BARTENDER BUDDY

THE NEED

Articulate has an active user community, E-Learning Heroes, that sets weekly challenges for Storyline users to explore different features and functions. My community of practice decided to take on challenge #291: interactive checklists. Each of us chose our own content.

​

​

THE SOLUTION

As an undergrad, I tended bar at a hotel downtown. I could confidently mix all of the local staples, like vodka martinis, Long Island Iced Teas, and Old Fashioneds (I’m from Wisconsin, so that is a staple). However, travelers from all corners of the country routinely requested cocktails I had no idea how to make.

 

I didn’t have a smartphone back then, and I often wished for some kind of digital, searchable cocktail recipe box. My checklist challenge is a simple version of that tool: a digital recipe box of common cocktails with ingredients and instructions. 

​

​

THE PROCESS

ANALYSIS

The analysis for this piece was a reflection on my memories of bartending, so I was my own SME. I focused on what happened when someone requested an unfamiliar drink. What would have helped me make the drink quickly when I had a full bar?

​

I’d want a tablet sitting out where I poured drinks, and I would want to see everything I needed for a cocktail at once - ingredients, glass type, and instructions - all on one screen. On the other hand, it should be a simple layout with large text, so I don’t need to zoom in or squint in low light.

​

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Full disclosure: I did not develop a full searchable index of cocktail recipes. This was a challenge to utilize an interactive checklist in a real-world application. So, I chose a short list of common, multi-ingredient cocktails. 

​

The module opens on a main menu with the list of cocktails. Tapping a cocktail’s name opens its recipe page. Each recipe page has ingredients on the left and step-by-step instructions on the right. While the most involved cocktails require two screens for all of the instructions, most include all steps on one page. This is important for efficiency in a busy bar.

​

The ingredients list includes measurements and icons for different types of ingredients, like liquor and fruit. The icons are fun but also functional. As you become more familiar with a cocktail, you might only need a quick visual cue to remind you of the ingredients, which the icons provide. I made the fruit icons myself in Illustrator.

​

The instructions are the interactive checklist. You tap a step to highlight it, if you need to keep track of where you are. When you finish a step, tap it to mark it complete. If you mark a step complete before you’re done, just tap it again to return it to its original state. 

​

This part required additional programming beyond Storyline’s built-in normal and visited states. There needed to be two “visited” states, “current '' and “complete”, each with some conditional triggers and a variable to control the conditions.

​

IMPLEMENTATION & EVALUATION

Plenty of drink recipe apps exist now. Comparing my Bartender Buddy to what’s available on the app stores, it delivers the basic functions users need. 

 

For very new bartenders, it would be helpful to make the ingredients list in this bartender buddy check-able like the steps. An interface that adjusts well from tablets to phones would also be invaluable. 

 

Ultimately, Storyline wouldn’t be the best tool for this application, but this challenge was an instructional exercise in considering workflow needs for an interactive job aid.