1. Created by Traitet Th.
Project: E-menu on iPad for Thai restaurant Created Date 16 Aug 2012
Revised Date 7 Sep 2012
Topic: Description of research & discussion of outcomes
Revision No. 1.0
Content: Users’ perceptions on e-menu application Document Name D03-001
2. CONTENT
1. Interview Processes
2. Sampling for this case study
3. Primary finding
4. Findings
• Benefits
• Issues
• Features
5. Limitations
6. Appendix
4. 1.1) INTERVIEW PROCESSES
• Prepare the presentation and demonstration of
e-menu system
• Prepare the questions for group interviews
• Present video presentation of the e-menu
system
• Demonstrate software prototype on iPad and
Website
• Test e-menu functionalities with restaurant
managers and waiting staffs
• Perform group interviews with restaurant
manager, waiting staff and chefs
5. 1.2) SAMPLING FOR THIS CASE STUDY
Type of sampling: Convenience sampling
Case study at: A Thai casual dinning restaurant in UK
10% Interviewees
Manager x1 • Restaurant Manager
Waiting Staff • Waiting Staff
50% 40% x4
Chef x5 • Chefs
• Total Interviewers: 10 People (62%) 38%
• Total staff: 16 people 62%
6. SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Have you seen an e-menu before? When? How?
2. Have you used an e-menu before? When? How?
3. Can an e-menu help you understand more details of food and drinks?
4. Do you think that an e-menu makes it easier to order extra food and drinks
whilst dinning?
5. Do you think that an e-menu makes it easy to request extra services e.g. call
waiter, main course and billing?
6. Do you prefer ordering by e-menu or by waiter in this kind of restaurant?
7. Does an e-menu reduce personal contact between customer and restaurant
staff?
Interview restaurant staff on 10 Aug 2012 between 18.30 – 23.00
7. SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
8. What are main benefits of an e-menu in your opinion?
9. What are main issues if implemented in this restaurant?
10. What are the important features that an e-menu that should be provided?
11. Does the demonstrated software have some good points in terms of
software features? And if so, what are they?
12. What do you think about the e-menu prototype?
Feedback (Easy to return to previous screen)
Memorability (Easy to remember how to use it the next time)
Learnability (Easy to use and understand without user manual)
Efficiency (Easy to perform tasks)
Satisfaction (Pleasant to use software)
8. 2) PRIMARY RESULTS
The perception of e-menu system
for Thai Casual dinning restaurants in UK.
9. DATA ANALYSIS
Data Collection Data Analysis Finding
at a Thai restaurant in UK Identify – Coding - Categorize Users’ perception on e-menu
Semi-Structure
Content analysis Convenience – Attraction - Expensive
group interviews
The middle image copied from EISING (2010)
10. 3.1) USERS REQUIRE PRESENTATION OF E-MENU
Proportion of staff who have Proportion of staff how have ever
heard about e-menu application used e-menu application
10%
Have ever heard Have ever used e-
40% about e-menu menu application x1
application x6
60%
Never used e-menu
Never heard about application x9
e-menu application 90%
x4
Importance of presentation and demonstrating e-menu system before interviews
e
Background
Group
Interviews
Demonstrat
Lack of
Presentation and
Most restaurant staffs Group interviews with
demonstration are
have no background in e- needed to explain the restaurant
key concept and features
menu application. of e-menu system. manager, waiting staff
11. 3.2) USERS FAMILIAR WITH APPLE DEVICES
Proportion of using Tablet Devices Proportion of using Mobile Devices
20%
40%
50%
10%
Use iPhone x7
Use iPad x4 70%
10% Use Andriod mobile
Use Andriod Tablet
phone x1
x1
No Tablet Device x5 Use other mobile
phones x2
Why iPad was suitable for this case study?
Familiarity
learn
Easy to
Most staff members are familiar It helps them to easily learn &
with Apple devices e.g. iPhone understand the e-menu system
and iPad
13. USERS’ PERCEPTIONS
Benefits of e-menu
application Issues of e-menu application
Y
MAJORIT
• • High cost
Y
MAJORIT
Convenience
MINORITY
• Improve customer services • Older people
MINORITY
• Reduce human error • Technical issues
• High attraction
15. 1) CONVENIENCE
Customer Restaurant Staff
1. Easy to revise menu details
1. Easy to order • Images
• Details of food & drinks • Description
Perceptions
• Images • Prices
2. Easy to order additional food and drinks 2. Easy to add new promotions
3. Easy to check order status 3. Able to sell seasonal dishes without
printing new menus
Conclusion
The above perceptions should be considered when producing
an real e-menu application.
develop e-
Considered Features: Details of dishes, ordering extra food & drinks
How to
menu
and checking order status
16. 2) IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE
• Receive their orders faster.
• Ease of calling a waiter.
• Ease of requesting their main dish when they want it.
• Ease of requesting their bill.
• Simple to order extra drinks and food.
• The customers are not disturbed when asking for extra drinks.
Conclusion
Improving customers services is a key factor
of implementing e-menu application.
develop
e-menu
How to
Considered Features: Order management and calling services
17. 3) PREVENTING HUMAN ERROR
1. Prevent forgetting orders
• Some extra orders, e.g. drinks, can be ignored during a busy time.
