User Interviews, Persona, Empathy Map and Experience Map
Persona:
Empathy Map:
Experience Map:
Questions:
1. For busy people, it is a constant challenge to meal prep. Every day, they have to decide whether to make food or get take-out in order to have something to eat for lunch or dinner. This is especially true if you’re a student.
2. The main problem is that New Yorkers produce a lot of waste every day which leads to a significant negative environmental impact. Today, New Yorkers’ best option is to use recyclable or reusable items for packing their home cooked meals but of course, they are extremely busy and may not have time to cook. And when they are also a student or working full time, the problem will only get worse.
3. For people who don’t like to cook, it is a constant challenge to meal prep. Every time they go to cook a meal they are overwhelmed by where to start and how long it will take. This is especially true if you’re a busy person.
User Interviews:
User Interview Questions Person 1:
How often do you eat out per week/month, answer for take-out and eating at restaurants?
Breakfast/Lunch 1-2 per week, take-out
Dinner 1-2 @ restaurant
Where do you get take-out from?
Seamless. Usually if I am getting takeout I would place an order on seamless and have it delivered.
What restaurants?
Its usually Thai, Chinese or Sushi. And I don’t even know the names of the restaurants off the top of my head.
Would you say its more about the food type than the restaurant you are eating from?
Yes, exactly. When I am ordering online for delivery it is more about the food (type) then it is about the restaurant.
Where do you get take-out for breakfast or lunch?
I would more often go to a coffee shop, or a cafe or a bakery or something like that and pick something up. For those spots they are beloved spots in my neighborhood or an area where I am working or something like that.
Under what circumstance do you choose to get take-out?
The circumstance is pretty much always that I dont have food in the house and I am not it a place too cook, whether that be that I am tired or wanting to treat myself or being busy. Its always option two. Option one is “what can I make at home” and if that is not going to happen then option two is take-out.
How often do you drink hot beverages (coffee, tea) per day?
Something every day. Sometimes coffee or tea, but it depends where I am in my relationship to caffeine.
What time of day do you buy coffee out?
Usually mornings or after lunch or in the afternoon when it is a slog of a day.
How often do you buy coffee out per day or week?
Probably once per week as a special treat, maximum two times per week.
What type of drink would you be buying when you buy a hot beverage out?
Small coffee with cream. Thats always what it is, very simple order.
When you buy coffee out, where do you get it from?
I get it from an upscale coffee shop, some kind of interesting, independent non-Starbucks coffee shop and its a treat, so I know its not going to be the cheapest option. So its never Starbucks, its like if I see a coffee shop that looks like its going to be a little expensive and its nice looking thats where I will go.
Why do you buy coffee out?
I buy coffee out when I am having a tough morning waking up. Maybe I didn’t get that much sleep the night before or it has been a really long week and I am run down. So it is usually when I am physically not feeling my best and I need a jolt of energy and just something to get excited about.
What do you like about take-out/ getting coffee out?
It feels like a special treat and it is almost always something that I don’t know how to make at home. So its like more interesting, flavorful food than I cook for myself typically.. hopefully. And the convenience of it is very special. And it also feels like I am helping myself out because it is usually a time where I just don’t have the ability to make food for myself so it feels like I am giving myself a hand. And I think that is what I like about it.
What don’t you like about take-out/ getting coffee out?
I don’t like the waste of it, like all of the plastic and paper that I feel like it consumes. Especially when there is a situation when I am working on a (freelance) job or something like that where takeout is ordered fro everybody there is so much waste which really bothers me. Also I think because I don’t really think about the restaurant so much there is always this factor of variability that maybe what I order won’t be as good as it was last time because I don’t even remember the name of the restaurant where I ordered before. So getting disappointed by the quality which happens.. which is not specific to take out but it is something that happens. And also, I think some of the times I want take out is if the weather is really bad and then I feel really bad about there needing to be a delivery person out there bringing the food to me when I don’t even have the energy to cook for myself. That is an uncomfortable thing to think about.
How concerned are you about the environmental impact of getting take-out/coffee out? On a scale from not at all (0) to very much (10)?
10. I am always thinking about it. I still participate but I am always thinking about it.
How concerned are you about the cost of getting take-out/coffee out?
Cost is a little more of a concern for me than the environmental impact. And I do think that if I was less worried about the cost I would do it more. Especially because the options in NYC are so good and so plentiful and I would like to sample more of what there is to offer. But I keep it to a minimum because of cost.
How often do you think you get take-out/coffee-out compared to others in NYC?
I feel like much less. And I don’t know for sure but I am always under the impression that people around me are doing it a lot more than I am. So my impression is that I do do it a lot less.
If cost wasn’t and issue why would you choose take-out over eating out?
