Our proposal

1.) Waiting buddy

Hologram (3 dimensional)
-Interact with customers
-Able to select topics to talk
Restaurant Menu, Music, Fashion, Gossip…
-Entertain
Dance, Magic…
-Bring people together
No more waiting alone

2.) Easy Dine (Something extra)

-Normal phones
Through Smses
-Smart phones
Mobile application
Allow customers to choose to stay in line or out
Convenient & more flexible
Able to make full use of their time
Shop in the mall while waiting

The most common emotions that we’ve gathered from customers in the queue are impatience, loneliness, insecurity and frustration. After evaluation, we realize the importance of a waiter being physically there for crowd control has the ability to give hope and increase patience levels for customers as the waiter’s appearance symbolized a chance that the queue will be shortening.

However, we still see the importance of conserving manual labour from taking orders. We still wish to implement the need to save time as the customers in the queue takes their time to order the food while waiters served the customers in the restaurant itself to enhance efficiency.

Therefore, we came up with a Hologram Waiting Companion! It is a virtual, screen-projected image that resembles real-life human. This hologram serves to provide menus to waiting customers who wish to order, as well as keep them entertained. Several functions designed into this hologram are: ability to detect when customers are impatient and have the thought of quitting the queue, ability to converse, sing and entertain customers (especially customers who are alone) and making waiting time more fun and easy to pass. We believe that our hologram can serve to be the “waiter” as well as the “friend” that will both provide a better reason for customers to stay in the queue, increase patience, provide hope with its physical presence, yet at the same time, saving space unlike the previous conveyor belt and saving manual labour from the restaurant itself.

An add-on feature which we designed is a Mobile Application known as Easy Dine. This application serves to help customers locate a restaurant near them using a satellite mapping system, categories each restaurant into closed for the day / available to dine / popular choice sections, as well as sorting restaurants into map view or into a list with contact information.

10 Things You Can Do While Waiting In Line

If you are waiting for something to happen while waiting in line at the store or at an appointment, there are several things that you can do to continue with your day. Here are ten things to do while you are waiting in any public area.

Plan. If you are at a place in your day where you have either finished the tasks that needed time management, or if you have set your goals, then find a way to move on to the next task and plan what needs to be done next. By setting new goals and time limits, you will be able to find a way to continue to reach your goals for the rest of your day.

Refocus. If you have a busy schedule, use the time that you are waiting to refocus. Go over your schedule for the day, find what you need to do for the rest of the day, and figure out what to do to re-manage your time. If you have a handheld device or a notebook with a list, you can look over what your list has for the day, as well as what your goals are.

Make more lists. If you find that several of your goals have been reached for the day, or if you want to move forward onto a different task, making a different list or rearranging the list that you already have is an easy thing to do while you are waiting. Once you are out of the line or have stepped out of your appointment, you will know exactly what needs to get done next.

Organize your time. If you have your calendar with you, and have already set your lists, then figure out how much time it will take you to complete the tasks and goals that you have on your schedule for that day. Planning out how long it will take you to finish your tasks of the day is an effective use of time while waiting in line or waiting for an appointment.

Bring mail or correspondence to sort through. If you have mail that will need to go out to friends, or things that you need to organize, you can bring these with you. While you are waiting, it is an easy thing to sort through or read while waiting.

Make phone calls. If you have business partners or friends that need you to call them, this is a great time to do so. Because you are waiting in line, you will be able to keep the phone calls short and to the point.

Bring along the smaller tasks. Sometimes, there are smaller things that need to be completed or looked through. If you need to finish a smaller task, doing so while waiting in line is a great time to catch up on what you may have not necessarily have done when the focus was on the larger tasks and goals that were set for the day.

Re-energize. If the day is particularly busy for you, this is a good time to not do anything except wait. Use waiting time as a time to calm down, find your focus, and relax. Downtime is always good and necessary in any day that is full of activities and planning.

Read. If you know that your wait is going to be longer, you can catch up on reading that you need to do. This can help you relax. You can also read things that will help you with your progress for the rest of the day. Reading can often keep you on track for the rest of your day as well.

Catch up on the news. Many different places will have magazines and newspapers available right by the checkout stand, or wherever you are waiting. If you don’t bring your own material to read, it’s always good to keep up with the latest news and happenings in the world. This is good to do if you have already organized the rest of your day and made your plans.

