I recently had a layover in New York’s JFK Airport, and decided to grab a bite to eat at a pub in my terminal. I entered the restaurant and looked around for a hostess. Not seeing one, I seated myself and quickly noticed that every seat had an iPad mounted in front of it. My curiosity piqued, I soon learned that the iPad contained the ordering system for the restaurant.
Apps Are Meaningless If Customers Won’t Use Them
I admit, I thought this was a cool idea. People at airports usually are strapped for time, so a system that allows quick ordering seemed smart. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. Several missteps in the user interface of the app left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I hadn’t even eaten yet.
For starters, the iPad ordering system assumes that everyone eating in the restaurant is alone. Each person must order from their own iPad and pay separately for their meals. There’s no system for multiple orders at a single a table. Imagine a family of five tired and hungry travelers sitting down to order and pay for burgers … one at a time—not very appetizing.