2. Reduce cooking wrong orders
Perceptions
• Poor handwriting by waiting staff
• Taking a wrong order by new part-time staff
• Incorrect communication between waiting staff and chefs, or waiting staff and customer
Conclusion
E-menu could prevent communication problems
and increase customer satisfaction.
develop
e-menu
How to
Considered Features: Transferring orders to a kitchen and bar
18. 4) HIGH ATTRACTION
1. A new technology for restaurant industry.
Perceptions
2. E-menu have not been used by any Thai restaurant in the UK.
3. E-menu differentiates a restaurant from competitors.
4. E-menu enhance dining experience for customers.
Conclusion
Using e-menu might increase a number of customers and target groups.
develop
e-menu
How to
Considered Features: Elegant User Interfaces & Easy to use
20. 1) HIGH COST
Perceptions
Reduce Cost Higher cost
• Labour cost • Hardware
Disadvantages
• Printing menu cost • Software
Advantages
Increase revenue
Maintenance cost
• More drinks
Damage
• More customers
Lifetime
Conclusion
Most users concerned about cost of e-menu,
which is much more higher than paper-based menu.
Study “investment feasibility” before making a decision on e-menu and
develop
e-menu
How to
develop e-menu software, which is compatible with multiple tablet devices.
(to be flexible in selection of tablet devices with a reasonable price)
21. DRAWBACK 2) OLDER PEOPLE
• Some elderly people in UK are familiar
with iPads e.g. E-reader.
S
ELDERLY
PEOPLE
• Some older people might not want to
use e-menus because ordering from
waiters is more convenient.
• Some older people might not be familiar
with using new technology.
Develop e-menu
Elderly people might not be familiar with ordering on Countermeasure
Conclusion
1. Create User’s guide
How to
an electronic device. It could lead them to be 2. Use bigger text size
3. Make it easy to call
dissatisfied in terms of service quality. a waiter on e-menu
22. 3. TECHNICAL ISSUES
1. Installation position
2. Integration with POS (Post of Sales) System
3. Damage of iPad because of liquids
4. Run out of iPad battery during usage
5. Stability of system
6. Speed of application
Above technical issues are needed to consider
when produce a real e-menu system.
24. E-MENU FEATURES SHOULD BE PROVIDED
Clear description of food & Details of dishes
drinks • Picture
Show ordered items • Price
Show total price • Menu description
Call waiter
Request services
Check order status
Cancel menu
The important features, which should be provided
by e-menu system.
25. E-MENU FEATURES COULD BE PROVIDED
Integrate to a Post of Sale (POS) system
Advertise new promotions during meals
Register membership
Add special seasonal menus
Take photos to share on social network
Cancel some menus in case of lacking ingredient
Show an amounts ingredient or nutrition
Show history of particular food or drinks e.g. Wine
Monitor orders by restaurant owners and managers from outside
Report best seller items.
Calculate ingredient requirements
The above additional requirements should be considered
based on particular business requirements
27. FUTURE OF CASTUAL DINING RESTAURANT
E-menu ordered by
customers
E-menu ordered (Tablet e.g. iPad and
by waiting staff Android devices)
(Pocket PC and Future
smart phones)
Paper-based
Menu Now & future
Now
29. LIMITATIONS OF THIS RESEARCH
With regards to analysis users’ perceptions
1. This research did not interview any end-users, namely, restaurant
customers.
2. This research did not interview older people on their perceptions of
ordering meals using iPad.
3. This research did not analyse investment feasibility of e-menu
system.
The future research can additionally study to expand
knowledge from this research.
31. REFERENCES
BRYNE, Michelle (2001). Sampling for qualitative
research. AORN Journal, 73, 494.
EISING, Martin (2010). Data Analysis Overview.
[online]. Last accessed 6 September 2012 at:
http://www.dashboardinsight.com/articles/new-concepts-
in-business-intelligence/data-analysis-overview.aspx.
Notes de l'éditeur
The questions of group interviews are separated into two main questions with regards to the research question.The perception of e-menu system for Thai casual dinning restaurants in UKThe perception of e-menu features.Note that that list of questions for group interviews are shown in this appendix
However, additional questions might be asked deeply with regards to the research question.
Group Interview Objective: Qualitative data analysis consists of identifying, coding, and categorizing patterns found in the data. BRYNE, Michelle (2001). Sampling for qualitative research. AORN Journal, 73, 494.3. Researcher is a toolReference pictureshttp://www.dashboardinsight.com/articles/new-concepts-in-business-intelligence/data-analysis-overview.aspx
Importance of presentation and demonstrating e-menu system before interviewsMost restaurant staffs have not background about e-menu system.Need to demonstrate so that they understand what are features of e-menu application.The learner uses quantitative data to analyse basic perceptions
This information informally asked during observation.Reason of choosing iPad to develop the prototype Most staffs are familiar to Apple devices such as iPhone and iPadIt make them be easy to learn the systemAndroid devices have several specifications and screen size. Therefore, they are more difficult to develop than iPad (from literature review)
Note that some above features have not been implemented in the final prototype.Important features should be concerned;Details of food and drinksImages of food and drinksOrdering additional food and drinksChecking order status
The above perceptions received from restaurant staff. However, future research can interview restaurant customers to get obvious opinions directly.
Thai restaurants have a lot of part-time staffs (more than 60%) who are one-year postgraduate students. After they graduate, those restaurants have to find new part-time students.Therefore, the restaurants always hire new part-time staffs who can make a communication mistake e.g. receiving order, saying menu names, communicating with chefs.
Although using e-menu might increase a number of customers. However, increasing revenue is more likely to be considered by restaurant owner.
However, the restaurant manager suggested that it should do investment analysis to estimate return investment period before making a decision.Futher research, should estimate roi
According to users’ perceptions, older people may not want to use e-menu to order, however, creating user guide, using bigger texts are important features to support older people.
However, restaurant manager mentions that adding more features should concern that the customers will spend more time in restaurant. It can reduce turn over rate.