Overall Observations and Questions
Observations
First, I spent some time observing the interactions of Blue Room users. Here are my notes:
At 11 am, the Blue Room was buzzing with activity. Tens of loud conversations - some laughing, some complaining - were taking place as some users patiently waited in line.
“Finally, we found the food!” said one girl holding a Brown admissions pamphlet, next to two adults. She had been led to the end of the pastries line by another person, who remarked that it was also hard for her to find the Blue Room when she was visiting Brown. The prospective student put her pamphlet in one of the adults’ hands, took out her phone, and jotted down a Brown email from her tour guide.
“OMG I love the grain bowls,” one student raved to her smiling friend. “I literally get those twice a week.” Her friend responded, “Ugh you’re so healthy. I’m going to the sandwich line.”
Many students in the snaking pastry line kept looking up and down at their phones, continually checking the time and then locking their phones. Some students stood in the pastry line for a minute and then switched to the sandwich line or went to the fridge section.
Others stood in front of the fridge section. Some quickly grabbed a yogurt and made their way to the checkout line. However, the majority stood there, inspecting each item while glancing at the length of the sandwich line. One user kept flipping over items - after I talked to her, she told me she was looking for a price tag. I pointed her to the side sign of prices.
Interviewing Users
Next, I asked six users questions, and summarized three of their responses below.
How often do you visit the Blue Room?
User 1 - This is my first time visiting. I’m just here to take a tour of Brown with my parents.
User 2 - I usually come about 3 times a week before my MWF class.
User 3 - I don’t come that often because I’m not on meal plan, but sometimes I come to meet my friends and you know I gotta get those red velvet muffins.
What do you usually get at the Blue Room?
User 1 - N/A
User 2 - I’m trying to eat healthy and so I get those grain bowls (or sometimes sandwiches) for lunch 3 times a week, but I also try to make it for the breakfast sandwiches sometimes.
User 3 - Nothing? But I do get the muffins any time my friends force me to come here. When I was on meal plan, though, I came here every day after 4 to use my credits. I really liked the Indian food they had at night.
Did you get that because the line was shorter there?
(I noticed that User 2 switched lines from sandwich to grain bowl - why?)
User 2 - Yeah I can say it was cause I was trying to be healthy but really it was because the line was shorter and I gotta run to class soon.
How long is a typical visit for you?
User 1 - Well, we just finished our tour, but we do need to leave in by 12:30 latest because we have to drive back to Virginia.
User 2 - It depends how late I’m running, because I have class at 12. I would say about an hour?
User 3 - I mean, I come here mostly for the study company anyway, so I usually grab my muffin and sit down for a few hours if my friends have a booth. If they have a booth, I’m definitely coming because those are hard to get.
Is it a place you come to eat snacks or a meal?
User 1 - Well, we are buying a lot of food. I wanted to experience Brown’s food for sure, because I mean, it is important in choosing a college. I do like how many snacks you have, and the sushi and noodles and stuff looks great. We also got one of those grain bowls and a soup, just to try everything.
User 2 - Meals for sure. I come for lunch, but as I said, breakfast too sometimes when I’m early enough haha.
User 3 - I don’t come that often because I’m not on meal plan, but sometimes I come to meet my friends and you know I gotta get those red velvet muffins.
How did you feel the first time you visited the Blue Room?
User 1 - It’s really pretty. Definitely had to wait in line for a long time, but it wasn’t too bad because I made my parents wait in the grain bowl line while I got some muffins. Also it took me like 10 minutes to realize there was sushi - its my favorite food so if I saw it I definitely would have gotten it first.
User 2 - I honestly don’t remember - it was a long time ago.
User 3 - I just remember being mad that you could only use credits after 4 pm.
Why do you come to Blue Room as opposed to other campus eatery or other restaurant?
User 1 - N/A
User 2 - Definitely for the food and the location. It’s close to my class so I can get food right before, but also I love the sandwiches and grain bowls.
User 3 - I don’t really come that often; only when my friends make me.
The Blue Room
The Blue Room is a cafe-style eatery in Brown’s student center, meant for both Brown students and staff and visitors. It can be for a quick snack or a full meal. The entrance and exit is in the same place, and leads to a seating area (not part of the interface I’m analyzing). There are two checkouts near the entrance. There are 3 main sections: the center is always pastries/coffee and the right is usually sandwiches, but the left section rotates every day. The large fridge has many foods like yogurt, snacks, noodles. The small fridge has fruit.
The goal of this assignment was to develop personas for typical users of the Blue Room and storyboard their experience, so that we can highlight what changes the Blue Room could make to help them.
Developing Personas
Mental Models
Mental Model 1: Blue Room Newbie
This user believes that the Blue Room could be a typical cafe, much like a Starbucks, where they could pick up small snacks and coffee on their way to a tour or after their tour. This is because they see a coffee section, and many students walking out with pastries. Some also believe this cafe is representative of Brown’s campus, so may want to explore all the food options to learn more about student life. Much like User 1 (purple text), these users often only see the pastry and coffee section, not the side food sections or the fridge. Therefore, they’ll jump in that line immediately. However, if they are unsure and want to look at everything, they walk to the front of each line to see what the foods actually are.
Mental Model 2: Speedy, Seasoned Students
This user knows the Blue Room and its items in an out, and often comes for a specific item. However, many are rushing to class, which often causes users to switch lines if their chosen item’s line is too long. Others come to study with friends, and need a snack. These users know about the side fridges and items (vs. the Newbie) and go directly to an item there, as opposed to staring at the fridge for a while or having to go to the front of lines to look at items.
Empathy Maps
