Playbuilder
Starbucks | iPad App
Transforming Staffing Decisions with Drag-and-Drop Simplicity
Playbuilder is an iPad application used by Starbucks coffeehouse leaders to assign employees to positions and routines throughout a shift, helping them adapt quickly to changing staffing and operational needs. I enhanced the experience through research and iterative testing, creating an intuitive workflow that improved play management efficiency, increased adoption, and made playcalling a more effective and rewarding experience.
Problem
Modifying a play in Playbuilder was a slow and cumbersome process, making it challenging to respond to changing conditions in the coffeehouse. Staffing levels, customer demand, and operational priorities frequently shift throughout a shift.
Playcallers needed a faster, more flexible way to make deployment decisions and adapt to conditions in the coffeehouse effectively.
Solution
I partnered directly with coffeehouse employees throughout the design process, using research, usability testing, and rapid iteration to understand how Playcallers made decisions on the floor.
The resulting experience was an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allowed routines to be easily organized and reassigned with accessibility incorporated from the ground up.
The workflow reduced complexity and gave Playcallers the flexibility to make quick adjustments with minimal effort.
Results
The improved experience drove increased adoption across Starbucks coffeehouses and significantly improved the speed and efficiency of making play changes.
Partners reported that playcalling felt more intuitive, engaging, and rewarding.
Ongoing usability testing uncovered opportunities to support complex deployment scenarios, leading to additional enhancements that better accommodated unique store layouts and operational needs.
Designing around what partners actually need
Coffeehouses have the ability to see the full picture while viewing the most likely choices depending on their context.
Enabling Faster Decisions in a Fast-Paced Coffeehouse Environment
Positions and routines are moved quickly in-the-moment within a busy coffeehouse environment through an intuitive drag and drop interface made efficient through usability testing directly in coffeehouse enviroments.
