Presentations

Self Checkout Lanes: User Preferences and Usability

Session Title

Self Checkout Lanes: User Preferences and Usability

Presenter

Ben Woods

Session Type: Presentation

The Western economy has seen an increasing amount of automation in all sectors, and in all phases of the value/supply chain. From the implementation of robotics and automation in manufacturing, to logistics, and now to the act of purchasing products, human interaction with robots is becoming more commonplace.

For this research, a grocery chain in the Midwest has allowed the investigator access to its stores to observe customer behavior, interview employees, and interview customers to learn what works well for self-checkout systems, and what can be improved. With the grocer’s partnership, three locations were selected as sites for this research.

This presentation presents common usability issues and user preferences for self-checkout lanes and recommendations for improving the chances for success when deploying self-checkout lanes.

Biography

Currently Ben is the User Experience Lead at Eaton Corporation. In this role he manages an enterprise strategy for information architecture, user research, and interface design for external websites and internal sites. He collaborates IT, marketing and communications professionals from varied businesses and around the world to optimize User Experiences for customers.

He has worked for advertising agencies and design firms throughout Northeast Ohio, producing award winning design projects for non-profit organizations, municipalities, manufacturing companies, community events, and small to medium businesses.

Ben has taught courses on Information Architecture, Interaction Design, and Flash at Kent State University. Ben is a member of Northeast Ohio UPA, IA Institute, and Local Ambassador for User Experience Network.

Ben has a BFA in Visual Communication Design and an MS in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management, both from Kent State University.

2 Comments

  1. Posted September 21, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    This sounds interesting.

  2. Amy
    Posted September 24, 2009 at 2:05 pm

    I’m intrigued by the self-checkout metaphor.