When Technology Becomes the Problem: A UX Cautionary Tale from Athens
Ordering Pastry Shouldn't Require an App: A Brick-and-Mortar UX Disaster
A bit of a different post today. Taking a break from my usual research deep-dives to share a real-world UX disaster I encountered on holiday...
Recently, while on holiday in Athens, Greece, I had an experience that perfectly showcases a growing problem in customer experience design. We went to a highly-rated pastry and dessert place – you know, one of those spots where pistachio desserts are absolutely everywhere at the moment. Dubai-style chocolate has somehow spawned a worldwide pistachio craze and Greece has succumbed to it. Not a bad thing, pistachios are tasty, but that's not the point of this post.
The place was completely empty when we walked in. Instead of greeting us with a menu, the server asked us to use a barcode on the table to see the menu and order. What followed was a textbook example of technology implementation gone wrong:
The QR code didn't lead to a simple menu. It took us to download an app.
We had to register. With email confirmation.
Only after confirming our accounts could we access a clunky menu with poor content and loads of errors. It was the app equivalent of the early websites (clashing colours, random fonts, unattractive and hard to use).
Things got even worse after that… even though we had to order through the app, we couldn't pay through it! We placed the order digitally, then when it was ready, the server called us to pick it up and pay in person.
You couldn't order in person at all. A group of older people at a nearby table were visibly struggling to place their order, fighting with unfamiliar technology just to get a coffee and pastry.
Needless to say, I wouldn't return. The cake was truly delicious (of course, I ordered the pistachio cake) but not good enough to justify such a bad experience… Download a random app, share personal information, all to use once and have a really poor and frustrating experience? No thanks.
Research Isn't a Luxury And Neither is Accessibility
This experience highlights a critical point: research isn't a luxury. Neither is accessibility. Both are essential components of designing experiences that actually work for real people. Without understanding your users, their context, and their diverse abilities, you're just implementing technology blindly and that rarely leads to better experiences.
What would even basic research have revealed about this café's digital ordering system?
Greece has an aging population – many customers would struggle with a digital-only approach
Tourists (a significant customer base in Athens) are unlikely to want to download one-time-use apps that consume storage and data
The typical café experience values simplicity and human interaction – adding technological barriers works against these expectations
A hybrid approach would serve more customers effectively. Self serving could be effective in a busy environment, especially if combined with online payment options
Technology for Technology's Sake
The fundamental issue here was implementing technology without a clear purpose. The café had created a solution in search of a problem. This is something we see all the time — yes, I’m looking at you companies carelessly implementing new technology just to stay cool.
Digital ordering systems can be fantastic in the right context – busy restaurants with complex orders, places with regular customers who value speed, or establishments where customisation is complex… but a quiet café in Athens serving simple items? The technology added friction rather than removing it. This wasn't progress, it was complication disguised as innovation.
The Human Connection We're Losing
Perhaps the most critical oversight in this digital-only approach was ignoring why people go to cafés in the first place. Cafés aren't just transaction points for caffeine and sugar – they're social spaces where human interaction is part of the product.
Servers and baristas aren't just food delivery mechanisms. They're unofficial therapists, local guides, friendly faces, and community builders. That brief chat while ordering, the recommendations, the small talk, the chance to vent or share a moment of connection. These are core elements of the café experience that technology can't replicate (and that’s coming from someone who loves technology).
By forcing all orders through an app, the café effectively eliminated one of its most valuable assets: human connection. This is the same misguided thinking that's replacing customer service representatives with chatbots. Yes, automation can be efficient, but it's not suitable for all cases, all customers, or all contexts.
When businesses eliminate these touchpoints, they're not just changing how we order, they're fundamentally altering the experience and often removing the very reason people chose their establishment in the first place.
Accessibility and Flexibility are Essential
What struck me most was the rigid, one-size-fits-all approach. No alternatives were offered. Couldn't order verbally. Couldn't pay through the app after being forced to use it. The system created barriers rather than bridges.
This raises serious accessibility concerns. What about people with visual impairments who might struggle with QR codes? What about those with motor skill limitations who find navigating small touch interfaces challenging? What about cognitive accessibility for those who find multi-step digital processes overwhelming? What about people who don’t have a smartphone?
Good UX adapts to different users and contexts. It doesn't force everyone down the same technological path regardless of their needs, abilities, or preferences. Accessibility isn't an edge case or a nice-to-have, it's fundamental to inclusive design.
Other Lessons from Brick-and-Mortar UX
This experience got me thinking about other aspects of physical space UX that often get overlooked:
Context awareness: Travellers have different needs than locals (limited data, battery concerns, language barriers)
Environmental factors: Are lighting conditions suitable for scanning QR codes? Is the wifi down?
Journey consistency: The shift from digital ordering to physical payment created a disjointed experience
Technology dependencies: What happens when the WiFi fails? When a phone battery dies? When the app crashes?
Staff experience: How does this technology impact the people working there? Are they spending more time helping with tech issues than providing service? Does it diminish their role from skilled hospitality professional to mere order fulfiller?
Digital accessibility: Did anyone test this system with screen readers? Are the colour contrasts sufficient? Is the text resisable? Can it be navigated without fine motor skills?
Consider Your User
When implementing any technology, the question shouldn't be "Can we?" but "Should we?". In order to answer that, you need to understand your users.
In this case, a simple paper menu alongside the QR option would have accommodated different preferences. Allowing staff to take orders verbally would have provided a safety net for those struggling with the technology. Ensuring the app worked end-to-end (including payment) would have created a more coherent experience for digital users.
Preserving the human option doesn't just support accessibility. It acknowledges that for many, the interaction with staff is a valued part of the experience, not an inefficiency to be engineered away. Sometimes people want to ask questions, get recommendations, or simply exchange a few words with another human being. That's not a bug in the customer experience. It's a feature.
These aren't complex solutions they're obvious ones that emerge when you stop to consider the actual people using your service.
The ultimate irony? The place was empty. Perhaps others had already voted with their feet, unwilling to jump through digital hoops for what should be a simple, pleasurable experience.
Business owners: technology isn't inherently better. It's only better when it solves real problems for real people of all abilities. And you can't understand those problems without research, observation, and a commitment to accessibility.
Research isn't a luxury. Accessibility isn't optional. Together, they're the difference between innovation and exclusion.
I started offering consultancy services to both digital and brick-and-mortar businesses looking to improve their user experience. If you're interested in creating more accessible, human-centred experiences for your customers, feel free to reach out.
Thank you for this post. I live in Mexico and since pandemics most of the restaurants, coffee shops and bars use this method: scan a QR code to view the menu. This is so frustrating because some of the issues we have are: bad reception, not having internet, having an old generation cellphone, and to sum up the code redirect to Facebook or to a Google Drive document, in both cases you have to have an account in this platforms. My mom just take the decision to ask the waitress/waiter to show her the menu in their own phone jaja.
In my work I try to incorporate inclusive design solutions and hope the designers/POs notice this because eventually we are all going to be old.