Redesigning the practice of tipping
Case study
Design process
Background & Problem
The tipping tradition provides an important source of income for servers, especially in the U.S., where tipping is necessary due to low minimum wages. Tips allow restaurant customers to express their appreciation for good service. However, initial research for this project indicates that many feel pressured by the situation to tip, and the tipping experience can become uncomfortable, as it may feel like the staff is hovering and waiting for customers to decide on a tip. This creates a dilemma: while restaurants want to encourage tipping, customers seek the freedom to make their own choices without feeling pressured. This group project aims to find a balance between the restaurant's desire for tips and the customers' desire to make their decisions comfortably.
Our clients
Resturants desires → receive tips
Customers desires → tip comfortably
How might we find a balance between restaurants' desire to receive tips and customers desire to comfortably make a choice?
Ideating
To generate potential design solutions, we conducted the Crazy 8 method, where all team members sketched eight concepts in eight minutes. Afterwards, we reviewed each sketch and individually voted for the solution that best aligned with the previous research and the "how might we" question.
Initial design idea
Customers receive a QR code on the receipt, allowing them to tip the restaurant staff easily. Tipping can be done after paying, and you can bring the receipt with you to tip whenever and wherever you want.
User testing insights
Customers can take as much time as they want to make the decision to tip.
Not beneficial from the restaurants point of view.
1 out of 12 tables takes their receipt with them when they leave.
What can we change to make the design idea beneficial for the restaurants as well?
Minemize the time and space given to customers? (keep some of the good pressure applied by the restaurants).
Simplify the process of tipping.
Give customers options on how to pay for tip.
Design suggestion
The low-fidelity design features a booklet with a QR code on the inside cover. When customers scan this code with their mobile camera, they are redirected to a user-friendly tipping interface. The first step is to enter the receipt number, allowing them to easily add a tip to their bill before completing the payment.
Feedback from user testing
“I like how it looks. The app design was very nice and the interface was intuitive”
“It feels easy to use”
“Maybe it would be nice to have instructions for how to use the qr code”
Next steps
Create the booklet in higher fidelity.
Make the prototype more technical.