Reimagining Hospitality with SevenRooms

Disclaimer: As SEVENROOMS is a software, I do not have full access to their platform. This article is my take on what I have found online and on their website. I do not have all of the key details of their user base, and am making assumptions, based on limited information. This article is simply me reworking the experiences I can see. What I have done may not be applicable to their user base or may already be within their platform.

What Is SEVENROOMS?

SEVENROOMS is a SaaS company that provides a high-tech solution for companies within the hospitality industry (restaurants, bars, hotels, entertainment venues, ect). Their goal is to enhance the guest journey by leveraging data and technology, here are the key aspects of what they do and who they are:

1. Data Integration: SEVENROOMS helps hospitality operators collect and manage data from end-to-end in the user journey. They collect and analyze this data to provide valuable insights to the hospitality operators.
2. Revenue: By using the data collected and analyzed SEVENROOMS is able to assist in building relationships with guests. They do this through tailored experiences, personalized marketing and established strategies that drive repeat business, ultimately resulting in an increase in profits for the company.
3. Client Base: SEVENROOMS works with a very wide variety of customers, within the hospitality business. They work with some of the most renown names in hospitality.
4. Their Mission: SEVENROOMS has made it their mission to transform the hospitality industry through innovative technolgy that allows operators to deliever once in a lifetime experiences to their guests.

Who Uses SEVENROOMS’ Platform?

My assumption what a SEVENROOMS user may be

3 UX Enhancements (Restaurant Focused)

Differentiate Between Dietary Preferences and Allergies

When working as a server you are constantly moving around from task to task, getting only a short period of time to glance down at each table’s notes. While, having all of the customers preferences at your fingertips is fantastic, there are some preferences that should fall higher on visual hierarchy than others. The main one I see is dietary preferences versus allergies. The way dietary restrictions have a red tone makes them stand out slightly but this does not allow a server to quickly know if it is an allergy or a preference (as seen in the mobile view below). While the two may be similar in category the results of accidentally putting an allergen on or near a customers table could be deadly. Another thing to note, there is no way a server can tell which table has allergies when looking at a view of all of the tables. If a customer has a very severe allergy this would be beneficial to see without having to dig into each table(as seen in the tablet view below).

Splitting the Check (by what each person ordered)

Going out to eat it typically a social affair, which makes it a bit awkward when the time to pick up the check comes around. SEVENROOMS has a view that shows what each person would pay based on what the total tab for the table is, but they don’t have a feature that allows users to select specifically what they ate and pay for just that. Every server has dealt with the nightmare of having to split a large group check unevenly amougnst multiple people. Statements like, “Elise and I shared the nachos but Elise and Kade shared the cheese curds”, can cause a logistical nightmare. Having a feature that provides the ability to split the check by a person’s individual order, would greatly enhance the user experience and take that pain point off of the servers.

Joining A Waitlist

Being able to join a waitlist virtually is a gamechanger, no more lurking around the outside of the resturant. This shows users we value their time and they can do what they would please until they are ready to be seated. While SEVENROOMS has a waitlist feature, the one issue I suspect has come up is joining the waitlist for the wrong location. This results in a no show for the restaurant and also the customers being bummed when there is no table for them at the location they were anticipating.

Proposal Moving Forward (low fidelity)

Clear Difference Between Food Preferences & Allergies

Making it so servers can easily see if a customer has a food allergy is crucial in creating a fantastic experience for every customer. To make this clear I created to changes that slightly shift the visual; hierarchy. The first was a shift to the customers profile. I made any allergy red and with a urgent icon on either side, this way it will grab the attention of the server quickly and will notify them. Previously, I also noted how dietary restrictions are still important, so I made those yellow. This way they still grab attention but not as aggressivley as the allergen allert does. I recommend these two colors be reserved specifically for dietary needs.

This is a low fidelity mock, simply to showcase the idea.

The second change I instituted was for the overall table view. Here it would be nice to show if any tables have severe allergies. That way everyone can be aware about customers with allergens. I did this by adding a urgent icon by the table that is impacted by the allergy. This will result in a more pleasurable experience for those who have allergies and drive repeat business.

This is a low fidelity mock, simply to showcase the idea.

A Deep Dive On Splitting The Check

As eating out can be quite social many customer want to order appetizers together and want the ability to pay separetatly. My proposed solution for this is to allow users to scan a QR code where they would be brought to their tab, each person can select what they ate. Once everyone selects what they have eaten each person can proceed to pay for their total tab.

This is a low fidelity mock, simply to showcase the idea.

While this is a solid solution forward there are a few reservations I have:

1. What if a food item is not picked up? I feel like there could be a notification before paying that would let the customers know no one has picked it up. If no one picks it up, it will be split evenly.
2. Multiples of One Item: my thought here is if there are multiples, for V1, they could broken apart and users could click on the number they consumed

Alert for Waitlists 20 Miles Away

While virtual waitlists have changed the game, something customers and restaurant operators are faced with is the customer joining the wrong virtual waitlist. This frustrates the customers when they arrive and there is no table and is hard for the restaurant when their waitlist is a no show. By adding a notification for users who are 20+ miles away from the restaruant we are giving the customers one last chance to confirm they will be making the drive out. Proactively stopping that user frustration that they could’ve encountered.

This is a low fidelity mock, simply to showcase the idea.

Next Steps

My next steps in bringing these 3 ux enhancements to life would be:

1. User Testing. I want to get some baseline user testing with real life users to see if these solutions will address their pain points.
2. Move to high fidelity. Once I’ve received confirmation from the user, I would like to move these designs into a high fidelity stage so they are ready to be handed off.
3. Hand Off. Once my high fidelity mocks have been designed, tested and reviewed, I will hand them off to engineering. Ideally, I will have communication with engineering early on so I can understand their limitations within these areas.