I recently learned about the Doorman's Fallacy and couldn't help but connect it to an experience I had last weekend. The Doorman's Fallacy is 'the mistake of assuming technology can replace a human without consequence'.
This past Saturday, six of us had an impromptu brunch after our morning yoga class. Like many venues, this one had made a decision to replace physical menus with a QR code. Personally, I hate this trend, because it forces me to take out my phone when I'd rather be present with the people I'm with. Anyways, I noticed that there was only one QR code on the table. We each had to take turns scanning it, an inconvenience that wouldn't exist with the parallelism of physical menus. Some of us, even with the latest iPhones, struggled to scan it the first time and had to make multiple attempts.
The problems didn't end there. Midway through our meal, someone interrupted the table to announce that she received a text saying her parking was about to expire in 2 minutes. She said this from a kind place, in case anyone had their phone on silent and may miss a similar text. I hitched a ride with my friend that day, so I could observe how those with cars panicked to extend their parking time to avoid a fine, which to be fair cannot be ignored in Dubai. The next few minutes were then spent cursing Dubai's parking system. The original thread was long forgotten. Once again, technology got in the way.
The worst was when it came time to pay. Naturally, everyone wanted to pay for what they ordered. The waitress pushed us to use the use the QR code again, saying it would be easier. Maybe that's true for 1 or 2 people. But when 6 people simultaneously tried to pay their share of the bill, chaos ensued. The human waiters just hung by, probably just as confused.
The user interface didn't help. The bill view didn't indicate which items had been paid for and which items hadn't. It just showed the amount of the bill that was unpaid. This created doubt in everyone's minds. Moreover, I shared an apple crumble with someone. I happily paid for it, but I wasn't sure if the app would prevent a double pay. I would've preferred to keep my gesture a secret, but now I was forced to reveal it.
Eventually, all the women went back to their packed lives and it was just us two guys left, continuing on. Suddenly, the waitress came up to us to say that 24 Dhs was still unpaid. I couldn't believe it. Thankfully, the other guy took care of it.
This venue made a decision not unlike the hotel that decided to get rid of its doorman. On paper, it looks like a smart decision. Reduce paper, reduce staff, reduce operating costs. But what gets overlooked is the hit to the customer experience. We'll all still look back to that brunch with mostly positive things to say. But somewhere in our subconscious, we'll remember the parts that robbed it of its magic. And maybe next time, we'll be slightly less enthusiastic to go out in a large group because of that.