The Humber Room is an innovative learning lab. Students from various culinary and event management programs can learn and apply their skills in simulated dining experiences, both front-of-house and back-of house operations.
As a service designer, my team and I visited The Humber Room to gain insight into the restaurant's operations. By conducting a visit, it allowed us to understand the environment better, and identify areas where we could enhance touchpoints for those who interact with the space.
Roles: Service Designer, Researcher, Ideation Facilitator
Tools: Adobe XD
Duration: 4 Months
To get things going, we started with a site visit and audit. I went as a customer with some team members to casually observe and understand the experience as a visitor. We followed up with a second visit as service designers where we conversed with the associate dean and looked around the front and back of the house.
After the visit, I better understood the value exchange and people involved within the eco-system of The Humber Room.
The stakeholder map allowed me to get an understanding of the value exchange and proximity of interactions between those involved in the service.
To get things going, we started with a site visit and audit. I went as a customer with some team members to casually observe and understand the experience as a visitor.
We followed up with a second visit as service designers, where we conversed with the associate dean and looked around the front
and back of the house.
I facilitated a co-creation session with two of my peers. The session was held to brainstorm ideas about how the front-of-house students can assess their learning outcomes in an effective way that can enable them to identify, measure and receive support on their progress in the live simulation labs.
From the co-creation workshop, three solutions that support staff during the restaurant, lab simulations were explored: Community bulletin, score card and visual support. Based on the input, I was able to develop concepts and explore how they would operate within the existing environment based on the actions
of the personas.
Through studying service design, I learned about the intricate ecosystem of a service. I came to understand how fragile and complex these systems can be. While some problem areas can affect others, the same can be said for improvements. Observation, curiosity and inquiry are fundamental to the process, followed by brainstorming and collaboration (it's great to get other perspectives!)
The following steps in the process require a high-fidelity design of the prototypes.
Selected Works
Humber GalleriesMobile App
The Humber Room Food LabService Design
Culture's Compass Website RedesignUX, Website Redesign
© Lillian JT 2023
Experience Designer