KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR MYSELF AS A DESIGNER
Working within the existing visual design of this product was somewhat inhibitive as it is quite dated. It was a great exercise in realizing that major overhauls in design and functionality are not common and it is possible to make drastic improvements within existing constraints. To quote my general manager during a user interview, “It takes a while to turn a large ship”. This project provided invaluable real world perspective.
User expectations around design patterns and habits are POWERFUL. I was in awe when user testing participants virtually did not even see the largest button on the screen because they were habitually using another route on the point of sale system.
I really enjoy working on projects related to sales efficiency. Especially when it improves the experience of the team member making the sale. I feel these type of designs to be very holistic and fulfilling. I enjoyed creating a solution that positively impacts everyone from the customer to the product user to the business.
ROLE: Sole UX Designer
PROJECT: Adding an feature to an existing product utilizing the existing design library | Bootcamp Capstone Project
INDUSTRY: Point of Sale software, Hospitality
TOOLS: Figma, Figjam, Miro, Google Meet, Fireflies
BAR SEARCH TOOL
DURATION: Figma, Figjam, Miro, Google Meet, Fireflies
MICROS Oracle
RESEARCH: Competitive Analysis
Click on image to enlarge
My feature would provide a unique competitive edge, since none of the evaluated platforms incorporate such a feature.
There is API compatibility for my search tool based on existing functionality.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
I selected three of the most widely used point of sale systems for restaurants to audit their current features and explore their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
I conducted user research interviews with seven staff members at a Honolulu Airport Bar. Five participants are servers and two are bartenders. I sought to understand their motivations, goals and frustrations.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Participants often finds themselves in situations where a guest requests a cocktail that they are unfamiliar with
Participants find it ideal that they be able to accommodate guest requests but feel ill-equipped
Participants face two main obstacles preventing them from accommodating special requests: knowledge gaps and the confusing acronyms of their point of sale system
"You don't know why people are traveling. Sometimes it's good reasons, sometimes it's bad reasons. I want to make people happy, but sometimes it just takes too long to figure out if we've got it so I just tell them we don't."
"This is my first server job and I'm not even 21 years old. I don't know the drinks my guests are asking for most of them time and the acronyms on the computer are impossible for me to decode."
Restaurant staff at the Honolulu Airport often face challenges navigating the current MICROS point of sale system due to its use of confusing abbreviations for cocktails. This leads to drastic inefficiencies during service, particularly during peak hours. Staff frequently resorts to using personal devices to search for recipes, or need to interrupt the bartender to ask questions about guest requests which delays service in a time sensitive environment. Additionally, ongoing staff shortages exacerbate service delays and emphasize a need for improved tools.
This results in irate patrons, reduced sales, poor reviews, and missed opportunities for repeat business.
PROBLEM SPACE: Burdensome Business Impact
MY SOLUTION:
Enhance the MICROS point-of-sale system by adding an inventory integrated search feature. My addition aims to streamline the service process, reduce errors, and improve the overall user experience.
RESEARCH: Synthesis
I organized my user interview transcripts with an Affinity Map to cluster themes, further identify patterns and prioritize my findings. This helped me to develop some personas around which to inform my design.
RESEARCH: Project Goals
After creating personas for user centered design reference I organized some project goals to incorporate the needs of the business as well as accounting for the technical considerations. I then analyzed all three to learn that there are three problem statements for my user group.This synthesis helped me to develop and prioritize my feature set for the Bar Lookup Tool.
Project Goals Artifact
Problem Statement #1
To solve these problems I needed to assess which features my tool…
Problem Statement #2
Problem Statement #3
I mapped out my User Flow in Figjam to explore what key screens were needed for users.
My User Flow helped me to create the screens necessary for user testing. I needed to build the screens that staff are already using to get to my lookup tool. I had to near replicate the system veteran staff had been using for over 10 years! I created my screens on a tablet grid to mimic the horizontal screens on the point of sale computer and brought my personal tablet in for user testing.
MICROS Oracle
Home Screen
IDEATION: Paper before Pixels
I like to start my designs with sketching to explore potential layouts in a way that feels close to the conception of ideas. It was both challenging and fun to sketch with the limitations of the current point of sale system in mind.
MICROS Oracle
Contrary to the sizing and placement of my LookUp tool, participants seemed blind to it and continued on to the additional step of selecting the "BAR" key to look up a cocktail. I was amazed at the power of existing design patterns and users' expectations.
USER TESTING: A Surprising Result!
MICROS Oracle
MICROS Oracle
Current Screen: No color differentiation
I addressed this by creating some color associations within the design to help users along and changed the verbiage on the tool to further drive the nature of its function. I was excited to see if this could save participants even more time for usability testing! Could this overcome their impulse to select the "BAR" button straight away?
My Design
I conducted a round of usability testing with my final high fidelity prototype. Results were highly encouraging.
USABILITY TESTING: Need & Delight
MICROS Oracle
All participants successfully completed the first task with increased speed, and even less time for the second task. Five out of six participants skipped the "BAR" button. My color adjustment had worked!
Restaurant staff of various roles from General Manager to servers expressed delight and need for my Bar Lookup Tool. All participants successfully completed task flows and only one error was reported from Dorian who was confused as to how to log into the system without a Micros card (how she currently accesses the system). Participants' experience at the restaurant varied from 2 to 11 years. A post test qualitative survey revealed that staff unanimously found this feature useful and could see themselves using it.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Success Metrics
Post test survey questions included asking participants if there were any additional changes they would like to see within this tool. Participants did not have any suggestions so I used the additional time for this project to add some more shortcuts to the BAR screen. How might we save users even more time?
I added some additional quick keys.
FINAL RESULTS
MICROS Oracle
View the prototype for my inventory integrated Bar Search Tool!
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT: Current System
Below is a picture of the existing method for cocktail entry. You can click the image to enlarge it.
