STARS Restaurant Ordering System
LO-FI PROTOTYPE
Our Product
STARS (Smart Table Automated Restaurant System) is an automated restaurant system designed to streamline and optimize the customer experience and staff workflow. Waitstaff tasks such as finding tables, placing orders, and processing payments are instead handled by the diners through the STARS app on restaurant-provided and/or personal devices. Any questions that a diner might have about food or accommodations can be handled by the app’s virtual assistant, Stella. STARS also extends to the staff side through AR (augmented reality) visors, allowing cooks and servers to communicate about the status of orders in a clean and seamless manner.
Storyboarding
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Activity #1: Booking a Table
1. Customers walk in and see the check-in area to book a table.
2. They go up to one of the tablets and start the check-in process by entering their party size and any accommodations needed (ex. A highchair for a child).
3. The customer is shown tables that fit their criteria and their wait times, they select which table they would like.
4. The customer is prompted to enter their name and phone number so they can be notified of when their table is ready.
5. The customer gets a text notification that their table is ready with a specified table number.
6. The customer finds their table number and sees that it was prepared with the appropriate amount of chairs and a highchair for the child.
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![Activity #2: Ordering Food]()
Activity #2: Ordering Food
1. Diners sit at their table, the virtual assistant detects their presence or the diners indicate they have sat down. The menu opens.
2. Diners order via voice prompts and manual entry.
3. Order status page shows order progress, while the virtual assistant provides voice and visual status updates.
4. The food arrives, but there is one item missing. The diners use the voice prompt to request help.
5. The server confirms that the item is missing and the rest of the order is fulfilled, allowing the diners to finish their meal and notify the virtual assistant.
6. The diners are prompted to pay and to notify the virtual assistant if they are leaving.
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![Activity #3: Staff Handling Orders]()
Activity #3: Staff Handling Orders
1. Server walks into the restaurant and removes his AR glasses from the charging station to start working.
2. He turns the glasses on and syncs with the restaurant’s system. He then chooses the section of tables he will be working in for the evening.
3. Once he has selected his section, he can see what tasks are available for him to start working on (orders, food deliveries, bussing).
4. Through the glasses, he sees that the cook has marked table 6’s food as ‘ready’ in the system and heads to the kitchen to pick it up.
5. Once the table’s food has been delivered, he marks the task as complete by double tapping the side of his glasses.
6. As new tasks pop up they appear on the glasses screen. The process is repeated throughout the server’s shift until he turns the glasses off and puts them back on their charger.
Storyboard feedback
Activity
Two people provided feedback for this storyboard, with concerns mainly revolving around lack of staff intervention. This included the fear of someone stealing their table, lack of notification alternatives if someone does not have a cellphone, finding a table without awkwardly searching, understanding wait times if a table is taking too long, and if more than one person books the same table at the same time.
ACtivity #2
Two participants provided feedback for this storyboard and emphasized the importance of offering both voice prompts and manual input for flexibility in noisy environments. They appreciated the ability to remotely request help but would like to see real-time status updates for their requests, similar to order queues at fast food restaurants. They also highlighted the desire for easy check-splitting options, including handling complex scenarios like covering someone else's meal. Additionally, automating table occupancy detection with motion sensors or cameras rather than manually indicating that diners are leaving was suggested to streamline the dining process.
ACtivity #3
One participant provided feedback for this storyboard. The feedback suggests clarifying the glasses concept earlier in the storyboard, as their purpose was initially unclear. It was also pointed out that glasses may not work for all users, especially those who already wear them, so a visor might be a more accessible alternative. Other concerns include how servers would log in, handle potential device failures, and integrate the system with other tasks like clocking in. Combining the visor with a login feature could streamline the experience and retain server profile data across devices. Additionally, refining the section and order flow would help solidify the design.
ORDER FLOW WIREFRAMES
The diner is asked to input how many people will be eating.
The restaurant’s menu populates on the screen.
The diner selects and customizes the items they would like to order.
After the order is submitted, the diner can see the real-time status of their order.
If the diner has a question about their order or wants to make a request, they can speak to the app’s virtual assistant.
If the user prefers or needs to use the voice option, they can speak to the virtual assistant.
STAFF FLOW WIREFRAMES
Design Justification
Design Decisions
Our design decisions were based on amplified versions of technology that is currently common practice in modern restaurants, such as using tablets for ordering and large monitors or tablets for staff to check the status of orders. We wanted to use interaction patterns that diners are already familiar with, but add in the additional automation benefits of a virtual assistant that can answer any question or fulfill any request that a server could. The choice to use augmented reality technology for staff was based on the mostly hands-free nature of communication, as well as a more seamless experience between different disciplines (i.e. servers and cooks). We decided to pivot from augmented glasses to a visor hat experience because glasses not only would limit staff members who already wear glasses but a visor screen offered more realestate of information to be shared. The final design decisions were based on identifying gaps in the continuity of our storyboards and implementing feedback given by users.
Reflection on the Process
Though the task of storyboarding these experiences seemed simple in the beginning, many glaring issues were identified at this point in the process. There were issues in the continuity of the system, from booking a table to ordering food to how the staff processed that information. As a group, we refined our ideas using these insights and user feedback to emphasize the most impactful parts of the experience and make the system more seamless.
REFLECTION ON USER feedback
User feedback from several non-related participants was the most influential part of our decision making. Showing our storyboards to outsiders highlighted the impracticalities and missed opportunities of our original ideas. There was also helpful feedback about the storyboards themselves and how there were missing pieces in the flows that would be important to understand the full experience. Specific feedback that was incorporated into the wireframes includes emphasizing the voice experience in the order flow as well as changing the server’s experience to wear a visor instead of glasses.