My Mini-Project in Observation for Springboard’s UX Career Track
Context
I decided to go with the quintessential coffee shop observation and chose Starbucks because it’s a huge company known for valuing their customer experience (while I prefer to support local businesses whenever possible, Starbucks remains a target company for me regarding UX design roles). In this project, I observed the process of customers picking up their orders at Starbucks.
Description of the object of interaction
At Starbucks, most orders made are picked up at a designated pick-up counter — one for for in-store orders and the other for mobile orders. On a Saturday morning around 9:30 am, I sat down close to the pick-up counter and observed customers’ interactions in these areas.
My Top 3 Observations with Corresponding Insights
Observation 1
“In-store customers” moved seamlessly through the line from ordering at the cashier to getting their items at the pick-up area without confusion. “Mobile customers” went straight to the mobile pick-up counter.
Insights 1
Feedback: Baristas spoke the customer names loudly and clearly for both kinds of customers when the orders were ready, making it easy to know where orders were.
Visibility: The separate counter locations and signage made it easy to know where in-store orders would be picked up and where mobile orders would be picked up.
Consistency: The in-store pick up counter system works similarly to most coffee shops.
Observation 2
Traffic build-up at the in-store pick-up counter was minimum, but traffic was beginning to build at the mobile counter.
Insights 2
Mobile customers whose orders were not complete would hover in front of the area where mobile beverages and food were waiting, blocking other mobile customers from seeing or reaching for their drinks.
Constraints: The lack of constraints for the mobile pick-up process left customers without guidance of what the best thing to do was if their order wasn’t quite ready yet.
Visibility: This then interfered with the visibility of the orders that were ready for other customers.
Observation 3
In-store customers were more relaxed, having conversations with the baristas, both asking questions about the order during the process (i.e. the barista would clarify something about the order or vice versa as the barista would adjust the order if necessary).
Mobile customers were friendly for the most part, but less engaging. The baristas also did not engage in much conversation with mobile customers or clarify anything about the order with mobile customers other than calling out their names when the order was ready.
Insights 3
Consistency: The barista acts as a human interface for in-store customers from the moment they place their order (or walk into the store and are greeted) to the moment they pick it up at the end of the counter.
Because in-store customers and baristas / cashiers are face-to-face and engaging with one another from beginning to end there is more time to interact and start conversations as the line moves. There is also time to clarify the order even after it has been placed. In-store customers watch the entire process of how their drink or meal is being prepared so they have more insight about what’s going on with what they ordered and when it will be ready.
Mobile customers first interact with a digital device in a remote location to make their order, then arrive at the store to interact with the barista if they have further questions or needs. They’re a little more in the dark about their order and have less of a connection to the process / series of events leading to the finality of their order. Baristas also have less of a connection to them in return, because these customers go to a different counter making it less likely for the barista to greet them upon entering like they do for in-store customers.
Some questions to consider
How would you improve the user experience at Starbucks?
What’s missing or could be changed?
What did you like and dislike about the entire process?
What did you learn about this experience that could be applied to other similar experiences?
