Designing an interface is an entirely different process that doesn’t really lend itself to scientific-like or formulaic methods. It takes study, reflection and iteration (aka failures)

@Pam & @Missie: There’s certainly something to be said for the boutique, hand-crafted customer-service experience, but it does come at a cost. That cost being both your throughput and customers who may find the process of deep involvement off-putting. Maybe Subway needs a “talk to a human” line and an “I am anti-social” line.

My main reason for wanting to deal directly with a human is that sometimes you don’t want a lot of dressing or hot peppers or something. When you are talking directly to the person making your sandwhich, you can say, “Just a bit” and “That’s enough, thanks.”

Although they’ve tried, Subway has never been about the inherent quality of what they offer, they’ve been about the huge array of choices that you have to create exactly the sandwich you want. Although it may be frustrating to be in line behind me, what I’ve always loved about Subway was standing there making a sandwich on the fly and participating in it’s creation, based on what I felt like right at that moment. In fact, I wouldn’t want to eat a Subway sandwich UNLESS I put it together and was there to look at the choices and see it being put on the sandwich and be able to tell the “Sandwich Artist” to add another squirt of mayo or take off some of the lettuce. The best sandwiches are made standing in front of the refridgerator and I’m sad that Subway didn’t grasp this element of their appeal.

But that’s a good point, and one I thought in my head as we were discussing but then quickly dismissed – is automation a good thing? Jimmy John’s has a comparable product, and they turn it out faster and with at least SOME interaction, with no automation involved.

I have nothing of value to add … again. Just reading.