If you are going to a place where you think there will be waiting time, make sure to always bring along your planning devices, or any smaller tasks that you will have to do for the rest of the day. This will help you in never having to stand in line or wait for a long amount of time without having anything to do.

Wherever you are waiting, it is always a good time to reschedule, re-energize and continue with your lists and plans that need to be organized for the rest of the day. By using waiting time as a way to continue setting your goals, the rest of your day will run smoothly and more effectively as you are able to continue with your plans.

Source taken from:
http://www.solveyourproblem.com/time-management/10_things_while_waiting_in_line.shtml


The 10 things that are listed in the article are Plan, Refocus, Make more lists, Organize your time, Bring mail or correspondence to sort through, Make phone calls, Bring along the smaller tasks, Re-energize, Read and Catch up on the news.
I felt what listed in the article were rather useful for those who are really busy and that they have to plan their schedule to make it more organise. Thus, it helps to free their mind from the many schedules they have to do at one. However, that’s only what they CAN DO. The article suggested things that they can do while waiting, but there’s nothing creative or out of the box. You can plan, re-energise… anywhere. I can do that on the train when I’m on the back home too!
Waiting IS mundane… yes, by making use of the time to plan and re-energise helps to occupy some time. What about people that don’t have plans…? What about people who are queuing for food outside the restaurant that are frustrated and wanted to get in so badly?
We have to do something to keep them occupy! Of cause, in a fun way! We can also allow people to choose whether they want to stay in the queue or go shop around the mall during the wait.
People can walk around and not just stay there to plan, refocus… They can make use of the time to walk around and do what they wanted to do during the wait.
This way we can change people views from thinking that waiting is a mundane thing to do! Dining in the restaurant could be just a click away!
Instead of only having the customers to wait in the queue, especially those who are waiting alone. We can get people together to interact. Example, looking at the menu together… These way it helps them to make their queuing experience more fun!

To queue or not to queue?

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If there's one thing that separates humankind from the animals, it's that human beings wait in lines. To make a deposit at the bank, to pay for groceries, even to vote -- we've all learned to queue, one behind the other. And we've learned, if not to like it, then at least to grin and bear it.

But time is money, and both individuals and businesses may suffer as lines get longer and longer, says Tel Aviv University's Prof. Refael Hassin, a mathematician. He has been utilizing game theory to study wait times in line and understand their economic consequences. His findings -- many of which turn common sense upside-down -- could also turn the service industry on its head, help businesses increase profits, and make society become a more pleasant place for everyone.

Results of his research were published recently in the journal Management Science.

An Espresso While You Wait

Businesses can implement systems to cut down on waiting time and decrease the number of frustrated customers who leave without making a purchase. Prof. Hassin notes that there are many solutions that companies could apply with an eye to improving customer service. An entry fee to enter a faster line is one option.

"I don't suggest that companies hire more cashiers at the sight of a growing queue," he says. "With some basic analysis, however, peak times of wait lines can be determined, and businesses can ensure that customers stay happy while waiting, by offering them entertainment like TV or maybe cappuccinos."

But sometimes the lines themselves are the problem, Prof. Hassin believes. His study suggests that waiting times are affected by a number of random variables, and that people who gather in a crowd might be serviced more efficiently than people standing in line. Sometimes, disorder creates its own order.

In an ice-cream shop, for example, an arriving customer who crowds to the display case will experience shorter waiting times for service than when the same number of customers wait patiently in line. This means that more ice cream will be served and consequently more money will end up in the till. "If there are 10 people in an ice-cream shop, on average you will be served after the fifth person if you do not wait in an organized line," says Prof. Hassin.

Prof. Hassin went on to explain, "Of course I might get served 1st, 2nd, or even last. But on average the statistics are based on human decision-making strategies: If one is deciding whether or not to enter a shop and sees many people there already, most would prefer an unordered queue –– because in this circumstance there is a good chance of being served sooner than if one was waiting patiently in line."

Does Democracy Need to Wait Its Turn?

Customers as well as businesses can learn from Prof. Hassin's research. While it seems intuitive that fairness is served when people wait patiently in line until their turn comes up, Prof. Hassin says that, when it comes to queuing up, democracy is more honored in the breach than in the observance.

