A few bar tab apps have being propping up lately, so I decided to give one a go. I happened to choose Clipp because they had a special offer code, and who doesn’t like discounts on drinks. So, what of the UX?
The Bad
Confusing Coupons
The reason I decided to look at Clipp was they had a deal on the week I knew I was going to one of the participating bars. I added this, expecting to get 10% of if we ended up spending $X amount. As with many apps now days, there is a code where you get $10 off and the owner of the code too get’s $10 Credit. I had one of these coupons from a friend, which I applied; this coupon can only be used on the first use of the app. The problem came in the confusing way that the coupons work: they are applied in the order entered and two cannot be used at once, which meant I didn’t get the $10 off I was expecting, and now never will.
Time to Set Up Tab
Setting up the Tab took longer than the traditional way (i.e. handing over my credit card and getting a number in return) is much quicker than setting up a Clipp Tab. The delay was on the end of the bartender, fine on my end, and I was left with my friends waiting to walk back to the table with their drinks slowing everyone down.
The Good
Settling the Tab
The time saving in Clipp is at the end of the process – closing the cab. I don’t have to do anything; Clipp automatically detects when I leave the venue and closes my Tab, charging my cab. Nice and easy and no more having to hold everyone up when they want to leave going up to the bar to settle the tab.
Anticipating the Next Need
When you leave Clipp tells you how much your Tab was and what you were charged; it also offers the ability to order a cab. I love this feature, as you are quite possibly looking for a cab after a night out drinking. I would personally prefer if it told me public transport options, or let me order an Uber, but it’s a nice touch.
The Rest
I didn’t play around too much with the additional features of setting a spending limit, but it seems like a great feature that you’ll get alerted that you are reaching your set budget for the night. This might reduce the next morning headache of “how much was the tab”, but maybe if you’ve had a few drinks you’ll just tap away and add more money to the budget.