UX + Hospitality
How past experience informs my approach to problem solving.
Planning and Preparation.
Getting set up for an evening shift in a restaurant & preparing for a research session have more in common than one might realize. Whether greeting a guest with a glass of water, or a research participant with a bottle of water, the goal is similar. A simple gesture that’s disarming. Putting both the guest & the participant at ease.
User Interviews
Sometimes asking the right questions or observing a guest’s body language can help uncover key insights that might help avoid recommending the wrong cocktail or main dish for that guest, potentially avoiding costly waste resulting from guest dissatisfaction.
Sometimes a few good sensing questions can help guide where a user interview goes, on a quest to uncover key insights that will inform a design, potentially avoiding costly development that might have led to a poor user experience.
Orders, Tickets
As a designer, understanding how a developer on your team interprets your wireframe or UI specification, is key to building products the right way. As a server, understanding how the chefs will interpret your special instructions are key to getting a dish made the right way. Whether it’s a ticket printing out on the line in the kitchen, or a Jira ticket arriving in an inbox, a handwritten order slip, or an interactive prototype, finding a way to encapsulate direction & intent in a clear, concise manner is essential in both worlds.
Working Collaboratively
A key to a positive work environment in hospitality is a respectful & collaborative relationship between the various roles on the team. Much like a waiter, a UX Designer often acts as the liaison between the end-user (restaurant guest) and the those in production & development (the chefs). Great designers & waiters must also consider the stakeholders (restaurant owners, managers) when making design decisions and in their interactions with end users. Successfully considering and navigating these complex spaces and relationships are absolutely essential to providing a positive user (and guest) experience.
User Feedback
You’ve delivered the product. Now what? Time to check in with guests. Maybe there’s a small thing missing, or a bug(both kinds) in the product. Catching these things early can turn a negative user experience into a potentially even more positive overall experience. Sometimes it’s not about what we get right, but more about how we respond when we get it wrong, that defines a user experience.
Attention to Detail
When it comes to both Hospitality & User Experience, paying attention to the little things makes all the difference. It’s what separates an average experience, from one that’s truly memorable.