Xavier Talwatte

Xavier Talwatte

Xavier Talwatte

UX Research

UX Writing

CRO

Futurebean Seasonal Beverage CRO

Understanding users' ordering experiences to improve sales for new seasonal drinks.

UX Research

UX Writing

CRO

Futurebean Seasonal Beverage CRO

Understanding users' ordering experiences to improve sales for new seasonal drinks.

Role

UX Consultant

Timeline

July - August 2024 (3 weeks)

Team

Xavier Talwatte

Project Brief

During the summer of 2024, Futurebean launched two seasonal beverages: Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte. Despite positive feedback from customers who had sampled the products, they did not perform as well as anticipated.

The Goal: Understand why guests are not ordering the drinks and identify how to increase sales.

During the summer of 2024, Futurebean launched two seasonal beverages: Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte. Despite positive feedback from customers who had sampled the products, they did not perform as well as anticipated.

The Goal: Understand why guests are not ordering the drinks and identify how to increase sales.

During the summer of 2024, Futurebean launched two seasonal beverages: Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte. Despite positive feedback from customers who had sampled the products, they did not perform as well as anticipated.

The Goal: Understand why guests are not ordering the drinks and identify how to increase sales.

How We Got Here: From Storyville to Futurebean

Storyville Coffee Company is a well-established brand in Washington. Consistently ranking at the top of Yelp results among Seattle coffee shops, with thousands of 5-star reviews, Storyville is known for delivering meticulously-crafted guest experiences in every location and every cup.

Futurebean by Storyville brings a future-forward coffee shop concept to Walmart super-centers in Florida and Tennessee. The very first location is a standalone shop in Seattle. The uniqueness of this shop affords opportunities to experiment with new ideas and flavors, such as Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte.

Understanding Ordering Experiences

I wanted to better understand how the physical layout of the shop might influence guests’ ordering experiences. The following example demonstrates how the location of the menu in relation to the register determines the users’ literal path and the amount of time they take to place an order.

I wanted to better understand how the physical layout of the shop might influence guests’ ordering experiences. The following example demonstrates how the location of the menu in relation to the register determines the users’ literal path and the amount of time they take to place an order.

I wanted to better understand how the physical layout of the shop might influence guests’ ordering experiences. The following example demonstrates how the location of the menu in relation to the register determines the users’ literal path and the amount of time they take to place an order.

Walking in, the guest is impressed by the store’s design and receives a warm welcome.

Looking for a menu, they see a QR code. After scanning it, they realize it is not the menu

They find the menu but can’t read it and walk over.

When someone else walks in, the guest feels pressured to make a quick decision so as to not give up their spot in line.

While this example is but one of many user journeys, it illustrates some potential factors influencing guests ordering experiences.

Key Takeaways

  • Some guests are unable to read the menu while standing in line.

  • They need another way to look at the menu, and some assume the QR code is a menu.

  • Walking over to read the menu can lead to forfeiting your place in line. This creates a sense of urgency when considering menu options.

Key Takeaways:

  • Some guests are unable to read the menu while standing in line.

  • They need another way to look at the menu, and some assume the QR code is a menu.

  • Walking over to read the menu can lead to forfeiting your place in line. This creates a sense of urgency when considering menu options.

Key Takeaways:

  • Some guests are unable to read the menu while standing in line.

  • They need another way to look at the menu, and some assume the QR code is a menu.

  • Walking over to read the menu can lead to forfeiting your place in line. This creates a sense of urgency when considering menu options.

Usability Testing

Given the assumptions that the product itself is strong and the person is planning to order a cold drink, I set out to answer the following research questions:

  • Do guests see Chilli Vanilli on the menu?

  • Do they know what it is?

  • Why would or wouldn’t they order it?

Given the assumptions that the product itself is strong and the person is planning to order a cold drink, I set out to answer the following research questions:

  • Do guests see Chilli Vanilli on the menu?

  • Do they know what it is?

  • Why would or wouldn’t they order it?

Given the assumptions that the product itself is strong and the person is planning to order a cold drink, I set out to answer the following research questions:

  • Do guests see Chilli Vanilli on the menu?

  • Do they know what it is?

  • Why would or wouldn’t they order it?

Participants: 20 individuals between the ages of 20-45 from Washington, Tennessee, and Florida.

Format: 2 rounds, in-person or video call, moderated user test.

Prompts:

Mock Ordering Experience: “It’s sunny and 80 degrees outside. You walk into a coffee shop and see these menu options.” **Presents Digital Menu** “What (if anything) would you order? Take your time and ask any follow-up questions as you would if you were ordering for real.”

Interview: “Did you have any thoughts about the last two menu items?” **After explaining what it is…** “Knowing this, would you be more, similarly, or less likely to order one of these items?”


