The Day the Chef Brought an Excel UI Improvement Proposal: How Field DX, Once Dependent on Vendors, Started to Turn Around
Scene 1: The Chef Who Only Trusted Analog Opened Excel
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: Manager, you seem happy. Did something happen?
Corgi Manager 🐾: The other day, our chef brought me an "image of a system UI improvement" he made in Excel. He even included drawings of the screens, showing exactly how he wanted things to work when buttons were pressed.
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: Wait, the chef did that? Honestly, I had the impression that the kitchen staff wasn't very good with digital tools...
Corgi Manager 🐾: Exactly. Our chef was originally the type who only trusted analog methods. For that person to start "creating" improvement proposals on their own—I think this is a much bigger event than any mediocre DX initiative. I'd like to talk about that today.
Scene 2: What Often Happens with "Vendor-Dependent" DX
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: But aren't system improvement requests something that usually comes from the field?
Corgi Manager 🐾: That's the thing, they rarely come up. DX in many workplaces tends to become vendor-dependent. Even if you report a bug to the vendor, the response is often delayed. What do you think happens to the staff when those experiences pile up?
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: They give up, thinking, "It won't change even if I say something..."?
Corgi Manager 🐾: Exactly. Even reporting bugs becomes a chore, and the atmosphere becomes one where improvement proposals are out of the question, as well. Tools become "things that are given to us," and they no longer feel like something they can have a say in.
Scene 3: Two Things That Changed After Switching to In-House Development
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: So, why did that change?
Corgi Manager 🐾: The tide turned once I started entering the field as a creator for the custom POS I built with Bubble. I changed two simple things: fixing bugs the same day, and going to the field to ask for improvement ideas myself.
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: Same day...! Even with vendors, waiting several days is common.
Corgi Manager 🐾: When the experience of "it gets fixed if I say something" and "they come to ask me" accumulates, the staff's view of digital tools changes. They shift from passive users to people who build together. The chef's Excel file was the result of that accumulation.
💡 Point: It's not that the field changed, but that the premise of "it's useless to say anything" was broken. The field always had ideas for improvement.The premise of "it's useless to say anything" was broken. The field always had ideas for improvement.
Scene 4: Another Incident—The Management Praised a "Field-Originated" Feature
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: Are there any other events where the field turned into the "creator" side?
Corgi Manager 🐾: Yes. When the management stayed at the hotel, they praised a feature on the in-room tablet. It was a feature that displayed recommended drinks for the facility as a screensaver while no orders were being placed.
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: The tablets in the guest rooms promote the menu during wait times, don't they? That's a great idea...
Corgi Manager 🐾: Isn't it? And here is the important part: this is not something I instructed. It was created through discussions between the staff on the floor and R-san, whom I am coaching.
📊 Field Results: A chef who was an analog enthusiast created improvement proposals in Excel / Features proposed by the staff and R-san were well-received during the owner's trial stay / Bug fixes were handled the same day
Corgi Manager 🐾: These small success experiences become the starting point, and field improvements through DX begin to gain momentum. An experience where ideas from the field are valued is a much stronger fuel than top-down orders.
Scene 5: Honest Limitations—'Same-Day Response' is a Feat of In-House Development
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: But wait a minute. That's only possible because the person who made it is on the floor, right? Can't facilities that outsource their systems copy that?
Corgi Manager 🐾: You're hitting on a sore spot. That's exactly right; same-day response is a feat that only works with in-house development where the creator is stationed on-site. I think it's harsh to demand the same speed while maintaining an outsourced structure.
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: And besides, if the manager leaves, who will fix it?
Corgi Manager 🐾: To be honest, that is also a weakness, and the flip side of the risk of over-reliance on specific individuals. That's why I am proceeding with the habit of documenting the configuration. Also, both the chef's case and the owner's case are still just one incident each, and we haven't measured the quantitative effects on sales or reviews yet. I want to be clear about that without exaggerating.
Scene 6: People Become the Bridge for 'Trust in Digital'
Hotelier-chan 👩💼: Today's conversation seemed to be about tools, but it was really about people all along.
Corgi Manager 🐾: That is exactly the principle I want you to take home. To achieve essential and long-term DX, people need to carefully serve as the bridge for trust in machines and digital technology. Before focusing on tool performance, let the staff accumulate experiences where they learn that 'if I say something, it gets fixed' and 'if I come up with an idea, I get praised.' That is where DX begins to gain momentum.
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