I think that take-out for dinner for me, even when I eat it now, is just like about convenience and ease and being able to eat it while doing two other things at home in my pajamas. So I think there is this comfort and ease that is always attractive in takeout. And I think that when I sit down in a restaurant there is a formality that is a whole different thing for its own specific time and place and mood and everything like that. Also for, eating out at a restaurant it is so social. Like I would never go eat at a restaurant by myself unless I was traveling by myself. But Take-out at home, its always just me. Its pretty infrequently something I am doing with friends, so there is the privacy of it as well.
User Interview Questions Person 2:
How often do you eat out per week/month, answer for take-out and eating at restaurants?
Breakfast don’t eat breakfast
Lunch 3-4 times/week, all take-out
Dinner 3-4 times/week, 1 time per week at a restaurant
Where do you get take-out from?
Usually something near school (ITP NYU), so the whole street. I would think where can I eat and come back quickly from and not mind too much. Or near my place, I would get off the subway I would walk up Franklin Ave., theres El Bario Burrito which is my favorite place. During the weekends I would get Bagel Pub a lot. Near school I would eat Xi’an’s and on really busy days I would get Pret and Chipotle sometimes.
When do you choose to get take-out over eating something you cooked at home?
I try to prioritize cooking at home because I feel like it is healthier and saves me money. But usually its just like I don’t have time to meal prep that week. And usually I only cook enough for a couple meals so I would just space that out and the rest I would fill in with take-out. Also, on weeks that I do meal prep I kind of cant really eat the same thing for two consecutive meals so if I had eaten it for dinner I would either eat it for dinner the next day or if I ate it for lunch I would skip the day because I am sick of it and eat the rest of the leftovers later in the week.
Do you use food delivery/ordering apps?
Once a month or once every two months.
How often do you drink hot beverages (coffee, tea) per day?
At least 1 cup of coffee per day and sometimes 2.
How often do you buy coffee out per day or week?
5 days per week. Again its because I am always busy and always by school and go to Starbucks. On the weekend I use my coffee machine at home.
When you buy coffee out, where do you get it from?
Starbucks but also if I am getting take-out from somewhere like Bagel Pub I would get it from there.
What time of day do you buy coffee out?
Right after lunch, 1pm-2pm. I can’t drink coffee on an empty stomach. Because I don’t eat breakfast I wait until after my first meal which is lunch.
Why do you buy coffee out?
One of the main things is my first coffee was Starbucks and I kind of grew up on that coffee and for some reason it works the best on me. I think it is a psychological thing where that was the coffee that I drink and if I don’t get Starbucks americano its still great and I love coffee but it just feels like home to me whenever I get Starbucks americano.. not even iced coffee from Starbucks, it has to be americano. Whenever I have that I just feel like everything is right. And I think my coffee pods at home are kind of weak so I think in comparison I prefer Starbucks.
What do you like about take-out / getting coffee out?
Its quick and its higher quality than what I would make or have at home and I can eat it at home in comfort.
What don’t you like about take-out / getting coffee out?
The money, its usually more expensive than trying to get groceries or making coffee at home. Yeah I kind of feel like I am being spoiled and wasting a lot of money. And well sometimes it takes a long time. And that is why I have really specific places where I choose to eat out like they are really quick.
How concerned are you about the environmental impact of getting take-out/coffee out?
Its a concern that I think about when I get the food but then when I open it and smell the food I think “yum”. If it is a nice plastic container afterwards I try to wash it and use it as Tupperware afterwards. Its in the back of my mind I guess but I don’t actively take action to fix it.
How concerned are you about the cost of getting take-out/coffee out?
I am concerned about it in a way that I justify it like I am a student right now and my time spent at school is more important. I need to maximize the value I get out of this program and because ITP is so time consuming thats kind of my justification for getting so much take out. So thats not as much of a concern for me because I feel like as a result it is worth it to me.
How often do you think you get take-out/coffee-out compared to others in NYC?
I feel like I am the middle. Because I know it is NYC and I know a lot of people who do eat out a lot, especially if you have disposable income.
User Interview Questions Person 3:
How often do you eat out per week/month, answer for take-out and eating at restaurants?
Breakfast No breakfast
Lunch everyday
Dinner everyday
usually take-out
Where do you get take-out from?
Mostly fast casual like Chipotle or Panda Express or whatever is around and local. I will just walk a couple of blocks and order something at the counter and pick it up. Or more rarely it would be a restaurant where they have seating and I would pick it up at the front but that is less often than fast casual places.
When do you choose to get take-out?
For take out it is when time is more sensitive like I would rather get eating out of the way cause its not for enjoyment its more to get it out of the way I will get some take out.
Do you use food delivery/ordering apps?
Seamless and Uber Eats. (25% of the time)
How often do you drink hot beverages (coffee, tea) per day?
At least once a day, probably two times per day. Coffee in the morning or maybe tea in the afternoon.
How often do you buy coffee out per day or week?
70%-80% of the time and make it myself the rest of the time.