Prompts:

Mock Ordering Experience: “It’s sunny and 80 degrees outside. You walk into a coffee shop and see these menu options.” **Presents Digital Menu** “What (if anything) would you order? Take your time and ask any follow-up questions as you would if you were ordering for real.”

Interview: “Did you have any thoughts about the last two menu items?” **After explaining what it is…** “Knowing this, would you be more, similarly, or less likely to order one of these items?”

Round 1 Findings

“Chilli... is that a spicy vanilla latte?”

Visibility

6/10 participants saw the seasonal drinks.

Spicy?

5/10 participants assumed they would be spicy.

Comprehension

4/10 knew what either of the drinks were.

Conversion

1/10 would order one of the new drinks.

Findings from the initial test informed 2 other versions to test: 

  • Location of Chilli Vanilli on the menu (live AB testing was used instead).

  • Alternative name for Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte (Vanilla Freeze/Frozen Vanilla Latte).

Findings from the initial test informed 2 other versions to test: 

  • Location of Chilli Vanilli on the menu (live AB testing was used instead).

  • Alternative name for Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte (Vanilla Freeze/Frozen Vanilla Latte).

Findings from the initial test informed 2 other versions to test: 

  • Location of Chilli Vanilli on the menu (live AB testing was used instead).

  • Alternative name for Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte (Vanilla Freeze/Frozen Vanilla Latte).

Round 2 Findings

Round 2 mirrored the format of the first round of testing with a different set of participants and updated names for each seasonal beverage. Given that participants struggled to identify what the drinks were, I decided to modify the names to Vanilla Freeze and Frozen Vanilla Latte. The aim was to succinctly communicate the drinks were frozen and vanilla-based, with one containing milk and espresso.

Round 2 mirrored the format of the first round of testing with a different set of participants and updated names for each seasonal beverage. Given that participants struggled to identify what the drinks were, I decided to modify the names to Vanilla Freeze and Frozen Vanilla Latte. The aim was to succinctly communicate the drinks were frozen and vanilla-based, with one containing milk and espresso.

Round 2 mirrored the format of the first round of testing with a different set of participants and updated names for each seasonal beverage. Given that participants struggled to identify what the drinks were, I decided to modify the names to Vanilla Freeze and Frozen Vanilla Latte. The aim was to succinctly communicate the drinks were frozen and vanilla-based, with one containing milk and espresso.

“I would probably order the iced coffee because I’m not really into sugary and dairy coffee products anymore. I might be tempted if there was a big picture of it, though.”

Improved visibility without adjusting the location on the menu suggests that the new names were more understandable and appealing at a glance. This is also supported by participants’ more accurate identification and comprehension of drinks. In the second round, no participants assumed either of the drinks would be spicy, and half of the participants selected the drink from a list of 9 drinks.

Improved visibility without adjusting the location on the menu suggests that the new names were more understandable and appealing at a glance. This is also supported by participants’ more accurate identification and comprehension of drinks. In the second round, no participants assumed either of the drinks would be spicy, and half of the participants selected the drink from a list of 9 drinks.

Improved visibility without adjusting the location on the menu suggests that the new names were more understandable and appealing at a glance. This is also supported by participants’ more accurate identification and comprehension of drinks. In the second round, no participants assumed either of the drinks would be spicy, and half of the participants selected the drink from a list of 9 drinks.

Despite no changes to prices between rounds, several participants mentioned price as a reason the seasonal drinks appealed to them during the second round.

Round 3: Live AB Testing

Futurebean's decision to revamp their electronic menu to encompass sandwich options offered a chance to carry out an A/B test on the effect of drink placement on sales. Positioning Chilli Vanilli and Chilli Vanilli Latte at the beginning of the Iced and Frozen category led to a twofold increase in sales within the first seven days. This bolstered initial studies indicating that customers were not noticing these seasonal beverages.

Challenges

During this project, several challenges and constraints influenced my recommendations.

Constraints

  • The primary menu location is non-negotiable. However, this does not mean that we cannot explore other alternatives such as installing additional smaller menus closer to the register.

  • The display is fixed, and there are no additional screens. This makes it more difficult to experiment with using imagery to advertise the seasonal drinks.

  • The Seattle location has a different demographic and bar setup from other Futurebean locations, so some facets of the ordering experience will be different. I did conduct testing and interviews with participants from Washington, Florida, and Tennessee in an attempt to have a diverse, more reflective range of perspectives.

Constraints

  • The primary menu location is non-negotiable. However, this does not mean that we cannot explore other alternatives such as installing additional smaller menus closer to the register.

  • The display is fixed, and there are no additional screens. This makes it more difficult to experiment with using imagery to advertise the seasonal drinks.

