The more common squeeze bottle is what’s in most household nowadays. But once in while we will go out to restaurants and see the original glass bottle being used. You could say the glass bottle design feels more premium and stands out among the abundance of other squeeze bottles on the market. But aesthetics aside, which one is more usable?

Glass Bottle
The original glass bottle bears a slim silhouette with a small twist cap. According to Heinz, the best way to get ketchup out of the glass bottle is to tilt at 45 degrees, and tap on the ’57’ on the bottleneck.Most people don’t know this trick, and end up spending 5 minutes shaking and smacking the bottom of the bottle just to get a few drops, then a big clump comes out just when you think you’ve shaken out enough.

via GIPHY

Squeeze Bottle
The squeeze bottle features a wider and flatter design, with an indent on each side for users to better grasp the bottle when squeezing. Ketchup is dispensed through he flip top screw cap.It’s more child-friendly in that the cap is easier to open, and the bottle won’t shatter if dropped. The amount of product that comes out can also be controlled by the user.

Conclusion

This topic of glass vs. squeeze bottle is an ongoing discussion. From a purely usability point of view, the squeeze bottle is more user friendly, but ultimately the choice if up to the preferences of the homeowner. However, some do say they prefer seeing the more sleek glass bottle at higher end restaurants, and others at retro diners perhaps for their nostalgic process of getting the ketchup out.

View a reddit thread on this topic.

French designer Philippe Starck designed the Juicy Salif in the 1990’s for Alessi, the Italian housewares and kitchen utensil company.

The Starbucks app not only allows customers to browse and order ahead, it is constantly inviting them to engage with the company. The app reflects their philosophy of offering enjoyable and innovative experiences.

User Focused
Personalized elements can be seen right on the Home screen of the Starbucks app; greeting users by their names and time of day. It also conveniently shows user’s Starbucks Rewards program points, and how many points are needed for each reward level. 

The app stores user’s previous orders so they can easily reorder, making it even more convenient to make purchases. It also automatically finds the closest store, or users can manually select and save their most frequent stores.

Starbucks Rewards Program
Users earn two stars for every dollar spent, which then can be used to redeem various food and drinks. Starbucks keeps users engaged by constantly offering “challenges” to get bonus stars. This gamification offers immediate tangible rewards, and in turn builds loyalty as customers seek that sense of accomplishment. Users can easily track their progress throughout their challenges. If engagement has been low for a while, the app will prompt users with simple challenges to get them interacting again.

Members also benefit from free in-store refills, early member offers/events, personalized offers, and a free beverage on their birthday.

Customization
Many people might not know what they can customize in an item, or the options they have. In the app, they can explore all the possibilities and fully customize all the presented options. The one downside is that prices are not listed on the menu, but only after the item is added to their cart. This can create frustrations in users if price plays a major factor in their decision-making. 

Grab n’ Go
Starbucks was among the first to introduce mobile orders for pick up in 2015. This feature is catered towards people who are on the go, and combats foot traffic and wait times in store. Before even completing the mobile order, users are given an estimated time their order would be ready by, so they can plan ahead. It also streamlines the reward redemption process by showing if users have any points they can use toward their current order. The app recommends other products based on user’s ordering habits. For Starbucks, placing that here is a great marketing strategy, and provides a sense of personalization for the user.

Success
The approach to mobile is very saturated now, and Starbucks’ success comes from their dedication to understanding their users and what’s most important to them.