User Research
Point-of-Sale Systems
Before I knew it had a name, I was designing the user experience for the staff in my restaurant, configuring the information architecture of the POS system and sourcing the staff for guidance in structuring the items the restaurant offered. And so when I was given the chance to delve deeply into one particular aspect of UX design, naturally I applied the user research methodology to the POS to identify user frustrations, and possible ways to fix them. An abbreviated case study can be found below - for the full case study, click here.
Role /
Researcher
Year /
2017
The Objective
There are a wide variety of point-of-sale systems in use in restaurants, each with their own advantages and drawbacks. While some are specialized for certain markets, and most allow customization, their functions are not always clear for the service staff. Without a clear idea of problems staff encounters, performance inevitably suffers, compromising in turn the guest experience.
The Goal
To use the UX research methodology to gain an understanding of the landscape of the POS marketplace, identify user frustrations, and suggest solutions to these problems.
The Skills
User Interviews, Contextual Inquiry, Surveys, Heuristic Analysis, Quadrant Comparison
Competitive Analysis
I started with a competitive analysis of 4 different POS systems - 2 well-established legacy systems, and 2 more recently-released options.
Infogenesis & Micros, the legacy programs, come with a large price-tag, and the capability to service multiple outlets. As a result, they typically serve restaurants that gross over $750,000/year.
Toast & Square, on the other hand, are more cost-effective upon start-up, though their features are not as robust as the legacy brands.
At first blush, most POS systems have comparable features. However, upon further analysis, the superior quality of the more expensive systems is apparent.
The easiest way to visualize the difference between the competitors is to graph them in terms of rigidity and expense. Using this graph, Toast and Infogenesis are the best systems to choose, because of their customizability. Costs and specific requirements will dictate which system a restaurant picks between these two.
User Research
I conducted a survey, which I distributed to a network of former co-workers using Google Forms. From the 23 respondents, I was able to draw several conclusions about their POS troubles and possible solutions.
Average Time Spent Entering Orders at POS
Time Spent Trying to Solve a POS Problem Before Seeking Help
From these two charts, one can ascertain that the majority of serving staff will double their time at a POS station if they encounter an error, before they search for help.
60 seconds to a server is often perceived by a waiting guest to be as much as 5 minutes. Furthermore, if the roadblock is not isolated, multiple issues can compound and turn 1 extra minute into 5.
In addition to affecting employee workplace happiness, these extra minutes may cost a business the repeat clientèle on which is depends to turn a profit.
I also conducted user interviews and contextual inquiries at a Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, a 5-Star resort on Cape Cod.
"Most servers aren't as tech-savvy as the people who put these systems together - make it dummy-proof."
Caroline
From this research I was able to discover a few key points:
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Serving staff needs a system to be fast, above all else
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Thorough training is needed to onboard a new system
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Color-coding helps to speed up the ordering process
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The fewer clicks, the better
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Serving staff wants a dummy-proof system
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Regarding tablets, reliable connectivity is an issue
Conclusions & Recommendations
Point-of-sale developers and designers should conduct user research and testing to set up effective frameworks for restaurant owners to choose from and customize to their specifications in the configuration process. Based on the research I conducted, color-coding and click-reduction would be a good place to start to improve the service user experience.
Once in the hands of restaurant operators, user testing should be conducted with their own staff to ensure the configuration they have chosen is effective. Additionally, resources should be allocated to extensive training of the management and staff to make sure live service runs smoothly.