Travis' comment on my last post got me to thinking, maybe I came off too complimentary about Starbucks! Although I really like the name-asking, and as he pointed out, the fast and easy credit processing, there's definitely some aspects of Starbucks' interaction design I find troubling.
Specifically, I'm freaked out by the way Starbucks casually lets their implementation model take priority over the customer's mental model (you can get a bit more detail on implementation vs mental models here if you like) of drink ordering.
I'm uncool enough to remember the first time I went to Starbucks, so let me describe the evolution of my coffee-ordering mental model. My first time, I saw they had a chai latte, which I knew I liked. I ordered it at the register, and then moved back a few steps, waiting there until I heard "Grande chai" shouted from somewhere to my right. Ok, drinks don't come out at the register. My zero-experience mental model of Starbucks was copied from fast-food restaurants, so it wasn't much of a leap to ordering at the register and picking up my drink at the bar (Even though I've seen some Starbucks where the big coffee making thing kind of blocks the view of the counter part).
No sweat, I've got it down. Order at register, pick up drink at the bar. This worked out until the first time I ordered a frappucino, stood at the bar, and oh! here comes my drink at the register. I remember this caused some trouble because it was very busy, and I didn't quite hear the cashier saying "frappucino" (low expectancy for input from that channel!). I left Starbucks that day secure in my new expertise: "Cold drinks come out at the register, hot drinks come out at the bar."
This one worked out until I saw someone order a regular coffee and it came out at the register - thus revealing the naivete of my mental model. You could write all these errors off as novice user mistakes, but at this point I'd been going to Starbucks for a pretty reasonable amount of time. With no signage or cues built into the system, it's really difficult to make the leap from a working mental model to the actual implementation model (read: from novice to expert).
I have two hypotheses about the effects of this situation:
1. Most people do not have a deep understanding of Starbucks' implementation model. I could be wrong about this - maybe I'm just coffee-retarded or something. But I'd be willing to bet that most people that succeed in ordering at Starbucks just have a robust working model of the things they most frequently order (this is currently the case for me).
2. This is a barrier to experimentation and new customers, because people are afraid to fail in front of others. Especially in a place like Starbucks, which, as Aaron pointed out to me a bit ago, sells a whole attitude of urban "coolness." I know intelligent, rational people that love specialty coffees but are afraid to go to Starbucks because they feel like the ordering system is too complicated and they don't want to mess it up. Now you might argue Starbucks is successful, so those customers (the ones not cool enough to figure out the implementation model) just aren't the target market. I guess we should be glad Starbucks doesn't "target" everyone then, or they might have enough money to buy the whole solar system.
New home
4 years ago
3 comments:
I don't want to throw a wrench into the starbuck's system that you have down to a science. But when going to starbuck's I really I think that it depends on the starbuck's and the people who work there. My experience at starbuck's I ordered a cold drink and I was called to the right just as if I had ordered a hot drink.
I also wanted to mention that about your presentation their were some other im clients that I wanted to tell you about so they are: Spark, Trillion, Gaim, and Psi. You can find these by searching Google for jabber clients.
starbucks, like all fast food places, is definitely striving for consistency. once you know the system, you've got it, and you'll come back. (and the coffee will always taste over-roasted, but that's a different story)
I think they are definitely angling to have their own 'language' that those who are on the 'inside' understand.
I also think that the dunkin' donuts commercial was right on, the song went "my mouth can't afford these words" - ha! it's just coffee people, get off your high horse.
so there's also this culture of snobbery, or perhaps just of affording your little chunk of the good life when you go to starbucks and order your grande chai skim latte half caff. and i'm sure i had a bigger point to make, but now i feel like i need coffee in order to make it. ;/
@ lltrotter:
Maybe I came off wrong in the post - I was trying to make the point that it's difficult for users to get Starbucks "down to a science" (create a robust mental model). I think your experience backs me up that my "cold @ register, hot @ counter" mental model was naive... but with a lack of system cues, that's all I had to go on to figure things out.
Also, thanks for pointing me out some other IM clients to look at! I appreciate the info.
@ kelly:
Totally agree with the starbucks language point. But it seems strangely ironic to me that many of the members of this secret coffee society might not really understand what happens between their order and the appearance of their grande unsweet passion iced tea lemonade...
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