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Saxby's Waiting Line Experience

Human Behavior Design Project

Jan. 2025 - Feb. 2025

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To understand designing around choreographic objects (objects that force users to move around it), I worked with an industrial designer in a Northeastern course to develop a service centered around waiting lines. We studied how people behave within waiting lines in many scenarios, but focused on cafes.

Skills:​

  • Ethnographic research

  • Documenting recorded observations

  • Communicating with local businesses

  • Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

  • Laser Cutting

After researching online waiting line psychology, we visited several eateries in Boston. We found several commonalties:

  • People naturally move to a side to think about what they want to eat

  • Decisions are made faster with food visuals

  • Stimulated people will likely stay in line rather than leave

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Initial Observations

We trialed a visually engaging "This or That" poster that would subconsciously influence one's food choice. The eateries denied us from adding signs, so we used ourselves to act as stationary signs.

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Testing Set-up

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Poster Mockup

People now directed their attention to me (holding the sign). A few participated in the vote, but we did not influence decisions. 

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User Reactions to Mockup

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Mockup Interaction Results

Shortly after our mockup testing, Saxby's gave allowed us to use their on-campus location. We added images of their menu options to achieve our desired influence results. We also designed a coffee spill that guides customers' eyes towards the posters. 

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We laser cut the coffee spill, painted it white, and stuck it to the wall, along with the posters, using a non-wall damaging tape.

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Saxby's wall with Coffee Spill and Posters

Now, people stared at the wall art, even if they were not going to the cafe.

 

Notably, our success came as people observed the posters, stopped before the line, referred back to the posters, and stepped into the waiting line having made their decision. This, to us, demonstrated the poster's influence.

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Glancing at posters

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Decision-making with Posters

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Stepping into Waiting Line

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