Custom KDS Design
(tLDR version)
Whilst the exact details of Latero Labs' client work cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons, a brief overview of the project will be covered to illustrate the design process. I will refer to the client as "Client X" going forward.
Client X is in the food industry and wants to reduce operational costs toward training junior staff by increasing the efficiency of the food assembly process and making it faster for trainees to learn the process via a kitchen display system (KDS).
Three custom KDS designs were produced for the purpose of exploring options for a KDS cost/benefit analysis. The concepts explored a combination of three types of KDS requirement variables such as screen interfaces (TV monitors, tablets), KDS interactions (touch screen, bump bars, mouse/keyboard), and information displayed (ingredient allocation for screen placement).
2 Design Sprints | UX/UI/Service Design | VR Photography (Site Visit) | VR Screen Placement Mockups | Client Presentation
The Scope
Please refer to project overview above.
Please refer to challenge above.
Business Goal
- Reduce operational costs to train new employees
User Goal
- To use the KDS to assemble food ingredients in a time efficient manner
KDS Goal
- To replace the paper ticket order system with a digital user interface while measuring food assembly time metrics to improve efficiency
The Design Process
The research methodologies used to investigate the criteria needed for Client X's custom KDS system were the following:
- Interviews
- Contextual Inquiry (Site Visit)
- Domain Research
I conducted multiple interviews with client X's executive members such as the head of operations, customer call centre director, head of IT as well as the storefront manager and staff member to gain an in-depth understanding of how the operations of the food assembly process worked. I also conducted two site visits at the storefront to observe the end-to-end process of the employees interactions with the customers and food delivery. I used a 360 camera to record video footage to review the employees actions during peak hours and identified where the bottleneck occurred in the food assembly process. 360 photos were later used to identify possible locations for KDS screen placements. Research on existing KDS systems were conducted to understand the common hardware uses and software applications. The pros and cons of the current paper ticket system is summarized below:
Pros
- Cheap
- Tangible Item to grab
- Easy to move around
Cons
- Requires working printer & paper supply
- Too many orders coming all at once can overwhelm printer area
- Easy to get dirty/damaged
- Constrained by narrow receipt format
- Each Item in order not itemized
- Small print
After the site visits were conducted, a user journey map and user flow diagram were created to summarize the food assembly process which took 4 users into consideration. We then summarized a list of features we wanted to incorporate into the KDS screen design such as:
- Main food item heading
- Customer Info
- List food item ingredient
- Colour code food categories
- Food assembly time
- Use of icons
Prototyping & Testing
Insights Learned
Working on this project was a unique opportunity to apply UX principles to Service design for a client in the food industry. Not only did I have to study and research the usability of a digital tool for the user, but I had to pull the context further back to include all the variables that affect the whole food assembly process. This included the space configurations of the kitchen, the variations of staff working on a given shift, the variety of ways customers can order and receive food. I had a great time working on this project and at the end, client X was very pleased with the concepts presented and it provided valuable information to consider going forward with their cost/benefit study for KDS systems.
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