting data
12:30 pm
5 new customers
25 customers
1 group of 3 people
4 groups of 2 people
Bad reviews
1 pm
13 customers
0 group of 3 people
2 groups of 2 people
02 Ideate
Task Model
Initial Flow Model Diagram
The need for this flow model is to show connections between different groups of people (work roles) and also possible connections between the app and groups. It listed how people interact with each other and the application; for example, the connection between baristas and the app is that they can take online orders and acknowledge the customer footfall. The barrier here is that the tasks which the application should achieve are not shown. It is more about how people use the app; instead of what it can provide. In the flow model, I included Google Maps because I think that is what the general public uses when they need navigation. Maybe having a navigation service in the coffee shop application could be more effective for customers to find a nearby shop. This might be something to consider when designing the system because it is not directly connected but could be useful.
In the flow model, there are four user classes—two inside the coffee shop enterprise and two outside of the coffee shop enterprise. Inside the circle, there are baristas and a store management team. Baristas are the ones that have the most direct communication with customers. The store manager and marketing team must be the backup if something happens. They are providing products and services to customers and also information to stakeholders. Outside of the circle, there are customers and stakeholders. Customers can be divided into groups, as the first user worker role model suggests. They are the main income for the store. Stakeholders are providing funds for the store when constructing, opening events, and advertising.
The need for the task model is to find out the pain points of both customers and providers and also what they want to make their experience to be better. This provides a clear guideline for me to know what services should be provided in the application and what I can do to improve the existing app design. The barrier here is that some tasks might be impossible to solve or achieve by applications like having a nice environment or food and drink. But the app might be able to include some pictures of the store to let the customers know what they will be expecting. The other barrier is the lack of information on the coffee shop workers if they would like to use the app to provide coupons for more customers when the store is empty. This would require more interviews or research to accomplish.
In the task model, the main user classes are customers and providers. Customers need to use this service to find seats and place an order conveniently. Customers may react to having no seats in the store differently, and they want the app to accomplish different things. Many tasks should be considered in the design of this “reserve seats” service as listed, which could also need help from updating the overall store application. The other user class is the providers who need to use this service to get customers a better experience both in-store and online. It could also potentially help the workers to prepare and make drinks more efficiently.
Initial Work Flow Ideation
03 Decide
Conceptual Design as Mapping
04 Prototype
Low fidelity prototype created using Balsamiq
Final Frames
Current Page
My reservation
Choose store and reserve
Edit reservation
Reserve seats
Cancel reservation
Confirm seats
Arrive and ready to order
