Role
Interaction Design Lead
Skills and Tasks
Interaction Design
Visual Design
Competitive Analysis
Empathy and Journey Mapping
Wireframing and User Flows
A/B and Usability Testing
Tools
Figma
Duration
10 Weeks, Spring 2024
Team
Ava Carroll / Strategy Lead
Andrea Da Silva / UI Lead
Kenzie Alderson / Research Lead
Zoe Bair / Product Lead
My Role as Interaction Designer
As the team's lead interaction designer, I oversaw the design process from wireframes to final development, and I prototyped our designs in creative ways to enhance the user experience. This project sparked a love for prototyping interactions and crafting thoughtful interfaces.
Tap to
Thank
Foxy Loxy
Research
Secondary Research Insights
Survey
We gathered 64 responses—half from food industry workers and half from customers—and were surprised to learn how many people feel stressed when tipping.
Interviews
We conducted 19 interviews with servers, business owners, and customers to gain deeper insights and validate our research findings.`
Insight to Concept
We distilled our research into four key insights, shaping the focus of our solution.
1
Research Insight
Customers want assurance that their tip is going directly to the server, not to managers or owners.
Concept
Users can see a breakdown of who will receive the tip and who will not.
2
Research Insight
Customers often feel awkward tipping in front of the server, pressuring the customer to tip more.
Concept
Choose to tip now on the terminal when you order, or tip later on your phone away from the server and after the full cafe experience.
3
Research Insight
Customers are often unsure how much to tip at cafes due to the various types of service they might receive.
Concept
Input the size of order you received and how the experience was to generate a recommended tip amount.
4
Research Insight
Rising tip amounts are leading some customers to stop tipping altogether, and both servers and business owners understand the stress tipping creates.
Concept
Collecting thank you notes humanizes the experience and brings the meaning back into tipping.
Design
Reimagining the Tipping Flow
We sketched potential flows for a new cafe tipping system and organized our final decisions into a comprehensive user flow.
App Clip Wireframes
We explored an app clip solution—an RFID-activated app that doesn't require downloading—allowing customers to tip on their phones after their cafe experience, giving them the flexibility to make confident tips at their own pace.
Testing
AB Testing
We set up a camera to observe users interacting with our prototypes without giving specific instructions, allowing us to capture their genuine behaviors and thoughts. Since we had two interaction flows, this approach helped us identify which flow was simpler and more intuitive.
A Test
B Test
Iterations after Testing
We took into account the key insights from all three rounds, refining our interfaces into their final design.
The Cheers Terminal will be installed in cafes to facilitate tipping. By partnering with major POS systems like Toast and Square, the Cheers Terminal will seamlessly integrate into existing setups, specifically for the tipping process.
When a customer selects 'tip later' at checkout, they are prompted to connect their phone to the Cheers App Clip via an NFC tag on the terminal. No downloads are required, but the app clip remains accessible on their phone like an app, allowing them to tip after receiving full service. Reminders ensure they don’t forget.
I was the lead for this
The Cheers App
With the full app, customers can collect thank you notes from the servers they tipped. Servers can track their tip amounts and personalize a thank you note to send to customers.
Impact
Drawing from our research, we designed our solution to prioritize user privacy, confidence, and transparency while maintaining a quick, kind, and human experience.
A Stellar Team
This team was a perfect match, with each member's unique skills fitting together like puzzle pieces.