"People in lines tend to think only about themselves and ignore their impact on others," says Prof. Hassin. "If I join the line and you come later, you will wait longer because of me. Customers are often selfish and ignore the effect their behavior has on others." This is why in some cases it's better to manage a queue in an unorganized non-democratic way, serve in reverse order of arrival, or conceal queue length information from potential customers, he explains.

On the Ice cream shop example given, queue that are crowd around feel shorter than those with lines. Is interesting ain’t it? I feel it too. It’s a form of psychology. You will think that you might have a chance to go first. This might help in our proposal.

On the last part of the article, Prof. Hassin mention that People in lines tend to think only about themselves and ignore their impact on others. This shows the behaviour or customers in the queue, they tend to be self centered when queuing. Thus, we have to think of a design that solve the queuing problem into something enjoyable and at the meantime allow the customers to interact with one another.

A quick fix for queues

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Queuing, standing in line...it's what we do well, but complain about the most. Thankfully, science is coming to the rescue as researchers in Taiwan have devised a formula that could revolutionize restaurants, post offices, customer service desks, and theater ticket sales everywhere. Business management professor Pen-Yuan Liao of the National United University in Miaoli, Taiwan, that queuing as one of life's inevitabilities when seeking fast food, restaurant services, banking and postal services, and shopping and buying tickets for events and activities, or waiting for your turn on a theme park ride. No one enjoys queuing, so even small reductions in waiting time will result in better quality of service and lead to enhancing customer loyalty and so increased sales, Liao says.

"The profit loss from business resulting from inefficient queuing systems is quite difficult to estimate," Liao explains, "but there is a creative and effective way to formulate the costs of waiting and so improve customer satisfaction and sales."

Liao has devised a scientific formula he refers to as the "balking index", which is referred to by the Greek letter theta. Ironically, this symbol is used elsewhere in science as shorthand for temperature, a parameter that often rises among people standing in ineffective queues. Liao has encapsulated theta as relating the expected queue length and the mean arrival rate in a given time period. Multiplying the balking index, the queue length, and the mean arrival rate gives you the number of frustrated customers who will leave their position in the queue in that time period.

"Estimating balking loss enables a store manager or other person in charge of staffing levels to determine the optimal number of servers by minimizing total cost, including service cost and balking loss," says Liao. He has successfully tested the formula in advising a fast food manager on how many staff to have serving at any given time depending on the balking index.

"By using this formula, approach, restaurants and other services that have queues can cut costs and improve customer loyalty," he says, "Customers benefit from much reduced queuing times."

I was doing some research on restaurants for assignment 2 and I came across some interesting restaurants theme concept! Thought it would be fun to share!

Many credits to - http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/06/20/10-unusual-and-creative-restaurants/

Underwater Restaurant in Maldives

Prison Restaurant in Tokyo

Haha!!!

Toilet Restaurant in Taiwan

In The Dark Restaurant in London

Would you want to dine in such restaurant? It would be interesting and something you won't get out of when you visit some other restaurants!

Personally I felt that it's interactive! Between the customers and waitresses! Especially the last example, Blind waiters who lead customers to and through the pitch-black dining experience. Strangers get together and line in one straight rows to be lead into the restaurant.

It spark me some idea on assignment 2...

It might help in making queuing up to get into the restaurants more fun with theme based restaurants.

Seoul Airport toilet

This was what I found at Seoul's girls toilet during the June 2 weeks holiday. (Yes!!! I went on a trip to Seoul and Jeju Island! )

I did not video down it but I just took an image of it. It reminds me of my toilet design for UCD that I've posted months back. Remember I've mention that I need to cover those seats with toilet rolls then I'm able to sit on them? Yea! My idea is a tag bit high tad.

BUT THIS....

WORKS FOR ME! :D I like!

Found a video on it:


The red button at the side of the toilet flush are buttons to control the plastics protector seats. I'm so happy to see such toilet seats at the airport! Totally enjoy the whole experience!

Sapien Bookcase

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This is perfect for those who love to show off their book collection! (I'm one of them)

You can creatively arrange your books in an impressive vertical display. Two sizes are available, short and tall. The cool feature of this is that when fully loaded, the bookcase virtually disappears behind the books, as if there's no support in between, just the books alone!