Scan & Go

2023 – User Experience,

Product & Interface Design

Collaboration:

My role and contribution:

  • Branding

  • Illustrations

  • Animation/motion graphics

  • Prototype design

Teammate: Swara Rowtu

The Innovation and Technology department at Woolworths is committed to a new policy that focuses on developing innovative technologies for 2033, with the aim of increasing automation and self-service tech capabilities in everyday activities and user interactions. As part of this initiative, my team was been tasked with conducting research to understand the future visions and expectations of user interactions with self-service technologies for payment service, specifically in supermarkets (self-checkouts and scan & go systems). To address this challenge, my team adopted a Speculative Design approach (Dunne & Raby, 2013) to create the new re-imagined Scan & Go : Therapeutic Checkout.

Our research methodology and data collection involved conducting in-depth, short-term interviews and observations, documenting through creative sensory and visual techniques like photography, videography, audio recordings, and questionnaires featuring images of future technologies. We analysed the collected data using user journey, affinity and empathy mapping and personas to design our product solution based on user/customer insights gathered through qualitative research.

Research Insights:

  • Rewards and discounts

    • Users appreciate rewards being automatically added during payment, avoiding extra activation steps.

    • Some users face issues where discounts don't appear during check-out, requiring staff assistance.

    • Users express a desire for simplified reward systems.


  • Perception of self-checkout technologies at Woolworths

    • Some users see little difference between Scan&Go and traditional self-checkout, as both involve scanning items.

    • Users wish for smooth, lag-free motion in the self-checkout screens.

    • Users generally like the current system but are open to new technologies.

    • Users find self-checkout suitable for a small number of items but frustrating for larger purchases, citing an average purchase of 20 items as an example.

  • Compulsive buying and Data trust

    • Some users are concerned about impulsive buying in automatically scans.

    • Users generally trust corporations to use customer data responsibly.

Solutions:

  1. Smart bagging area

  2. Automatic item scanning

  3. All-in-one Scan (Profile, Payment, Rewards, Exit)


Our new shopping experience concept: Therapeutic Checkout. A new spacious smart counter that automatically scans all the items in the customers bag, powered by AI. The user only needs to review and confirm. The innovative technology processes users' woolies account, payment, and rewards in just one scan. This easy process is presented with simple, pleasing visuals that make customers feel more relaxed and positive at check-out.

Video Credits:

Swara Rowtu, Voiceover

Gayatri Maelathil, Editing + Compilation

Client:

Woolworths Supermarket

Supervisors:

Dr. Indae Hwang, Paulina Noches