15.02.08
Matt
Do you take iPhone? That’ll do nicely!
How do you like your coffee? Extra shot, Venti, cream on top or without human interaction? Well imagine an application on your iPhone/iPod Touch that would allow you to select your java-juice of choice and pay for it all on your tiny shiny screen.
Phil Lu has come up with a concept called QuickOrder that would allow you to select your drink of choice at a Starbucks as well as fully customise it, transmit the order via a generated semacode that would appear on your screen and payment would be handled via your iTunes account. You can then save your selection as a favourite negating the need to go through the whole selection process again. The mock-ups on Phil’s site show a very simple, slick interface that I can see actually being of some use. You should definitely check the QuickOrder site to see the mock-ups for yourself.
How popular this would be in real life remains to be seen. I have a feeling that the majority of people would rather place their order with staff verbally. How hard is it to say “Tall Mocha with Cream please”? However the payment system side of it would probably be of more interest. It also may come in handy for larger orders, like that of the intern getting the whole office their caffeine fix in the morning.
