Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Design problems with self-checkout systems
I'm becoming quite fond of the self-checkout in my local Sainsburys. it lets me bypass the queues and get home a little bit quicker, and now that I've mastered it I even enjoy using it. But it's not perfect, and although it looks like they have spent some time thinking about how to get it right, they haven't quite got there yet. The article above is an article that explores the issues in a lot more depth than I will here.
The main problem is that you have to find the barcode, scan the item, put it in the bag, and check the price is correct all at the same time. This is a lot to think about. The system speaks the price to you as well as showing it on the screen, but I'm busy getting my shopping in the bag, so I often don't hear it. I certainly don't see the screen. You have to be quick to get things in your bag, because it doesn't let you carry on until it senses the weight. You can 'Skip Bagging', but that needs you to look at the screen, and of course what I'm doing is fishing about in the basket deciding what to scan next.
As well as dividing your attention in a cognitive fashion, your efforts are also physically distributed. The slot for your card and the little electronic pad where you sign is about 2 metres from the screen. The signature pad is pointless - you can't sign properly on it and you just end up with a scrawl. I'd be surprised if they even bothered keeping a record. Why bother? I don't sign when I use the self-checkout at the petrol station (ahh, that's another posting).
So, I like the idea, but it remains an example of several usability problems that could have been fixed with a bit more testing. If you see one, check it out (sorry) and see what you think.
I'm becoming quite fond of the self-checkout in my local Sainsburys. it lets me bypass the queues and get home a little bit quicker, and now that I've mastered it I even enjoy using it. But it's not perfect, and although it looks like they have spent some time thinking about how to get it right, they haven't quite got there yet. The article above is an article that explores the issues in a lot more depth than I will here.
The main problem is that you have to find the barcode, scan the item, put it in the bag, and check the price is correct all at the same time. This is a lot to think about. The system speaks the price to you as well as showing it on the screen, but I'm busy getting my shopping in the bag, so I often don't hear it. I certainly don't see the screen. You have to be quick to get things in your bag, because it doesn't let you carry on until it senses the weight. You can 'Skip Bagging', but that needs you to look at the screen, and of course what I'm doing is fishing about in the basket deciding what to scan next.
As well as dividing your attention in a cognitive fashion, your efforts are also physically distributed. The slot for your card and the little electronic pad where you sign is about 2 metres from the screen. The signature pad is pointless - you can't sign properly on it and you just end up with a scrawl. I'd be surprised if they even bothered keeping a record. Why bother? I don't sign when I use the self-checkout at the petrol station (ahh, that's another posting).
So, I like the idea, but it remains an example of several usability problems that could have been fixed with a bit more testing. If you see one, check it out (sorry) and see what you think.
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(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
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