Designing queues in services
Impacted by covid19, everything is taking longer than expected, whether that’s waiting in line at a retail store or boarding a plane. We’re even having to queue to shop online. Written by intO’s Jonny Jiang, this article explores how service design might try to bridge the gaps that WAITING is introducing to customer experiences in the retail and hospitality sectors.
—Forward by Clare from www.studio-into.com
Big queues equate to big problems
When countries around the world urged citizens to socially distance in order to flatten the pandemic’s curve, most of us accepted that queues were a necessary consequence. But as we, globally, begin to try to return to a version of life that we recognise, queues and crowds will be bad news for businesses, public spaces — and people. Aside from the on-going health concerns, in many societies we’re simply not used to having to wait for anything! However, while increased periods of waiting during logistics create gaps in experiences, they also forge new opportunities. I’ve been thinking about how service design can establish a new set of experiences that elevate brands and businesses above their competition by providing real value to users and customers.
One obvious approach is to ‘simply’ move as much as possible online and remove the need for a physical…
