LAB for people who work at a cafe
CLAB
Satisfy conflicting interests between cafe customers and local small businesses: Attracting customers to cafes at off-peak hours.
timeline
8 weeks
Oct - Dec 2020
members
Individual
role
Research,
Branding,
Ideation,
Brand Design,
UX/UI Design,
Introduction
Cafe reservation platform that can satisfy the conflicting interests between customers and local businesses.
People visit cafes for various purposes, such as meeting, working, or studying. From the business perspective, however, some cafe owners prefer not to have customers stay for long time, as it can negatively impact revenue.
Using CLAB, people who visit cafes to work or study can get information about the cafe and available seats without physically visiting there and can ensure their stay time. For local cafe owners, they can flexibly accommodate customers who come to work or study during off-peak hours.
User Group
Cafe Nomad
Cafe Nomad refers to cafe customers who work at a cafe, such as studying and meeting. Regardless of the working environment, they are able to work wherever they want.
Cafe Owners
In this project, we targetted Cafe Owners as small local business owners who have a retail store that is not a franchise brand like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.
Design Challenge
Conflicting Interests & Revenue Structure
In this project, the main challenges were how to positively navigate the conflicting interests and how to create a revenue structure from a business perspective. To address these issues, we attracted customers to local cafes during their off-peak hours to increase their revenue. Additionally, we structured the platform's revenue by integrating local businesses and utilizing a unified reward system for both customers and the platform.
expected outcomes
User and Business Needs
Cafe Nomads can explore information about available seats and the interior atmosphere without physically visiting. They can also set stay time to use the cafe without causing harm to the business revenue. Local cafes using CLAB can increase their business efficiency by utilizing available seats and off-peak hours. By specifying the cost and available time for seats, they can reduce negative perceptions of customers who stay for a long time.
User Research
We have identified that cafe nomads have specific purpose for visiting cafes and owners have ambivalent perspectives about cafe nomads. As a result, our project moved towards resolving their conflicting needs.
Cafe Nomad
What do you do at a cafe?
Why do you work at a cafe?
Cafe Owners
What do you think about Cafe Nomads?
Negative
If there are many nomads in the cafe, the customers who come to chat will be eliminated. That's why the atmosphere is... Once I limited the number of cafe nomads, sales increased due to the increase in the number of regular and group customers.
Whether it's a student or a worker, we have a three-hour limit. The table turnover rate is too low. On Saturday, five Nomads sat down holding five tables each, and business was slow, so customers just left. We only have 8 tables...
Positive
I don't care about cafe nomads. I give them tumblers so that they can stay for a long time and enjoy my coffee.
There are a lot of people who don't like cafe nomads. These days, the trend is not to abandon cafe nomads, so it would be much better to have some cafe nomads than empty stores. Usually, nomads go with the idea of sitting for more than three hours. Since the recent cafe trend is to relax like my room, there are no customers to visit coffee shops because they really know the taste of coffee.
Persona
Cafe nomad
Eujin is...
- 28 years old
- Female
- Writer
Personality
- Passive and conscious of other people
Lifestyle
- Live with parents, and 1 younger brother.
Cafe Experience
- I visit cafes because of better working efficiency than working at home.
- I stay at a cafe for 5 days a week, 4-5 hrs a day with ordering drinks.
- I have several preferred cafes near in my town considering internal atmosphere.
- When choosing a cafe, I tend to consider distance, cafe atmosphere, and seats rather than the taste or menu.
Goals
- I want to work in a quiet and calm cafe without caring about other people
- I want to find in advance if there are available seats at a cafe
Needs
- Quiet space, Comfortable seats
- Accessible information
Persona
Cafe Owner
Minho is...
- 42 years old
- Male
- Cafe Owner
Personality
- Quiet and sensitive to cleanliness
Lifestyle
- Live alone with a dog
Cafe Experience
- I was a regular office worker before but quit the job because of stress
- I opened my cafe, creating the interior and ambiance with my own sense.
- My cafe has several representative drinks and menus
- The cafe has a poor accessibility, so there are not many customers
- I often promote the cafe on social media, but it doesn't seem to reach many people
Goals
- Even though my cafe is not much large, I hope the business goes well with my own sense
- I want my cafe to become more recognized with consistent customers.
Needs
- Promote my cafe, attract customers
- High revisitation rates
Design Concept
CLAB, with a name similar to 'clap,' refers to satisfying the conflicting interests of customers and owners in a positive direction. It also combines 'Coffee' and 'Lab' to imply providing customers with a cup of working space.
There is a Korean proverb that says, 'It takes two hands to make a sound,' which means that it is necessary to collaborate between two people to complete a task.
Project Goals
Cafe Nomad
This project aims to explore local cafes about available seats and the internal atmosphere without visiting in person. In addition, Cafe Nomads would be able to spend time in a cafe freely without caring how much time they stay.
Cafe Owners
This project also focuses on business efficiency for cafe owners by utilizing their cafes' quiet time. They could also receive additional fees or request Nomads to leave proudly if their use time is exceeded.
Logo Design
Brand Story
CLAB is a blended word of Cafe and Laboratory, providing a cup of laboratory. We aim to enhance convenience for cafe nomads working in cafes. For cafe owners, they could enhance business efficiency, thereby reducing conflicting interests between cafe nomads and small business owners.
Brand Architecture
Brand architecture represents the brand's philosophy, the essential direction the brand pursues, and the way it communicates to customers, as well as its imagery
Philosophy
Essence
Gesture
C.LAB
a Cup of LAB
Convenient
Easy and convenient service
Comprehensible
Useful
Connected
Continuous and harmonious spaces for both customers and businesses
Balanced
Continuous
Casual
Comfortable and everyday workspace
Natural
Comfortable
Mission
Brand that provides more than cafe experience
vision
Brand that provides useful information and reduce inconvenience.
essence
Convenient, Connected, Casual
slogan
a Cup of Lab
Business Model
Key Partners
- Local cafe owners
- POS Company
Key Activities
- Provide available time and seats for each cafe.
- Provide Integrated rewards for cafes in the same region
- Recommend available cafes depending on location and time.
- Expand the service area
Value Propositions
- Provide loyalty rewards that can be used anywhere in local cafes
- Time savings through online orders and seat reservations
- Provide cafe information without the need to visit in person
- Increase operational efficiency for local cafes through the utilization of low-traffic hours
- Increase customers through cafe promotions
- Fulfill mutual interests between cafe owners and nomads
Customer Relationships
- Operate local communities and events
- Promotions for low visitation rates
Customer Segments
- Local cafe owners
- Cafe Nomads
Key Resources
- Cafe platform
- Groups of users using the platform
- Cafe nomads’ etiquette
Channels
- Mobile App for Cafe Nomads
- POS / PC App for Cafe Owners
Cost structure
- Labor, rent, server, and advertisement expense
revenue streams
- Transaction fees (food, beverages, and cafe products)
- Revenue from online advertising
Touchpoints
User Flow
nomad user flow
The user flow was designed separately for nomads and owners. The nomad's flow is on a mobile environment, and the owner's flow is on a PC or POS app.
User Flow
owner user flow
UI Design
Cafe Nomads
Pre-visit
Before visitng a cafe,
Without visiting in person, nomads can check the atmosphere, seat availability, and available hours of cafes. Additionally, it provides cafe etiquette to nomads, making them aware that staying for long time could negatively impact the owner's revenue and other customers
Order
Making a reservation
After selecting a cafe, nomads can select the menu and a seat. They can also check the cafe's interior atmosphere, music, and whether seats have outlets.
UI Design
Cafe Owners
