While there are many ways to rate and review restaurants, there are few focusing on evaluation of individual servers. The goal of this project is a research-based creation of a digital experience for:
1. diners to evaluate individual servers;
2. wait-staff to utilize the feedback to boost their career or even land on new employment.
The proposal included a mini program which was plugged in the user’s SNS, merging with the functions from initiative with Augmented Reality technique to evaluation and review for individual servers' performance which was built from scratch. With RevU the servers are supposed to be motivated and challenge themselves to perfect themselves.
Problem Identification
While there are many ways to rate and review restaurants, there are few focusing on evaluation of individual servers.
For the waiting staff who are working or trying to find a position in sophisticated restaurants, their promotion and employment might be constrained by simply diners' appraise for the dining places.
On the other hand, the lack of evaluating specific wait-staff also brings a challenge to restaurant side: It’s hard to comprehensively assess the quality of their staff’s duty and work.
The role of wait-staff performs significantly in delivering the pleasant dining experience, particularly the servers are at the front-stage representing both restaurant image and individual abilities.
Diners generally start to evaluate the dining experience after the meal's done. At this time, the desire to evaluating service is supposed to at the peak. Notably, diner's evaluations on specific individual server typically are based on interaction with them. For example, tip, is an implicit way to evaluate the service.
Archetype Transitions
Particularly, the main roles in the evaluation flow are:
1. Waiting staff/Servers
2. Restaurant (owner &manager)
3. Diners
All the three groups have no absolute boundary - diners could be more than just normal customers.
Image source: Google
To understand where the pain points lie, I invited several diners (averagely have 6 meals dine-in per week at least), wait-staff, and an owner of a restaurant to conduct interview.
Icons inspired from and thanks to Noun Project. Image source: Google
Icons inspired from and thanks to Noun Project. Image source: Google
Benchmarking
Several existing evaluation products were studied in the catering field.
The majority of apps give the user/diners a channel to evaluate the dine-in experience, including food quality, the dine-in service with the image of food and restaurant, all together under a big rating system. However none of them have the specific feature of evaluating individual servers.
Selected screenshots for Yelp, Opentable and GoogleMap
Suggestion box is a common way to comment the service specifically. However, somehow it lacks of motivation for customers to get engaged.
Image source: Google
Icons credit to Noun Project. Image source: Google
desired Evaluation-and-Review Flow
Ideation
Several ideas were brainstormed to engage the diners giving an evaluation for individual servers.
Another Application?
I set up my mind NOT TO CREATE A NEW APPLICATION to perform this task. The reasons are as follow:
1. Giving an evaluation on a specific wait-staff is just a one-shot task, once this kind of evaluation app was used, it's extremely possible to be forgotten.
2. Many social media/network already sync each other right now, and an social account typically is a business card for networking. Why don't we count on it and utilize it or a plug-in software to boost our social identity?
Diner's Evaluation Input
Generally, evaluation occurs when payment is done, since the check-out is a good moment for diners to wrap up whole dine-in experience. In this stage, how to initiate diners to leave an evaluation is the point to be furthered. Meanwhile, simplification of procedure is the design principle.
Below are rough steps of evaluation (take Facebook app as example).
1. Assume scanning QR code with SNS to approach the evaluation system;
2. Diners make decision to authorize to enter evaluation;
3. In the evaluation stage, diners can optionally enter reviews via marking description words, leaving comment or inputting media even all together;
4. After submission, feedback will show up for final review or edits;
5. Diners who submit evaluation could be awarded if possible.
server's Side Entry
Servers can manage their business identity via the mini plug-in program in SNS (Take Messenger as example).
1. find RevU program and add shortcut to SNS menu;
2. enter via mini program RevU;
3. edit self-information in the homepage;
4. enter inbox to check reviews from diners, and give further appreciation or explanation;
5. manage the collection of business card
Employer's view to REview profile
Diners might be managers/owners who want to hire new staff. That means, among the diners, there might be potential employers and they can further check server's profile if they show interest. It is like roaming in the information about servers or even restaurant. Therefore, how to appeal diners/employers to approach server's profile is the main goal. Here, the technique of Augmented Reality would be utilized here for attraction.
1. keep the role of QR scanning to log in;
2. authorization;
3. select the experience - AR introduction of server or AR tour of restaurant (in this case, we focus on profile review specifically);
4. finish watching AR play or skip it to server's profile;
5. save or share the contact of server
Reflection
Assume that a mini program, which is plugged in the existing SNS, to convey the evaluation experience, it would be quite convenient for diners due to there is no installation at the user's backend.
CHallenges
1. The compatibility of different SNS and different device.
2. The feasibility of plug-in program for Augmented Reality.
3. Whether or not a uniform entry approach exists to cover all entries above?
Future steps
Plan to do usability test for all of above entries to make any improvement.
