Transition Mapping in Coffeeshops
by Charlie Denton
In this project, my design team and I chose to observe interactions at several Starbucks and other coffeeshops. Our task was to get a better sense of the transitions that took place in these spaces, and we chose coffeeshops as bustling hubs of activity.
We started with the Starbucks located in the middle of the Georgia Tech campus and expanded our lens from there. We gradually involved more of the chain's locations in our research along with other coffeeshops and restaurants in the downtown and East Atlanta area.
What transitions and interactions stand out? Who are the primary interactors in the space and what do they contribute to these interactions? How are the interactors changed from one part of their experience to the next? These are questions we asked ourselves as design researchers in an attempt to understand the space and, ultimately, improve distinct problems we isolated in the final stage.
Part 1 - Logistic Design Research
After identifying the Starbucks on our college campus as a starting off point in our research, we set about gathering quantitative data about the interactions in the space.
After some initial floundering and deliberation, we settled on observing the space by taking accurate notes on how the patrons chose to multitask and manage their time. When patrons sat down in a particular area, we would time time their behaviors across spans of 15-minute.
Everyone in our group, myself, Sara, Huan, and Jhill, elected to observe a particular area of the coffeeshop to divide the work and the number of patrons that we could collectively observe in a short amount of time. We decided on this method of dividing the work because this is identical to how servers in restaurants keep track of the patrons. Every server has their section to watch and administer to, and (ideally) no one person has to take care of the whole space.
In addition to tracking the date and time of day when patrons enter the coffeeshop, we kept track of whatever tasks that patrons in our areas were doing, how much time they spent on those tasks, and what kind of space they chose as the site for those tasks.
​
The complete data set of behaviors and the time spent on each per day can be found here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OUp1qT-xRUMvt_khPYpYXt5g5osY9dIv3K3Sus_X2wg/edit?usp=sharing
The Affordances of Chairs
What we discovered through our initial period of data gathering was foundational information for the steps we would take later when we ultimately improved the space. Different areas of the coffeeshop became the most likely places to observe particular tasks and combinations of multi-tasking behaviors based on the shape of the chairs and tables, their orientation to one another, and the space around them.
The cafe tables with their small chairs clustered around were better suited for intimate conversations. The soft recliners featured tables on either side, so anyone working on a laptop had to rest it on their knees. Finally, the long work tables hosted the most studious yet social patrons. We assume this because patrons had room to spread out their laptop, drinks, food, and books while also being seated across from their friends who would do the same.
​
In the image to the left, we see each seating variation and a visual breakdown of the affordances of a side table. All objects are close at hand, though nothing can be easily placed in front of you. This offers a prime space to slouch, relax, and even fall asleep in a soft chair.
Part 2 - Ethnographic Design Research
Following our initial period of data collection, we needed sources of qualitative data to see the space through a human lens once again. Specifically, we wanted to know what patrons were motivated to order and what they were thinking while they were in line.
Although we initially settled on interviewing people in line as a means of gathering this data, we realized midway through our interviews that we had omitted a group almost entirely. We were missing out on gathering similar interviews from everyone in the coffeeshop working on their laptops. We were hesitant to break their concentration and tear them away from their work, so we decided to take notes on their general demeanor and their mood when they were engaged with their work or on a conference call. These aspects of patrons' behavior were distinctly missing from our research in Part 1.
We conducted the interviews according to different layers of participant observation. While an interviewer stood in line with the patron and asked questions, a marginal participant from our group sat off to the side of the line and took notes on the interviewees mood, attitude, nonverbal cues, and so on.
​
We presented a selection of these interviews, lifted entirely from our notebooks, in the form of a dramatic interpretation and performed this for the rest of our studio group.
Although it is simple to describe, we encountered many pitfalls while carrying out this stage of design research. For the sake
Part 2 - Ethnographic Design Research
Following our initial period of data collection, we needed sources of qualitative data to see the space through a human lens once again. Specifically, we wanted to know what patrons were motivated to order and what they were thinking while they were in line.
Although we initially settled on interviewing people in line as a means of gathering this data, we realized midway through our interviews that we had omitted a group almost entirely. We were missing out on gathering similar interviews from everyone in the coffeeshop working on their laptops. We were hesitant to break their concentration and tear them away from their work, so we decided
Everyone in our group, myself, Sara, Huan, and Jhill, elected to observe a particular area of the coffeeshop to divide the work and the number of patrons that we could collectively observe in a short amount of time. We decided on this method of dividing the work because this is identical to how servers in restaurants keep track of the patrons. Every server has their section to watch and administer to, and (ideally) no one person has to take care of the whole space.
In addition to tracking the date and time of day when patrons enter the coffeeshop, we kept track of whatever tasks that patrons in our areas were doing, how much time they spent on those tasks, and what kind of space they chose as the site for those tasks.
​
The complete data set of behaviors and the time spent on each per day can be found here.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OUp1qT-xRUMvt_khPYpYXt5g5osY9dIv3K3Sus_X2wg/edit?usp=sharing
The Affordances of Chairs
What we discovered through our initial period of data gathering was foundational information for the steps we would take later when we ultimately improved the space. Different areas of the coffeeshop became the most likely places to observe particular tasks and combinations of multi-tasking behaviors based on the shape of the chairs and tables, their orientation to one another, and the space around them.
The cafe tables with their small chairs clustered around were better suited for intimate conversations. The soft recliners featured tables on either side, so anyone working on a laptop had to rest it on their knees. Finally, the long work tables hosted the most studious yet social patrons. We assume this because patrons had room to spread out their laptop, drinks, food, and books while also being seated across from their friends who would do the same.
​
In the image to the left, we see each seating variation and a visual breakdown of the affordances of a side table. All objects are close at hand, though nothing can be easily placed in front of you. This offers a prime space to slouch, relax, and even fall asleep in a soft chair.
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