text: Taking customer orders and reliably delivering on them is difficult. When an order is placed an implicit promise is made to the customer that their request will be carried out to the specifications that they have provided and delivered within a given timeframe. If any part of the order is delivered outside of spec or delivery window that promise will be broken, contributing to a negative experience for the customer.
  Project Mercury is my solution to flaws that I observed in the process of creating and tracking customer orders while working in the food service industry. The goal of this project is to provide a comprehensive solution, beginning with taking a customer’s order and ending at the point of sale, that would mitigate confusion and minimize human error for customers and staff alike while providing the business with detailed information on product waste, customer wait time, and sales data. While the examples provided here are specific to a pizzeria within a grocery store, the concept could be applied to a range of products and services in the food industry and beyond.
  Orders
  The Orders view provides staff with information on the day’s currently active and completed orders. Each order shows customer name, items ordered, and unique color specific to that order. For orders that have yet to be completed, a countdown timer is shown indicating the remainder of the given estimated wait time.
  Orders view
  Adding an order is quick and affords little margin for error with one touch item adding from a list of predefined menu items. Customers can create their own custom pizza with a variety of options to choose from. There is also an optional Notes field should the customer like to make additional requests beyond what is available in the drop down menus.
  Add Order view
  Custom Order view
  At-A-Glance Performance
  Project Mercury keeps track of the details of each order including time to completion and food waste. The Stats view is where that information is reported for staff to get at-a-glance insights into daily and weekly performance.
  Statistics view
  Order Stickers
  Once an order has been marked as complete, a sticker for each package in the order is printed. Order stickers contain all of the essential information pertaining to the items and their order:
  Two UPCs, easily accessible from the top or side
  Customer’s name
  Order number
  Item name
  Customer provided notes
  Item price
  Number of pieces in order
  A unique color for the order that allows customers to easily identify and differentiate from other orders at pick up.
  Order sticker
  In this example the order stickers are placed on the edge of the pizza box sealing it closed to prevent tampering and ensure freshness. The placement and design of the order sticker allows the information to be visible even when multiple boxes are stacked upon each other and UPCs are accessible from the top or side of the box a checkout.