Jen Grier's Multiblog

Revisit: Observing in NYC: Part II

I forgot that there was a second part to my previous TECH post!

September 22nd, 2007 in “the TECH of Jen Grier”:

Tom and I returned to Whole Foods for a second round of observation. We wanted to look into viable options for improving the system already in place for checking-out.

What I realized that was not readily apparent before:

• There are two sides! The express-lane side has five lanes while the regular checkout lane side only has four.
• The “regular speed” side was much more patient and calm. They also seemed to understand the system much better, and were generally a bit more oriented than their express counterparts.
• I was able to sneak an overhead video of the express lane! It’s a little horrible, but perhaps it’ll give some additional perspective.

I observed both this past Thursday.   You can see my results for that day on GoogleDocs.

My statistical summary of both days follows:
Average Confidence Level: 2.147
People who looked at the hanging LCD: 85/109 (78.0%)
People who looked at the sign with information on the register locations: 2/89 (2.25%)
People who looked to a staffperson for help: 35/89 (39.33%)
People who looked at the blinking register lights: 45/109 (41.28%)
Was the person disoriented with the location of the register?: 43/109 (29.45%)
Did the staff person ask the customer to take their turn?: 14/52 (26.92%)

Tom summed it up in this PDF. Some height adjustments and better use of the LCD and colors were big on our list, along with better directions for customers to the registers.

Overall, this study reminded me that even the most fabulous technology doesn’t amount to much without serious design study.  I’m glad we had a chance to check this place out!