Designing a Café/ Store Layout - Why Bubble Diagrams Matter

A bubble diagram is a great tool to plan a layout well. In this image, the bubble diagram and the layout for an F&B kiosk are superimposed.

Dear Retailers, café & QSR brands (and anyone with any customer-facing real estate),

Bubble diagrams are a designer's best friend.

Every interior designer or an architect knows how to put together bubble diagrams (or several options of them) as they get started on a design project. 

For a retail design consultant/ café designer (such as Yours Truly!), bubble diagrams are extra special. 

Why, you may ask? What's so special about bubble diagrams? What are they anyway?! How do bubble diagrams play out differently while designing a store or a café?

A bubble diagram for an apparel store.

A bubble diagram is an initial exploration of how a space can be stitched together. 

It is a stepping stone to creating an efficient and functional layout. (The above image is a sample of what a bubble diagram can look like.)

There are several ways to approach a bubble diagram, My favourite ways involve these steps:

1. The size and shape of a bubble reflects the approximate area that a product/ category should be allocated. 

2. The sequence matters!* Know your customer journey to establish the right sequence.

3. Think circulation - the path that a user takes through the space.

4. Use different colours to denote different categories/ functions.

5. Have 2-3 bubble diagram options ready to discuss with your client team, along with the rationale behind each product/category placement. 

Customer Journey > Bubble Diagram > Great Layout

Understand your customer journey right to get to the right bubble diagram, that leads to a great store/ café layout.

In our next edition of 'Retale Myth-ology', we shall touch upon how to establish customer journey within a store for a brand, so that you can smash those bubble diagrams that lead to a fantastic offline brand experience.