The Art of Waiting: Turning Waiting into a Meaningful Experience

Words & Pictures by SDXer Sam Dyer

To many, time is one of the most precious commodities that exists. In asking for someone’s time, we are in fact asking a great deal. Though we spend a good portion of our days waiting as we perform trivial tasks, waiting as part of a service deserves greater consideration. In some situations, waiting may be thought of as unwanted, to be reduced wherever possible. In others, waiting may be viewed as vital, even enriching. Be it positive or negative, waiting is something that can be designed and can be meaningful.

Public services are perhaps notorious for their slower pace, frequently facing delays. However, is it possible to turn delays into opportunities, inaction into action and annoyances into something rewarding?

In this article, we consider four points to consider when thinking about design and waiting:

• waiting as part of a system;
• waiting as a way to streamline a service;
• waiting as communication; and,
• waiting as a point of connection.

Waiting is shaped by the system it is a part of

The humble queue, logical and orderly, is a method we are perhaps most familiar with. The person at the front of the line was first to arrive and is, therefore, the first to be served — but what about other paradigms? Take, for example, waiting by severity — the triage system where the most critically in need patients are dealt with first. We can think about waiting by cost — paying a premium, as with first class passengers, to follow separate boarding systems and sometimes bypassing certain queues altogether, and also waiting by availability — where service is dictated by the accessibility of necessary assets. Though these are just a few examples, by exploring different waiting systems or by combining them, we can begin to rethink waiting.

Waiting to help streamline a service

For people who find themselves in an unfamiliar system, perhaps uninformed about how to wait, designers can use waiting as a time for people to understand, review, and arrive at decisions. Take for instance queuing for food: by the time a person reaches the front of the line they are well informed and in a position to quickly deliver their food request. This avoids additional waiting on the behalf of other customers and keeps the operations behind-the-counter moving smoothly. By creating an environment where actions are consolidated and occur non-linearly, waiting can become useful.

Waiting is about communication

A fairly frequent task we are asked to perform is software updates. Take a mobile phone, for example. Upon accepting an update, a progress bar informs us of the estimated completion time. Think of services that rely on postal systems to deliver goods: customers are informed at every step, notifying them of the status of their delivery. In these situations, waiting is justified. In these cases, waiting is justified. It is clear the longer we wait, the closer we get to our final desired outcome. Now, to come back to the previous example of queuing for food: imagine arriving to the front of the line, only to find that there is no food left. You’d probably be fairly angry, and you may lose faith in the system or, even worse, the organization. By showing people the bigger picture and being open, expectations can be established and collective understanding formed. Waiting is no longer seen as wasteful but purposeful.

Waiting can be a time to connect

Without trust it can be challenging to build a relationship with customers. One method of establishing this is by taking the time to understand someone’s needs, goals, and intentions. Banks are fantastic at doing this. Even just short gaps during exchanges are opportunities to suggest services that customers may not be aware of and, better yet, suggest services that they may need in the future. Waiting can be used to provide a more personalized service and an ultimately more rewarding experience.

In conclusion

To return to the context of public service, how might we improve our systems of waiting? The first step is to consider whether waiting is necessary or the result of inefficiency. A delay, even though avoidable, realistically may be difficult to mitigate. If this is the case, think about how waiting can be capitalized upon: perhaps it becomes an opportunity to connect and build a relationship, perhaps to understand customer needs and create a unique service experience, or maybe to create an enjoyable encounter and further strengthen the organization’s brand.

If there is one thing that waiting can be, it is intentional. It’s an opportunity there for the waiting.

Sam Dyer is a Designer with Communications and Public Engagement with the Alberta Government. He is an SDXer because he enjoys learning and collaborating together. Connect with Sam via e-mail.