Ever been in a restaurant where multiple staff come over to take your order?
Itโs annoying.
It wastes their time โ and yours*.
Hereโs how one restaurant solved that problem.
Their staff knew my order had already been taken, without a single word exchanged.
How?
A small, well-designed visual cue.
Once my order was taken, they simply turned the napkin over.
That tiny, almost invisible gesture told every team member: this table is handled.
This is what happens when environments are designed to guide behaviour, rather than rely on memory, guesswork, or discussion.
Great behavioural design is about:
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Reducing friction
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Preventing errors
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Creating enjoyable experiences for customers and staff
So hereโs the question:
What processes could be improved in your business with cues that donโt rely on the spoken word?
And what cues have you seen other businesses use to guide behaviour?
* The fault of the system, not the staff.
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