Enhancing the Dining Experience
A Design Thinking case study
Introduction
Hello, what if someone asked you how you could improve the dining experience for people of different backgrounds? How will you investigate this issue?
I investigated the same question in my case study.
Hello, my name is Swapnil and I work as an industrial designer.
Enhancing dining experience is a design thinking case study i conducted under the guidance of my mentor Mr. Anudeep Ayyagari (UX designer at Amazon).
As part of my UX mastery course, I was asked to select one area from a list of options, and I chose the dining area . Why the dining area?
Here’s why I went with the dining room.
We’re quite comfortable with our dining space, and we use it virtually every day, so picking out an issue from something so familiar was difficult. Our mentor suggested us to choose a topic that we found difficult.
Process
I followed 5 stage framework of design thinking process
Empathize — Define — Ideate — Prototype — Testing
To empathize, I first needed to understand user interactions with the area.
These are the steps which are followed in this stage:
1. Prepared an open ended questionnaire to start & maintain the flow of conversation.
2. After conducting interviews, I sorted all the data as per the user interaction, likes, dislikes & gaps found in the dining area.
I conducted the 5 user interview with the following questions:
1.Can you tell me about yourself?
2.What does your typical day looks like?
3.Can you describe your dining area?
4.What do you think about the dining area positioning in the house?
5.What activities happen in the dining area daily?
6.At what time are you mostly engaged with the dining area ? Why?
7.Can you walk me through your yesterday interaction you had with the dining area?
8.What do you like most about your dining area ? Why?
9.What do you dislike most about your dining area ? Why?
10.Could you describe the most memorable/significant experience you had in the past with the dining area?
11.If you get a chance to rearrange the dining area what will you do?
Following are the insight gained from the user interviews:
In the define stage these are the activities which I followed:
1. Listed down all the problems for all the users that was identified in the empathize stage.
2.Sort the relevant problems & develop a problem statement
3.Write down why the problem statement is important to the user
I compiled a list of 12 relevant problem statements, each with a brief description of its significance to the user.
In the define stage these were the activities which I followed:
1.The First time I started thinking about the solutions. I used the ‘crazy 8’ technique to come up with 8 solution under 8 minutes for each problem statement.
2.I came up with a total of 47 ideas.
3.Then I narrowed it down to the top 3 ideas.
Following are my top 3 ideas:
I created a representation model for Idea 01 at this point, outlining what I prototyped and how and why I constructed it.
Things accomplished with the prototype
- Shifted the user dining area away from the bed
Users were eating their meals on the bed. Food spillage was compromising the bed’s hygiene. This table allows them to eat dinner away from their beds while maintaining hygiene. - Mental peace
To house all the devices, including a laptop and a mobile phone, I built a storage container beneath the top platform. It will be challenging for the user to reach devices during dinner due to the foldable top platform. Even if the user tries to use their laptop while eating, their sitting position prevents them from turning around and using it on their bed. - Compactness
Because she is sharing a room, the user has very little space in the room. This concept ensures that when the table is not in use, it can be slid and interlocked with the bed to save space.
During this stage, I solicited feedback from team members on the prototype.
Determined which suggestions are relevant to the design and which changes are required for the next prototype
Following were the feedback :
Pooja
As there is a risk of spilling, there should be a cup holder on the top platform to accommodate glasses and some bowls.
There should be a wall around all of the edges to prevent spilled water from entering the storage unit.
Raj
Adjustable height for different people .
Cup holder.
Mobile holder slot on the top platform.
Sayali
She is concerned about the table’s balance. She is afraid that putting her hand weight on the platform will cause it to tilt towards her.
Changes made in prototype after the feedback
1. Adding a cup holder will prevent from any liquid spillage.
2. Making cavity in the top platform. In case something spills it will stay within the cavity.
3. Addition telescopic push button mechanism to provide height adjustability.
Key learning from this projects :
1. The primary task of the designer is to identify gaps in user interactions.
[Gaps- Optimised/Better way of doing the task for the user.]
2.The more you understand the user during the empathise stage, the better you will be able to define the problem statement.
3.The same area provides different experiences for different users.
4.To obtain accurate information, ask questions based on their most recent experiences.
5.While conducting interviews, I discovered that you frequently need to go off script and dig deeper to understand the user’s root problems.
6. When you ask a question that is too broad or too specific, the answer will be distorted or very specific. You must maintain equilibrium.
7.Context is critical when designing products.
I’d like to thank my mentor, Mr. Anudeep Ayyagari, for his advice and all team members for their help.
Thank you for your time, and if you like it or have any feedback, please leave it in the comments section.
You can reach me at swapniljagtap819@gmail.com
Credits:
- <a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/empathy" title=”empathy icons”>Empathy icons created by Freepik — Flaticon</a>
- <a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/search" title=”search icons”>Search icons created by catkuro — Flaticon</a>
- <a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/idea" title=”idea icons”>Idea icons created by Freepik — Flaticon</a>
- <a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/aeroplane" title=”aeroplane icons”>Aeroplane icons created by DinosoftLabs — Flaticon</a>
- <a href=”https://www.flaticon.com/free-icons/exam" title=”exam icons”>Exam icons created by Freepik — Flaticon</a>
