- Your challenge was to create a five Es experience model
based on visiting a restaurant for the first time.
I asked you to identify some strengths and weaknesses
of the experience and find possible opportunities
for design to improve it.
I hope you enjoy this challenge
and had some good food along the way.
Let' take a look at my own solution.
You can download my file here,
or go along with what's on screen.
Entice, for the positive remarks I noted that
is was close to the concert venue.
We had heard good things about it.
We liked the style of food it served, tapas.
It was a big night out for us,
and we wanted to eat some place a little nicer.
It had a fun name.
It was newly opened
in a area where a lot of other good restaurants
have been popping up.
For negative enticements,
there was a huge sign outside
almost screaming at us to come inside.
It looked very crowded from the outside,
and we worried that we'd be able to get a table.
It also looked very small.
Now, let's look at enter.
For positive comments I noted,
we were greeted by a friendly host.
That was really it.
For negative, there was no explanation
of the food or a menu present to help us decide
if we wanted to eat there.
There was lots of loud talking,
almost too much.
There was no available seating
other than a communal table.
There was no real excitement,
no good smelling food,
or a nice atmosphere, or music playing,
nothing that really drew us in.
Okay, onto engage.
We had a friendly waitress.
The menu was laid out clearly and easy to understand.
There was a kimchi cart that passed around
where we could get small plates of food
while we waited for our entrees,
and that was kind of fun and unique.
For the negative comments,
the decor was uninspired.
It felt generic, sort of like an airport restaurant.
The only restroom was downstairs.
It was noisy.
We spent sometime trying to not to listen
to the conservation of the couple sitting next to us.
For exit, we had a quick checkout
which was nice,
because we were running out of time
before our concert started.
For negative, we got trapped on our way out,
trying to work our way down a thin isle
between rows of booths,
and the busy wait staff moving around us.
The bill came in this strange, sort of, little jar.
For extend, we had no positive observations to make.
The negative observations were that afterwards
in the concert we realized our jackets smelled
terribly of food.
There was no takeaway.
I remember a nearby restaurant that gave us a
fun postcard with our bill that was nicely designed,
and it still hangs on my wall.
So, where does that leave us?
Where could design improve this experience?
Sure it would be nice if the isles were bigger,
but that's not entirely possible.
Were you able to find design opportunities?
I have a few in mind for my experience.
Looking at entice, I think a new exterior sign
and a graphic presence that shows a little more
sophistication might match the pallet in the
price range of the restaurant a bit better.
For engage, I could argue that the interior
design needs to feel more personal.
This was a small restaurant,
that tried to be very unique in their food,
and yet the design of the space wasn't unique at all.
Also, I think some sort of extension is missing.
A nice takeaway with the bill,
maybe something like the postcard I mentioned.
I hope you enjoyed this challenge.
Now, you should be able to apply the five Es
to your next design process.