HANNAH SAEEDI
OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH
Scenario: Fast-food Restaurant/Café & Customer Loyalty
Researcher:
Hannah Saeedi and 4 other teammates
Executive Summary
To full fill the client's requirement of understanding the current experiences, behaviours, and perhaps hidden needs of people as they arrive, order, and consume their food or drinks in a café, we conducted ethnography Research. This study is a non-participant observation conducted by five team members by observing five fast-food/Café locations.
We observed:
Description of Physical Setting
Social environment and the way in which participants interacted within the setting
Description of Participants and their roles in the setting.
Using our observations, we conducted an analysis to identify patterns and develop themes.
Method: Ethnography
Ethnography is a type of qualitative research, and it is a study through direct observation of users in their natural environment rather than in a formal research setting. It informs design by revealing a deep understanding of people and how they make sense of their world.
Why?
It provides an in-depth insight into the user's views and actions, along with the sights and sounds they encounter during their interaction with the product/service. It provides the researcher with an understanding of how those users see the world and how they interact with everything around them.
Observation Method
Non-Participant
Observing research subjects without them knowing that they are being observed at all.
Team & Locations
Five places were observed as follows:
1) Observer: 1
Location: Tim Hortons,17 Lower Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M5E 1Z2
Date: 28/05/2022, Saturday
Start time- End time:12:00 PM-1:00 PM
2)Observer: Eftekhar Saeedi
Location: Aroma Espresso Bar, at 2300 Yonge St Unit UC1, Toronto, ON M4P 1E4
Date: 29/05/2022, Sunday
Start time - End time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM
3) Observer: 3
Location: Crave Wings on 557 Eglinton Ave W, Toronto, ON M5N 1B5
Date: 28/05/ 2022, Saturday
Start time- End time:08:00 PM-09:00 PM
4) Observer: 4
Location: Nik Bakers, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi - 110026, India
Date: 29/05/2022, Sunday
Start time - End time: 07:30 PM - 08:30 PM IST
5) Observer: 5
Location: Tim Hortons, 1060 Finch Ave W, North York, ON M3J 2E2
Date: 28/05/ 2022, Saturday
Start time- End time:5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Observation
Participants & their roles in the setting
Description
Physical Setting:
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In most places, the counter is right in front of the entrance, and there is proper space between the counter and the dining area. The counter had shelves where they put baked goods for people to choose from.
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There was a proper seating area in most cases, and the places were well-lit. However, the floor and tables needed some cleaning.
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There is not any area specifically as a “waiting” area, so customers mostly go to the other side of the counter to wait or decide to sit somewhere.
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There were washrooms available in every place.
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In most places, garbage bins are available for disposal.
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All the places had paintings and posters.
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There were a few signs such as pull, push for doors, men, women for washrooms, self-service board, and menu.
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There was music in almost every place.
Social Environment and People's Interaction:
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People came there with families, friends, partners and also alone.
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Some people sat and had their meal, while others ordered for it to be taken away. Some of them had their meal and later ordered takeaway.
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Some customers could be seen enjoying their time with their companies, while others were using their phones as distractions while they waited for their orders.
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Customers know where to stand to order. If the place is busy, staff are available by the counter; otherwise, they are mostly in the back, and customers have to wait for them sometimes.
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While customers are waiting in line, their attention is on the available display that has different pastries/donuts, the screen menu or their phone. Customers who have companies talk together.
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Some customers use the washroom first, then they go to order, and some use the washroom after placing their orders.
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Most customers dispose of their garbage before leaving the place, except in one case where people left their trays on the seat, and the servers took them later.
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In many cases, the server reviews the order with the customer before payment, asking or reminding them to collect points if they offer such a service. However, many customers prefer to pay by tapping their cards.
Observation from the perspective of the participants:
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Most participants walk in and check the display or LCD food menu before placing their order.
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While waiting for the food, most participants spend time browsing on the phone and sometimes glancing in the kitchen to see how the food is being prepared (food status)
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For payment, most participants choose to tap their cards.
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Most customers were local; the size of mugs and cups did not surprise them! The china mug’s size was a little confusing for new customers. They put the samples on the top shelf behind the cashier to inform the customer.
Some Observed Quotes
Reflection
Physical Setting:
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Based on environmental graphic design, every place should have appropriate signs to guide the customer in that environment, especially if they are first-time customers. In most places, these signs were not available or were located were not easily. Many customers had to guess where to order, by habit, where to wait and where the washroom is.
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We all observed that none of these had proper dining areas for people with disabilities. There were tables with the wheelchair sign in most cases; however, based on the seating, they were not still accessible and looked the same as other seats. So, even though accessibility is not a new topic, none of these places have adjusted their environment considering all types of customers.
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Playing light or fun music could be positive. Still, in one observation, we found out that the music played at high volume in some restaurants could violate customers' meetings or gatherings, so It can affect people's decision to order from there or not in case they want to hang out as well.
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None of the places provide seats for babies, so parents have to hold them while they have their meal/drink in the dining room, which makes it difficult to enjoy their time.
Social Environment and People's Interaction:
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Almost all customers would look at the pastry displays immediately, whether they knew what they wanted to order or not. Some of them added more to their orders after talking to each other based on what they saw, and in some cases, they placed an order for takeaway after having their food there. Food menus on LCD displays and food counters play an important role since most customers browse the menu and the food shelf to see what's available before placing their order. Showing customers what options are available can increase the basket size.
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We observed Customers spending more time looking at the LCD screen before ordering because the screen displaying the food menu changed, and they had to wait for it to come back on display to read it thoroughly.
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In most places, the way customers realize their order is ready is when their name or order is called by the staff, which in crowded areas can be missed by customers in crowded areas. So, customers have to be aware of what is happening at the counter. That would be better if customers could see their orders on "Order LCD" to estimate their waiting time based on their receipts' numbers and be notified when their order is ready.
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Most of the customers were engaged in the typical activity of browsing on Mobile phones while waiting to place their order or while their food was being prepared. Also, some customers looked into the open kitchen to see how the order was progressing and if the server was following their directions.
Observation from the perspective of the participants:
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In some places, it was clear that drinks were available in different sizes by the cup samples provided on the counter, or customers were asked about what size they needed. It is important that customers know what to expect based on what they pay. This is mostly helpful to the new customers to avoid any surprises when they see their orders.
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We found that the majority of customers preferred to pay with a card or by tapping their mobile phones rather than cash because it allows them to pay the precise amount without worrying about whether or not they have changed, and it is also faster and saves time.
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We also noticed that clients are driven by reward points and hence choose to download the café app. When a Tim Hortons server inquired if customers had the Tim Hortons app, the majority of customers said yes and added reward points to their purchases before paying.
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In less crowded places, staff were busy in the back and not aware of the new customer, which makes it inconvenient for some people. In crowded places, the number of staff was not enough. It caused a long line in front of the cashier. This could frustrate the customers, especially seniors and families with children. (The kiosk for registering orders could be the better option)
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Most places needed more cleaning on the tables and the floor. Hygiene is one of the main criteria for any restaurant. Also, customers do not like to see the map, and the dustpan is kept in the same room as sugar, milk and cream packages.
Data Analysis
Patterns
Themes
