DISCOVERING DIM SUM
Exploring the experiences and difficulties faced by inexperienced yum cha diners to make it a more comfortable and accessible dining experience.
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
THE CHALLENGE
Yum cha, or dim sum, is a Cantonese tea and small-plate tradition.
The method of ordering at yum cha is often fast-paced and ad hoc. Most commonly, carts with unlabelled baskets and plates of food are carted around to tables, with diners selecting dishes as desired.
As dishes are largely unmarked, ambiguity and communication barriers between diners and restaurant staff can result in diner apprehension of trying new and unfamiliar dishes.
The goal of this project is to explore the experiences and difficulties faced by inexperienced yum cha diners, in order to make it a more accessible dining experience.
USER INTERVIEWS
PROCESS
Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants. Interviews focused on understanding the common practices, difficulties, and desires of yum cha diners.
Affinity mapping of interview findings yielded the following insights:
INSIGHT #1
People want to fit in with their surroundings as much as possible, and are uncomfortable with creating disruptions or confusion to the normal flow of business.
“I feel sort of silly showing my phone. If there is a system and the waiter’s expecting it…thats a lot better”
-Participant 4
“I would prefer something on the table already. Something not too obvious” -Participant 1
INSIGHT #2
Diners want a level of independence in obtaining information- spoken language is not always the most important or efficient mode of communication to diners. Writing and visuals can effectively allow diners to independently access information.
“I'd like to access information myself, but probably won’t look ahead of time”
- Participant 2
“If there were a more step-by-step process in place, like instructions I could read, that would be helpful”
- Participant 1
INSIGHT #3
The barriers to people trying new and unfamiliar dishes are mainly due to dietary restrictions and uncertainty over the taste of dishes. Detailed ingredient and taste information are important to making people feel confident and comfortable when selecting a dish.
“I’m allergic to sunflower oil, so no fried stuff and things like that”
- Participant 1
“If they weren’t able to tell me that it’s gluten-free for sure, I wouldn’t risk it”
- Participant 4
REFRAMING THE QUESTION
Initial framing of the problem looked like this:
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Discover what challenges non-Cantonese speaking diners face at yum cha
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How might we help empower inexperienced yum cha diners to try new and unfamiliar dishes?
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How might we facilitate and improve the ordering experience for these yum cha diners?
However, after user research and interviews, the revised framing of the problem looked like this:
How might we improve the ordering experience for diners in a discreet and integrated manner, allowing customers to independently access important dietary and descriptive information about restaurant items?
DEVELOP AND TEST
Based on the insights and findings of my research, the following were principles considered in the design process. The design needed to:
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Be discreet and blend into the natural restaurant environment/rhythm
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Provide dietary and descriptive information about the food
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Provide information in a non-verbal manner, independently accessible and understood by a diverse demographic of customers
Design ideas explored included physical table assets, digital, integrated restaurant information systems, or apps. However, the solution needed to consider that a customer-downloaded app without restaurant integration would not address the reservations expressed in the report insights.
The proposed solution:
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Online menu accessed by scanning QR code at table
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Accessible by phone
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Tabs with nutritional info, taste profiles, dish suggestions
Users tested iterative versions of low-fidelity wireframes
YUM CHUR PROTOTYPE
SOLUTION
A table-side QR code information and ordering system that allows diners to independently access nutritional and taste profile information. Order functionality is included in the online system.
Testing indicated that users didn't want to add another app to their already app-filled
phone home screens. A table-side QR code allows diners to discreetly access online information.
Horizontal carousels show categories of dim sum dishes. Once a category is selected, users can scroll down to see the menu items in the category. Users are able to filter the category results through selecting chips.
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During wireframe testing, participants indicated a preference for nested information displaying on the same page to avoid repetitive navigation between separate pages. The design of this interface aims to organise information in an easy to digest manner, with clear hierarchies and minimisation of unnecessary navigation between pages.
Each dish's page features three tabs to organise nutritional, taste, and recommendation content.