#Maze

#Figma

Self-Checkout System

We intend to create a smart self-checkout system with new and improved functionality, with a focus on the user interface, to enhance and improve the overall shopping experience.

Quick Glance

Objective 🎯

Our concept aims to streamline checkout process, reduce queues, and enhance customer experience.

Role 🚀

Role🚀

Product Designer / Researcher

Timeline 🗓️

Timeline🗓️

Nov/2020 ~ Dec/2020

Challenges 🚧

Self-checkout systems streamline shopping but often lead to long queues due to unclear instructions and interface issues, requiring assistance from shop assistants.

Background

Self-checkout systems were invented to reduce manpower and streamline shopping. However, existing systems often lead to long queues due to unclear instructions and mismatched interfaces.

Design Process

Small team prototyped swiftly, gathering user feedback for iterative improvements pre-launch.

Research

User Study

Define

Identify problems & goals

Ideation

Wireframe & IA

Prototyping

Experimental process

Testing

Prototype usability testing

Itration

MVP & Refine

Research

Assumption

To investigate in what ways could design improve people's check-out journey, combined with NCR white paper, we used the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome concepts) method to assume factors that affect the user's satisfaction with self-checkout systems.

Assumption

Questionnaire

We developed a specific set of 10 questions to collect qualitative data to gain participants’ checkout methods, eagerness for external assistance, and expectations.

We received a total of 50 responses from UK participants aged 18-60 years old.

Questionnaire

We developed a specific set of 10 questions to collect qualitative data to gain participants’ checkout methods, eagerness for external assistance, and expectations.

We received a total of 50 responses from UK participants aged 18-60 years old.

Key Insights

Top 5 local retail stores

Top 5 local retail stores that shoppers frequently visit are Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Iceland, and Waitrose.

Top 5 local retail stores

Top 5 local retail stores that shoppers frequently visit are Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Iceland, and Waitrose.

Top 5 local retail stores

Top 5 local retail stores that shoppers frequently visit are Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Iceland, and Waitrose.

Customers Preference

Almost half of the customers prefer using self-checkout systems.

Customers Preference

Almost half of the customers prefer using self-checkout systems.

Customers Preference

Almost half of the customers prefer using self-checkout systems.

Customer Assistance Trends in Self-Checkout

78% of shoppers ever requested assistance when using self-checkout machines.

Customer Assistance Trends in Self-Checkout

78% of shoppers ever requested assistance when using self-checkout machines.

Customer Assistance Trends in Self-Checkout

78% of shoppers ever requested assistance when using self-checkout machines.

Customers Requirements

Suggestions for improvement are clear instruction, larger placing area, various payments acceptance, ability to switch to other languages, etc.

Customers Requirements

Suggestions for improvement are clear instruction, larger placing area, various payments acceptance, ability to switch to other languages, etc.

Customers Requirements

Suggestions for improvement are clear instruction, larger placing area, various payments acceptance, ability to switch to other languages, etc.

Semi-structured Interview

After the questionnaire, we interviewed customers about self-checkout issues. Participants cited problems like insensitive scanning, complex product inspection, limited payment options, and one expressed anxiety while waiting for help.

Semi-structured Interview

Competitive Analysis

To explore whether existing new technology can solve painpoints, we conducted competitive analysis. Evidence showed new shopping technologies such as Amazon’s cashierless technique still have problems with inaccurate recognition when holding and placing products.

Competitive Analysis

Define

User Flow

The user scenarios we learned after the interviews were transformed into User flow

Scanning the items and Confirm transaction involve the user and the self-checkout system
Authorization confirmation involves the third-party platform. The task may take longer to complete.

User Flow

The user scenarios we learned after the interviews were transformed into User flow

Scanning the items and Confirm transaction involve the user and the self-checkout system
Authorization confirmation involves the third-party platform. The task may take longer to complete.

Problem

Item Scanning & Display

Users face delays while scanning items and receiving information on the screen.

Item Scanning & Display

Users face delays while scanning items and receiving information on the screen.

Item Scanning & Display

Users face delays while scanning items and receiving information on the screen.

Transaction Confirmation

Confusion arises during transaction confirmation, leading to prolonged wait times.

Transaction Confirmation

Confusion arises during transaction confirmation, leading to prolonged wait times.

Transaction Confirmation

Confusion arises during transaction confirmation, leading to prolonged wait times.

Authorization Process

Lengthy authorization procedures cause bottlenecks and contribute to long queues.

Authorization Process

Lengthy authorization procedures cause bottlenecks and contribute to long queues.

Authorization Process

Lengthy authorization procedures cause bottlenecks and contribute to long queues.

Goal

" Our concept aims to streamline checkout process, reduce queues, and enhance customer experience. "

Goal

" Our concept aims to streamline checkout process, reduce queues, and enhance customer experience. "

Ideation

Wireframe

We initially clustered ideas together into interactive Lo-fi prototypes and delivered them to the participants (we recruited from questionnaire) for usability testing, the purpose was to observe how users would think when trying to process the self-checkout system of the new design’s feasibility.

Wireframe

Testing

Qualitative usability testing

We recruited 14 users remotely who represented the self-checkout system's typical audience.
We set 7 tasks from the initial scanning operation to the final payment using the online tool ‘Maze’. From the heatmap, we could observe the most frequently clicking points to calculate the success rates.

Qualitative usability testing

Key Insights

Following the low fidelity usability test, the ‘removing an item’ interface was modified to include an ‘X’ icon located next to the items to provide users with more obvious guidance when removing items. The hi-fidelity prototype was designed to reflect these changes.

Key Insights

MVP

After previous usability testing, we noticed users struggled with item removal. To address this, we implemented changes such as adding a disabled "Remove item" button in a clicked state and introducing a delete button for selection indication. These alterations were validated through further testing, resulting in a decrease in the misclick rate from 38% to nearly 0% and a reduction in average spent time from 13.7s to 4.1s.

We also upgraded the lo-fi prototype's visual style to create the current hi-fi version. However, design verification is ongoing. A second usability test was conducted to uncover any additional issues.

Conclusion

The results of our interview, questionnaire, and usability test, as well as our preliminary literature review, confirm that our concept and design provide a valuable solution to the existing problems caused by current self-checkout machines. To conclude, it is clear that improving the interface and design of these machines, will have a significant positive impact on the overall shopping experience of customers in both supermarkets and other retail stores. I would have liked to have had the chance to perform a/b tests to optimize the conversions of each interface more in the future.

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