The document summarizes observations from 6 different shops in Thailand over several days. It notes key details about each shop like layout, customers, products, atmosphere and opportunities. Some common themes are that shop layout and visibility of products are important for customers. While large chains like McDonald's and Pizza Hut attract customers abroad with familiar food, small details and atmosphere also influence the customer experience. The summary concludes by questioning why familiar foreign food draws customers when traveling and emphasizing the value of open-minded observation.

1. Observation Report
Stanford’s Creativity Crash Course
Assignment 2 – Are you paying attention?
By
Anugoon Leelaphattarakij
Thailand

2. What I do
• Go to at least 6 shops with eyes of traveler
• Observe, take note, snapshot for more than 15 minutes
• Get out before shop’s staff think you are trying to do
something funny with their shop 

3. Observation # 1
The Manhattan FISH MARKET
A Mediterranean style restaurant

4. Observation Note
Observation Time : 1 Hour, 12:30 – 13:30 Sunday
# Customer : 30-40
# Staff : 6 (exclude chef in the kitchen)
• All restaurant windows are glass. You can see trough
from outside.
• Restaurant layout is deep. I have to walk 10-15
seconds inside the restaurant to get to my table.
• All staffs wearing black shirt uniform with a word
“sea-cret agent” behind it.
• The restaurant atmosphere is nice. They playing soft
music like jazz and bossa song all the time.

5. Hidden Interests/Opportunities
Good
• Windows around the restaurant are glass. Customer
can see if table available or not before I go in.
• Restaurant have separate aisle for staff to walk and
observe customer around the restaurant.
• A little joke on staff uniform make customers smile 
Bad
• Logo of this restaurant is hard to notice because they
place it too high.
• I still do not understand which part of this restaurant
represent “Manhattan”.

6. Observation # 2
Yayoi Restaurant
A cheap Japanese restaurant

7. Observation Note
Observation Time : 45 Mins, 17:30 – 18:15 Sunday
# Customer : 50-70
# Staff : 7 (exclude chef in the kitchen)
• There are food model in front of the restaurant.
• The restaurant is too crowed. Almost every table are
taken.
• The shop is too small. Space for each table is very
small.
• The food quality is not good but they are very
cheap.

8. Hidden Interests/Opportunities
Good
• Food models in front of the shop is good way to
attract customer especially customer who cannot
decide which restaurant they should go.
Bad
• Customer cannot see inside the restaurant because
curtain in front door. This possibly cause customer to
avoid this restaurant because they do not know if there
are table available or not.
• Because of small space customer and staff have
possibility to bump into each other.
• There is nothing to remember about this restaurant
except the cost of the food.

9. Observation # 3
SCONES
A small tea shop for relaxation

10. Observation Note
Observation Time : 1.5 Hour, 13:45 – 15:15 Sunday
# Customer : 10-20
# Staff :4
• Customer do not know it is a tea shop when looking
from a far.
• Customer can see actual product before buying but
cannot touch or try it.
• Staff give customer a suggestion about tea and
cake.
• Customer have to pay money before they can sit in
the shop.
• Staff come to refill water in customer tea pot
regularly.

11. Hidden Interests/Opportunities
Good
• They show the real product and customer can select
the piece they want.
• Good thing come in small size. Customer feel more
private because they do not have too many table and
each table have only 2-4 chairs.
Bad
• The shop locate in the mall and there are no wall to
protect sound from outside. Sometime noise from
outside can make customer feel annoy.
• Staff cannot observe customer because they always
look out in front of the shop.
• There are too many staffs for such small shop.

12. Observation # 4
Something Sweet
A sweet coffee shop for someone who don’t care about their weight

13. Observation Note
Observation Time : 20 Mins, 17:30 – 17:50 Monday
# Customer : 20-30
# Staff :4
• The shop are easily to notice even I stand on
different floor because of shop’s beautiful roof.
• Most customer age are around 15-22.
• Customer can see actual some product before
buying.
• There are variety of cake but customer cannot try it
before buy it.
• Cakes and drinks are good but they are very
expensive for some type of customer.
• The shop atmosphere is very good and suit shop
image “sweet”.

14. Hidden Interests/Opportunities
Good
• Even this shop locate in the mall, they try to create
isolate atmosphere from outside by using beautiful
roof and decoration to make customer feel relax.
Bad
• Having many products is good but too much is bad.
Customer cannot decide which cake they want.
• Some customer can be annoy and shop’s staff do not
do anything about it.

15. Observation # 5
PizzaHut Thailand
An Italian restaurant around the world

16. Observation Note
Observation Time : 1 Hour, 17:30 – 18:30 Tuesday
# Customer : 30-40
# Staff : 6 (exclude chef in the kitchen)
• Customer usually come in group.
• There are all type of customer. Teen, children, family,
elder both foreign and Thai people.
• Restaurant is too dark. Make customer feel like they
in a cave.
• A content in a menu are welled order. Start with
appetizer, salad, pizza, drink, and dessert.

17. Hidden Interests/Opportunities
Good
• Because content in a menu are welled order. Customer
do not waste time to flip menu page back and fold.
Bad
• Like Manhattan Fish Market, Pizza Hut restaurant also
have deep layout. The different is Pizza Hut’s staff
cannot observe customer around the restaurant. This
cause some customer waiting for staff to walk pass in
order to request something.

18. Observation # 6
McDonald Thailand
A globalize restaurant for everyone

19. Observation Note
Observation Time : 30 Mins, 18:20 – 18:50 Sunday
# Customer : 60-90
# Staff : 7 (exclude staff in the kitchen)
• There are all type of customer. Teen, children, family,
elder both foreign and Thai people.
• Product menu are show on billboard and sign on
cashier.
• Customer do not have to wait for food at cashier.
Staff will bring them food when ready.
• Customers usually say “ahh…” when they deciding
what they want in front of the cashier.

20. Hidden Interests/Opportunities
Good
• Customer can sit in the restaurant even they do not
buy any product. So people can use this restaurant as
a meeting point.
• When people waiting someone, there are possibility
they will buy something from the restaurant.
• Donald statue in front of the restaurant make customer
more welcome.
Bad
• Environment look cheap and not consider a good
place to have dinner with your girlfriend.

21. Summary
• Each shop type have different factor type
• Layout of the shop and product are one of the important factor to give
customer best experience.
• When people going aboard. People still looking for food they familiar (in this
case McDonald & Pizza Hut). I wonder why?
• A small detail can make different.

22. Thank you.
For viewing this slide.
“observe with open mind to see new world”

Do you see anything new today?