Bento Order
A Web-Based Dashboard for Real-Time Order Monitoring and Management
Bento Order is a web application designed to revolutionize order management for Bento Sushi Corner, a thriving sushi kiosk chain in France. As one of three projects I spearheaded during my tenure at Bento Sushi Corner, Bento Order plays a pivotal role in streamlining operations, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving business growth.
Bento Sushi Corner
Food & Beverage
B2B
Dashboard
Solo Product Designer, UX Researcher
Timeframe
8 months
Solo Design Challenge
I tackled this project as the sole product designer. The extensive workload demanded clear communication with developers, the sushi chefs, managers, and clients. Despite the intensity, it was a truly enriching and rewarding experience.
Results
Eight months of dedicated development culminated in a breakthrough for Bento Order! We witnessed a remarkable 5% sales growth in the very first month of launch, demonstrating a clear increase in customer demand. This success was further bolstered by a staggering 88% boost in client satisfaction, highlighting the positive impact on the overall customer experience.
8
Months of Development
+5%
Sales Growth in Launch Month
88%
Client Satisfaction Boost
Streamlining Orders for Faster Service
Bento Sushi Corner, a beloved French sushi kiosk chain, has captivated customers with its delectable and affordable sushi. Their success, however, presented a challenge: the manual order management system, reliant on direct interactions between customers and kiosks, was becoming increasingly inefficient.
Reduced Order Processing Times: The streamlined order processing facilitated by the dashboard significantly reduces customer wait times, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Improved Communication: Clear order details and communication channels within the on-site team ensure accurate order fulfillment, minimizing errors and frustrations.
Empowered Team: The on-site team is empowered with real-time order information, enabling them to prioritize tasks and deliver exceptional service consistently.
To address these challenges, Bento Sushi Corner developed Bento Order, a web-based Order Management Dashboard specifically designed for their on-site teams. This centralized dashboard providing the team with the real-time order information they needed to prioritize tasks and deliver exceptional service.
Goal
Business Goal
Increased Customer Satisfaction: By reducing order processing times and improving communication within the team, Bento Order aims to create a smoother and faster customer experience, leading to higher satisfaction scores.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Streamlining order processing tasks through the dashboard frees up valuable employee time, allowing them to focus on other crucial tasks and potentially reducing labor costs.
Improved Order Accuracy: Clearer communication and real-time order information minimize errors during order fulfillment, leading to fewer mistakes and happier customers.
Increased Sales Potential: Faster service and a more efficient operation can potentially lead to higher order volume and increased sales for Bento Sushi Corner.
Design Goal
Intuitive and User-Friendly Interface: The Bento Order dashboard needs to be clear, easy to navigate, and require minimal training for the on-site team.
Real-Time Order Information: The dashboard should display up-to-date order details, including customer information, order specifics, and order status.
Streamlined Workflow: The design should facilitate efficient task management for the on-site team, allowing them to prioritize orders, track progress, and collaborate seamlessly.
Minimal Visual Clutter: The dashboard should prioritize essential information and maintain a clean and organized layout to avoid overwhelming the users.
Minimize Hygiene Concerns: Due to the nature of food preparation, minimizing potential hygiene issues is crucial. A single point of interaction, the touch screen tablet, is the ideal solution. This eliminates the need for multiple physical touchpoints, reducing the risk of contamination.
Immersive Research and Collaborative Design
Understanding the On-Site Team's Experience
To effectively contribute to the Bento Order project, I recognized the importance of immersing myself in the team's environment and understanding their workflow. With the support of my directeur, I dedicated a month to observing the system and experiencing the on-site team's daily tasks firsthand. This deep dive into their work allowed me to gain valuable insights into their behavior, challenges, and needs.
Collaborating with Management for Solution Direction
To ensure the solution aligned with the project's goals and the team's requirements, I organized workshops with the managers. These collaborative sessions enabled us to brainstorm and identify the most suitable patterns for the solution. By incorporating their expertise and perspectives, we could develop a design that addressed the team's pain points effectively.
User Testing for Refinement and Optimization
Once the initial demos were ready, I conducted user testing sessions with the on-site team to gather feedback and identify any design flaws or usability issues. This iterative process of testing and refinement ensured that the final solution met the team's specific needs and optimized their workflow.
Kiosk Champions: Bento Order's User Personas
Information architecture
Guided by user flow analysis and user research insights, I've constructed an Information Architecture that ensures a user-centric and accessible Dashboard structure for both Managers and Sushiman.
Design: Bringing ideas to life
1. Dashboard Welcoming
Lastly, users can manage multiple organisations on the platform. They can switch between organisations and add team members as needed, with the ability to designate them as admins or regular members. The organisation feature ensures the platform is flexible enough to cater to different roles needs.
