The other day, I craved for my favorite Boudin bread bowl with clam chowder. I knew the restaurant would be packed during lunch time, therefore I decided to give the web to-go ordering system a try, so that I can skip the line.

Well, as I was making my choices, I got confused about the dish description. I selected a Boudin bread bowl combo, which typically includes a bread bowl with clam chowder soup option, and a salad option. As I was selecting my soup and salad option, it asked for an extra $1 for a bread bowl. This really confused me, because when I selected the combo option, it said the it should be included. I checked the options and descriptions back and forth, and can’t figure out why. Finally, I shut down my computer and sadly drove to join the line in the restaurant. (And yes I wanted to eat it that much)

I found it frustrating that a web to-go ordering program was supposed to make our lives easier, and instead, it added some confusion to the process and as a user, I had to abandon the process. Maybe if I use it a few times more and really figure out how it works, I’ll get used to it and become happy ever after, but I don’t think it will happen that way for me, or many other people, especially those not tech savvy.

I appreciate when non tech companies provide additional channels to make users lives easier. My advice is that every once in a while, have someone do a health checkup on these channels, to ensure they do what they are supposed to do. That way, it helps the user to achieve what they want and for the companies, these channels will be worth the money.