Spring of 2017 I took a class called Research Methods in Human Centered Design, which focused on designing and learning for peoples' needs and perspectives in the context of the restaurant. Working in groups, we followed a human-centered design process, beginning with planning and conducting in-context interviews, observations and co-creation activities, learning how to uncover latent knowledge in the context of front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant relations. We synthesized insights in order to inspire design ideas, prototyped these ideas in order to answer specific questions, and ended up designing new iterations. We discussed the broader landscape of design research, including ethnography, participatory and speculative design, and evaluative methods, examining critiques and benefits of different approaches. After lots of ideation, Now You See Me, was developed: a communication system to improve communication and mutual respect for front-of-house and back-of-house employees.
After conducting research at four St. Louis based restaurants, my group developed a prototype at the Washington University restaurant, Ibby's. Although we designed our prototype for Ibby's, the idea is not Ibby's specific. As a group of students and designers, we realized we brought a unique perspective and fresh ideas to the restaurant world. We found that as students we brought a sense of understanding for who the typical customer is at Ibby's. Additionally, as designers, we had the ability to make something eye-catching with compelling messaging for the customer as well as the employees.
Poster Summarizing Semester