  • The Seattle location has a different demographic and bar setup from other Futurebean locations, so some facets of the ordering experience will be different. I did conduct testing and interviews with participants from Washington, Florida, and Tennessee in an attempt to have a diverse, more reflective range of perspectives.

Constraints

  • The primary menu location is non-negotiable. However, this does not mean that we cannot explore other alternatives such as installing additional smaller menus closer to the register.

  • The display is fixed, and there are no additional screens. This makes it more difficult to experiment with using imagery to advertise the seasonal drinks.

  • The Seattle location has a different demographic and bar setup from other Futurebean locations, so some facets of the ordering experience will be different. I did conduct testing and interviews with participants from Washington, Florida, and Tennessee in an attempt to have a diverse, more reflective range of perspectives.

Weather

Summertime is generally a busy time of year, and customers are more likely to opt for cold beverages when it’s hot outside. This poses a challenge in that the total sales of cold drinks will often be higher during this part of the year. I accounted for this by measuring seasonal drink sales as a percentage of total drink sales rather than only considering the raw totals. This revealed that proportional sales in comparison with other drinks, such as the Iced Dirty Chai Latte, were growing.

Weather

Summertime is generally a busy time of year, and customers are more likely to opt for cold beverages when it’s hot outside. This poses a challenge in that the total sales of cold drinks will often be higher during this part of the year. I accounted for this by measuring seasonal drink sales as a percentage of total drink sales rather than only considering the raw totals. This revealed that proportional sales in comparison with other drinks, such as the Iced Dirty Chai Latte, were growing.

Weather

Summertime is generally a busy time of year, and customers are more likely to opt for cold beverages when it’s hot outside. This poses a challenge in that the total sales of cold drinks will often be higher during this part of the year. I accounted for this by measuring seasonal drink sales as a percentage of total drink sales rather than only considering the raw totals. This revealed that proportional sales in comparison with other drinks, such as the Iced Dirty Chai Latte, were growing.

Insights and Prioritization

I mapped out potential solutions on a feature prioritization matrix based on findings from testing, prioritizing simple and impactful solutions.

Several of the solutions considered:

  • Move to top (already done).

  • Change spelling to Chilly Vanilly (con: lower upside).

  • Change name (con: larger change).

  • Add description to menu item (con: will use up valuable real estate on the menu).

  • Add visual of Chilli Vanilli and food pairing rotating with menu (con: with only one screen, it will be harder for guests to quickly read the menu and decide with it switching frequently).

Results

After presenting my findings and recommendations to the company president, the drink names were officially updated (and they remained at the top of the frozen drink section). The updated menu designs increased seasonal special sales from ~1% to ~6% of total drink sales, a major improvement.

After presenting my findings and recommendations to the company president, the drink names were officially updated (and they remained at the top of the frozen drink section). The updated menu designs increased seasonal special sales from ~1% to ~6% of total drink sales, a major improvement.

After presenting my findings and recommendations to the company president, the drink names were officially updated (and they remained at the top of the frozen drink section). The updated menu designs increased seasonal special sales from ~1% to ~6% of total drink sales, a major improvement.

Recognizing the impact of scannable and comprehensible menu design, I shared with Futurebean that their sandwich sales may be suffering due to similar reasons. My suggestion, to change the pretzel knot sandwich category from Planet Pretzel to Breakfast Sandwiches, resulted in a 50% improvement upon previous record sales on the first day. It’s important to acknowledge there is plenty of room for improvement here; while sales have increased, customers are uncertain of sandwich contents, and further details can be revisited.

Recognizing the impact of scannable and comprehensible menu design, I shared with Futurebean that their sandwich sales may be suffering due to similar reasons. My suggestion, to change the pretzel knot sandwich category from Planet Pretzel to Breakfast Sandwiches, resulted in a 50% improvement upon previous record sales on the first day. It’s important to acknowledge there is plenty of room for improvement here; while sales have increased, customers are uncertain of sandwich contents, and further details can be revisited.

Recognizing the impact of scannable and comprehensible menu design, I shared with Futurebean that their sandwich sales may be suffering due to similar reasons. My suggestion, to change the pretzel knot sandwich category from Planet Pretzel to Breakfast Sandwiches, resulted in a 50% improvement upon previous record sales on the first day. It’s important to acknowledge there is plenty of room for improvement here; while sales have increased, customers are uncertain of sandwich contents, and further details can be revisited.

Several of the recommendations from this project have now been successfully implemented into three new Futurebean locations nationwide.

Several of the recommendations from this project have now been successfully implemented into three new Futurebean locations nationwide.

Several of the recommendations from this project have now been successfully implemented into three new Futurebean locations nationwide.