Lastly, users can manage multiple organisations on the platform. They can switch between organisations and add team members as needed, with the ability to designate them as admins or regular members. The organisation feature ensures the platform is flexible enough to cater to different roles needs.
The Bento Order dashboard serves dual purposes: providing valuable insights into kiosk operations and enabling team members to track their collective progress. Recognizing the motivational potential of gamification, I collaborated with stakeholders to introduce a gamified system for the on-site team. This system aims to foster engagement, incentivize performance improvement, and acknowledge the team's contributions. While the gamification system is currently in its early stages of development, we anticipate continuous enhancements and refinements in the future.
2. Menu Order Management
At the heart of this project lies the Menu Order Management system, designed specifically for seamless sushiman operations. Adhering to the principles of simplicity, clarity, and ease of use, I have crafted an interface that prioritizes intuitive navigation and efficient task execution.
Visualizing Orders as Cards
Through a series of workshops and collaborative discussions with managers and sushiman, we identified the card format as the most suitable approach for visualizing orders. This decision was driven by several key factors:
Familiarity: The card format closely resembles real-world order tickets, making it intuitive and easy for new sushiman to grasp, eliminating the need for extensive training or adaptation.
Ease of Visualization: Given the fast-paced nature of the sushi preparation environment, users' focus tends to be concentrated on a specific area rather than scanning the entire screen. The card format effectively caters to this behavior by presenting each order as a distinct and easily identifiable unit, ensuring that all relevant information is readily accessible within a compact space.
Ease of Interaction: Selecting and interacting with individual order cards is a straightforward and intuitive process, minimizing physical strain and allowing sushiman to quickly navigate through the order queue.
Order Pickup Time : Reducing Food Waste
In the context of the Bento Order system, where customers place orders and make payments directly at the supermarket checkout counter, all orders are categorized as "pickup orders." This approach, while convenient, has the potential to lead to order cancellations and food waste.
To address this issue, we have introduced the "Order Pickup Time" feature. By providing customers with a specific pickup time, we set clear expectations and manage their anticipation. This fosters a more positive customer experience and reduces the risk of frustration or dissatisfaction due to order delays.
While the feature is optional, we strongly encourage kiosks with high order volumes to leverage the benefits of "Order Pickup Time”. We understand that unforeseen situations may arise. Managers retain the authority to handle orders outside of the automated system
3. Menus
The "Menus" feature was not initially part of the development plan but was added due to the recognized need for a comprehensive product reference. This feature serves as a product dictionary, allowing users to easily access accurate information about menu items.
Addressing the Need for Menu Knowledge : Learning the menu is crucial for new employees, and the "Menus" feature facilitates this process by providing a readily accessible reference. This eliminates the burden on managers to conduct frequent menu training sessions.
Supporting Menu Changes and Product Launches : The "Menus" feature effectively addresses the dynamic nature of the menu, where new products are introduced, ingredients are modified, and prices are adjusted. Managers can easily update the menu information, ensuring that all users have access to the latest details.
Integrating Margin Estimation : The "Menus" feature goes beyond simply providing product information. It also incorporates margin estimation tools, enabling managers to make informed decisions about product selection and pricing strategies.
Snooze Feature for Unavailable Items : This user-friendly feature empowers on-time customers to "snooze" unavailable items. The system automatically places these items in a queue and notifies users when they become available again, giving them the option to add them back to their order. This prevents frustration and provides greater control for customers encountering out-of-stock situations.
4. Analytics and Report
The "Analytics and Report" section is an exclusive tool designed to empower managers with comprehensive insights and data visualization capabilities. This feature enables managers to effectively track, analyze, and compare key performance indicators (KPIs) related to their kiosk's performance.
Specially, the "Analytics and Report" feature provides a powerful comparison tool, enabling managers to:
Track Performance Over Time: Analyze performance trends over different time periods, such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly, to identify seasonal patterns or growth opportunities.
Compare Against Company Revenue: Compare their kiosk's sales figures to the overall company revenue, providing a broader context for their performance.
Learning
As a product designer, witnessing the positive impact of this project has been incredibly rewarding. The system empowers sushiman to work efficiently, streamlines kiosk operations, and ultimately contributes to a more positive customer experience. While the project is complete, the journey of improvement continues. We will continue to analyze user feedback and explore opportunities to further enhance the Bento Order system, ensuring it remains a valuable tool for both kiosk staff and customers.
This concludes the Bento Order design journey. It's been a pleasure to be a part of this project, and I look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
The end. ✌️
