For busy bartenders and restaurant staff, every second counts. The old standalone POS system required them to move back and forth between counters, causing delays and frustration. With our new mobile POS solution, they could take orders directly at the table or bar, reducing wait times and improving service efficiency.
Project Overview
Challenges Identified:
Order Completion Time Reduced by 39% – Faster workflows & improved navigation.
User Errors Decreased by 56% – Inline modifications & real-time feedback improved accuracy.
Staff Adoption Increased to 85% – Structured onboarding and interactive guidance facilitated the transition.
Customer Satisfaction Improved by 47% – Faster service and improved payment experience enhanced user perception.
Impact
My Role
The research aimed to understand the transition challenges faced by retail staff and ensure a seamless shift from traditional POS terminals to mobile devices. This involved analysing usability, workflow efficiency, and adaptability to mobile touch interfaces.
Contextual Inquiry & User Research
Goal: Identify the operational inefficiencies in using fixed POS terminals and assess the needs for mobile adaptability.
• Shadowed retail staff in-store, observing checkout workflows, pain points, and dependencies on fixed terminals.• Conducted user interviews with employees and managers to understand their concerns about adopting mobile POS.
• Key Insight: Staff were accustomed to fixed workflows; resistance to mobile POS came from fears of slow input speed, unstable connections, and learning curve concerns.
Heuristic Evaluation (Assessing Migration Barriers)
Goal: Compare usability gaps between legacy POS and mobile-based solutions.
Findings:
• Cognitive overload – Many on-screen elements in legacy POS need to be translated well to a smaller mobile interface.
• Opportunities for improvement – Simplified button layouts, swipe gestures, and predictive input could reduce friction.
Benchmarking – Best Practices in Mobile POS Migration
Goal: Learn from leading mobile POS systems (e.g., Square, Clover) to define industry standards.
• Key Takeaway: Guided onboarding, smart defaults, and adaptive workflows reduce staff resistance to mobile migration.
The User Journey Map highlight:
How retail staff previously interacted with the legacy POS system.
How the new mobile POS system transformed their workflow.
Pain points during migration and how they were resolved.
Card Sorting – Optimising Menu Navigation
One of the biggest usability challenges was navigating complex menus efficiently on a smaller touchscreen. To optimise the menu structure and order-taking flow, we conducted Card Sorting with restaurant & pub staff to understand their mental models.
Key Findings:
Too Many Categories Causing Confusion
Slow Navigation Between Sections
Difficulty Finding Frequently Ordered Items
Modifier Placement Was Not Intuitive
Payment Options Were Buried in Menus
Final Information Architecture Adjustments
📌 Category Consolidation – Simplified menu hierarchy based on staff input.
📌 Quick-Access for Popular Items – Integrated a dynamic “Most Ordered” section.
📌 Faster Modifiers – Embedded options within the order selection screen.
📌 Payment UX Streamlining – Moved key actions (split bill, add tip) to the main interface.
Wireframe
Prototype