When you buy coffee out, where do you get it from?
Mostly Starbucks or some local places or food truck coffees or hospital which is the cheapest coffee.
What time of day do you buy coffee out?
Normally first thing in the morning. So when I was working in the hospital maybe 6:00am or 6:30am.
Why do you buy coffee out?
If I don’t have it ready, like usually I make my own cold brew, but on days where I forgot to get the cold brew ready the day before. Or if I want the taste of something different than coldbrew I will go out and get it instead of drinking my own.
What do you like about take-out/ getting coffee out?
Definitely the convenience. It is a lot easier ordering something and getting someone else to take care of the handwork of producing something edible and having to think about all the steps and all the grocery items to accumulate before I can cook myself.
What don’t you like about take-out/ getting coffee out?
It’s so expensive. And the quality can fluctuate.
How concerned are you about the environmental impact of getting take-out/coffee out?
Oh, coffee, all that plastic, definitely concerned. They definitely brought up the issue of the straws a couple of months ago and I think that is what made me more aware of it. As for take out I don't think about it as much since there isn’t as much coverage on that topic but I recognize there is probably a lot [of waste].
6 out of 10
How concerned are you about the cost of getting take-out/coffee out?
5 out of 10
How often do you think you get take-out/coffee-out compared to others in NYC?
I think I probably do more so than the average NYC-er because for a time everything that I consumed was take out and coffee from out in the world. On a scale from 1-10, 5 being the average, probably a 7 or 8.
How much do you like cooking?
Like a 0, I really don’t like cooking. Because the things I make just don’t taste that great and because I hate grocery shopping because of how difficult it seems. Like when I see a recipe online and I see like 12 ingredients I am like I am not going to get 12 ingredients so that I can make this recipe 1 time so in the end I just make anything.
User Interview Questions Person 4:
How often do you eat out per week/month, answer for take-out and eating at restaurants?
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
3 meals per week combinations of breakfast lunch and dinner, take-out.
Where do you get take-out from?
If I am getting dinner it will most likely be Chinese or Thai. If its breakfast it is more something like “I wanted a bagel and I wanted it delivered to me”.
When do you choose to get take-out?
Cravings or too lazy to make food. Or a combination of both.
Do you use food delivery/ordering apps?
Combination of Seamless and Uber Eats. If I get dinner I use a delivery app the majority of the time. If I get breakfast I use a delivery app 50% of the time.
How often do you drink hot beverages (coffee, tea) per day?
2 times per day.
How often do you buy coffee out per day or week?
If I am not working I will most likely go get a coffee. So 1/3 to 1/2 of the days in a month. Regular coffee, sometimes an oat latte, in the summer both but iced.
When you buy coffee out, where do you get it from?
There are two coffee shops near me that I go to. Or sometimes when I am out and about and I need a place to sit or a pick-me-up I will go to the closest coffee shop.
Criteria for coffee shop:
If its not an emergency I will try to find a coffee shop with good vibes and try not to go to a Starbucks or a big chain. Good vibes and not too-strong coffee. Nothing too cutsie. Its usually about the vibe.
What time of day do you buy coffee out?
Morning, around 9am or in the afternoon around 2pm.
Why do you buy coffee out?
If the coffee shop is near me, even though I have a french press, I just want something that gets me out in the morning and I will also pick up a pastry there too. So if I want the pastry I wouldn’t make the coffee at home. To get going, to get myself out of the apartment and out of bed. In the afternoon its because I need a pick-me-up, or I am tired, or bored.
What do you like about take-out/ getting coffee out?
I think it is the immediacy of it. Like if I want this [food or drink] I can get it. Like I am having a craving and I not needing to think about cooking or dealing with the cooking.
What don’t you like about take-out/ getting coffee out?
Thinking about the money I am spending that I don’t necessarily need to.
How concerned are you about the environmental impact of getting take-out/coffee out?
I feel like within the past year I have been thinking about it more and looking at the packaging. Especially with take out I really notice how much packaging there is when it comes and how much [packaging] is in the bag and how many little tiny things there are. Since I feel like I am not the biggest take out person I feel like it hasn't really deterred me more because I don’t have that much to cut back from. Especially if I get a breakfast thing it is usually just wrapped in paper. But if it is a dinner thing there are a lot of containers. But I feel like I am not getting it so much that it is a thing I consciously cut back on it.
How concerned are you about the cost of getting take-out/coffee out?
Pretty concerned. Noticing it add up especially now, using an app, when you see all the fee add up. There have been times when I started an order and then canceled it because of the money. Especially when it adds up over an app.
How often do you think you get take-out/coffee-out compared to others in NYC?
I feel like not as frequently. A lot of people I know get take out or eat at restaurants way more consistently than I do but I think thats also because if I am working I get all my meals [through the job], so those are full weeks when I don’t need to be getting take out so it lowers my average. In generally I think I do it way less often than other people.