How to design a system that everybody hates

Commentary--Over the past couple of years, I’ve had a chance to interview many cashiers and evaluate many Point of Sale (POS) systems for usability. In the course of those studies, I’ve seen problems that companies should avoid when designing or redesigning employee POS systems. Below, I present a few common themes from my research.

The problems I describe are specific to POS installations—though the underlying principles can be applied to any computer system. Also, the examples I give relate to Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) situations, since that is where the majority of my experience has been thus far.

1. Failing to consider the end user
When I’m hired to design a Point of Sale system, I always start with Field Studies—visits to actual sites where the cashiering system will be used. I nearly always find that the system doesn’t match employee processes, and that the employees have developed ways to “get around” the system and/or make up for system limitations.

Observing employees and conducting interviews at representative business sites are a critical first step in designing a quick and efficient POS system that reduces both errors and training time. Site visits also help ensure a redesign that considers the employee environment, including physical space constraints, distractions, etc.

2. Creating conflicts with the real world
Employees’ perceptions and expectations are shaped by a lot more than the computer system they use at work. Unfortunately, corporate development groups typically work in isolation and don’t adequately consider other inputs the cashier receives. The way menu boards talk about products, how training sheets are organized, etc. should all provide a consistent message to the user.

When I conduct Field Studies, I always analyze the way customers order so I can design the new system in a way that supports “conversation ordering”—one that matches the way customers order in the real world. Matching the system design to customer ordering patterns allows employees to work in more natural ways, make more eye contact with the customer, and interrupt less.

3. Cluttering the screen with unnecessary options
Far too often, cashiering systems offer options that don’t make sense in a particular context. Littering the display with discontinued products or products not carried at a particular location are obvious blunders. Less obvious are options that don’t fit with what the user is currently doing—like offering a “Dine In” option for cashiers at a Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) Drive-Thru, or making condiment buttons available when the user has just ordered a large coke.

Clutter also happens when every option is presented at the same “volume”—when all buttons are the same size, brightness, etc. POS designers should identify options that are needed less frequently and make them less prominent, or move them out of the main flow all together. The “Pay by Check” button is a good example. Since credit card and cash payments are much more common in most situations, these options should proportionally more prominent than the “Pay by Check” option.

4. Placing unnecessary burden on the cashier
Most systems don’t have enough “smarts” and rely on the cashier to know too many business rules. For example, our studies for Wendy’s International revealed that they were losing revenue in part because cashiers had to know in which situations to charge for extra condiments. Often, cashiers in the food service industry are also required to know product recipes, and problems can result when new employees don’t. If, for instance, a cashier logs “add pickle” on a sandwich that already comes with pickle, the sandwich maker can get confused and incorrect orders can result.

To prevent problems like these, POS systems should be designed such that they reduce the knowledge the cashier is required to have, allow for various styles of input, and make as many business rules evident as is practical.

5. Punishing the employee for customer choices
Inflexible POS systems are frustrating, partly because they penalize cashiers for things outside of their control. A very common problem comes when the cashier must void an item because the customer makes a common change to the order or fails to give all the information when the POS needs it.

For instance, field studies with Starbucks showed that customers frequently indicate that a drink should be “iced” after cashiers begin ringing it up as hot. Starbucks original system wouldn’t allow drinks to be edited in this way, instead requiring the cashier to void the drink and start over, increasing frustration for both the cashier and customer.

Other design “features” will force the cashier into a flow—essentially making assumptions about the ordering process which aren’t necessarily true. For instance, if the customer orders a “combo”, a poorly designed system might first show the drink screen, followed by a screen for the side dish. This often prevents conversational ordering, making the cashier interrupt customers when they fail to specify the drink first.

When they have to use an inflexible system, some cashiers wait to begin entering the order until the customer finishes speaking it. But waiting creates a risk that something will be missed, or that the customer might become annoyed that they are asked to repeat portions of their order. A flexible POS design goes a long way in improving the experience of both the customer and the employee.

6. Making text hard to decipher
Some POS systems fail to consider the range of monitor sizes used at the various stores, making buttons and their labels shrink to nearly unreadable levels. Other systems don’t provide a high enough contrast or use very bright, highly saturated colors. These situations can increase eye fatigue and draw user attention to the interface itself and away from the task at hand.

Cryptic button text is also a frequent problem with Point of Sale systems. We saw cashiers having difficulty with labels like “Coupon #4” and “Print Modify”, and with abbreviations like “RSMAX” and “CHZEL”, just to name a few. Finally, using ALL CAPS is a common practice, but it also makes text harder to read, and increases the probability that text must be abbreviated.

7. Using color coding
Color can be a great way to help highlight important areas of the screen and show differences between options. It creates a problem, however, when color is used as the only mechanism for illustrating differences.

For instance, it’s very common for POS systems to use red and green to illustrate “bad” and “good” situations—green when something’s “complete”, for instance, and red when there’s something missing. Unfortunately, around 10% of U.S. males have some form of red/green color blindness, so this practice can potentially reduce their success using the system.

There are various tools available on the web for checking how well designs accommodate the color blind user. One such tool is available at: http://www.etre.com/tools/colourblindsimulator/.

Of course, there are many more mistakes companies can make when designing a POS system. But avoiding the problems I’ve noted above will help companies go a long way toward creating a usable Point of Sale system that increase employees’ success—and ultimately improve the way they interact with customers.

biography
Dr. Kevin Scoresby is president of Scoresby Interactive (www.scoresby.com), which provides user experience analysis and design services to large and midsized companies. Recent clients include Procter & Gamble, Abercrombie & Fitch, Starbucks, Fossil, Wendy’s International, BMW, and many more.