3 ms·

I would also add "do some market research" because let me tell you, right now, the biggest issues I have with self checkout machines are: * Scanning multiples

I would also add "do some market research" because let me tell you, right now, the biggest issues I have with self checkout machines are: * Scanning multiples of the same item. One retailer has this down: You scan one yogurt, and it shows "(+) 1 (-) yogurt". You press (+) five times, you get billed for 6 yogurts. The second biggest retailed just doesn't have this, so you stand there swiping the same yogurt six times, praying that the hard-coded delay between consecutive scans is small enough that you don't swipe too quickly. * Consistency & Internal vs. external definitions: When scanning loose bread and cakes, the interface is quite clearly copied 1:1 from the existing cashier system. How do I know? Because it isn't ordered in any reasonable fashion. The available categories are something like "Bread" (makes sense), "confections" (Makes sense, I guess?) and "small baked goods" (???). I'm sure that makes sense to someone working there, but if buying a cinnamon bun stumps the user, there's something wrong.

mgkimsal 9y ago
i don't disagree with those criticisms, i just haven't experienced those issues with our local stores. possibly combination of what I buy as well as the tech. most 'confusing' issue to me in the last year was buying a self-assembled salad from the salad bar. There are 2 options "small" and "large", but they're all sold on weight anyway, so it took me a few times to determine my 'go to' size to choose ('small')
u801e 9y ago
> the hard-coded delay between consecutive scans is small enough that you don't swipe too quickly. The Kroger where I shop currently has self-checkout systems where they only let you scan the next item after the previous one has been placed in the "bagging area". That addresses the scan more than intended issue you mention, but it makes scanning individual items of the same type even slower.

mgkimsal 9y ago

i don't disagree with those criticisms, i just haven't experienced those issues with our local stores. possibly combination of what I buy as well as the tech. most 'confusing' issue to me in the last year was buying a self-assembled salad from the salad bar. There are 2 options "small" and "large", but they're all sold on weight anyway, so it took me a few times to determine my 'go to' size to choose ('small')

u801e 9y ago

> the hard-coded delay between consecutive scans is small enough that you don't swipe too quickly. The Kroger where I shop currently has self-checkout systems where they only let you scan the next item after the previous one has been placed in the "bagging area". That addresses the scan more than intended issue you mention, but it makes scanning individual items of the same type even slower.