Now that I put together a set of 3 design principles, to clarify what the final solutions should look like, I can start with brainstorming in the ideation fase.
The 3 design principles that I have to take into account within my end solution:
Let the customer choose wether to give a tip or not
Use of verbal communication when giving a reward
A reward belongs to someone
DIVERGE
In a first fase of brainstorming, I wrote down these three principles on a whiteboard and started writing down the first ideas that popped up per design principles.
1. Let the customer choose wether to give a tip or not The option to give a reward needs to be in their environment: An ipad, The option to give a reward just needs to be their, in their environment. QR-code that they can scan, an ipad at the door, an app where they can send rewards to waiters, making an electronic bill...
2. Use of verbal communication (words, writing words)
Leaving a message with the reward, make sure that the customer and waiter are together when a reward is given, typing a message
3. A reward belongs to someone
Appoint the waiter, waiter has a badge to scan...
CONVERGE I came up with an app that the customer and waiter has to download. When the customers had good service, they can show their QR-code to the waiter and the waiter can scan this. Each time the waiter scans a QR-code he receives coins. With these coins he can drink something for free in other bars who participate with this concept.
I was happy with my first idea: all three of my design principles were included in my solution. The customer and waiter need to be together when given the reward because they have to scan the QR-code. So verbal communication is present when giving and receiving the reward (DP2). It's also the customers idea to give a reward (DP1) and the waiter receives coins from their customers en the coins also belong to him. He can do something with it. After showing this idea to my dad we soon found out that there were quite a few gaps (red sentences) in the story. For example, this concept has no use to the customer. So why shouldn't they have their QR-code scanned? Also would they do this effort to download this app and have their QR-code scanned for something that only has benefits for the waiter? And the most important, at the end it will be the bars that extra pay for their employees, because they can drink something for free and that's also not the intention. So I started looking up how I could fill these gaps. That brought me to my second idea.
There exists an app 'Joyn' where customers collect points each time they buy something in local merchants (for example a sandwich shop, a butchery, a bakkery). If the customers has a certain amount they can have something for free in that local merchant. With the concept of the app in mind I made my second idea. When the customers drink something they can collect coins (for example 1 coin for each €10). They can collect these coins by scanning the QR-code on their bill receipt, so they collect coins per cafe. With these coins they can choose if they want to reward the waiter in that same bar or use it for them selfs. The waiter can spend the coins that he received in other participating bars.
So here the customer also have a benefit (so more reason to download the app!). They can choose to collect coins and use it for them selfs to have a free drink. But they can also choose to give it to the waiter as a reward. So just like a real tip, a choice has to be made whether you keep it to yourself or hand it over to the waiter as a reward. The customer has to consume in the cafe to have coins, the more they consume the more coins they collect. This customer card therefore ensures that your customers return more often so the cafes have more profit. So the problem that the bar would pay extra is also covered here because the customers pay. There are still pain points: 1) If everyone would use the app for them selfs, so to get a free drink, than the purpose of rewarding the waiter would be lost.
2) the communication between customer and waiter does not happen spontaneously 3) The scanning to receive coins is to formal, it has to be fun and nice. 4) You need to find a waiter to give them a reward