SELF CHECK-OUT AT HOME-DEPOT1

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I went to Home Depot for the assignment. I spent about 20 min-utes buying couple of things for my Pcomp class.

I was pretty tired. Bag filled with stuff and was heavy. I carried items in my hand as proceeding to the checkout.

The self-checkout section is indicated by the big sign above.Bold and comprehen-sible.

There were few ppl. (with trolley and w/o) and also shop assis-tant. The stations (7-8) were enough for this amount of cus-tomers.

I didn’t interact with the assistant. The system is under-standable.

This is my first-time self-checkout. a bit excited. I saw a short line in front of me.

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Many interfaces I en-countered as I was approaching the ma-chine- the main screen- barcode reader under the main screen- the small screen on the right- the small screen on top of the main one- sth in front of the ma-chine I didn’t notice.

There are many inter-faces but it is in fact similar to the regular checkout cashier. I saw big “START” on the screen.

I started to checkout items intuitively by looking for the bar-code and move it across the reader. It took 3-5 sec.to locate a barcode and read it correctly. I finished them in less than 1 minute for 4 items.

The barcode reading space is too small and it’s not comfort-able for big items.

There are stack of plastic bags sitting on the left as you check-out items from the right.

* there is a small empty space next to the stack in case you want to re-arrange things later.

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There are many inter-faces but it is in fact similar to the regular checkout cashier. I saw big “START” on the screen.

Many buttons on the screen which I didn’t take time to read. However, the ‘Pay Now’ button pops out.

Also there is a securi-ty camera above the main screen. It was off-sight.

I double-checked all my items on the sceen before pressing ‘Pay Now’ button and proceeding the pay-ment.

I checked the total amount and familiarly swiped the card down in order to pay.

This is natural move-ment as we swipe ‘down’ like we cut something.

The receipt was print-ed out eventually and it came to the end of the process.

It always confuse me which side of the card I should swipe.

The whole process was finished in 3 min-utes. I was happy.I will definitely do it again next time.

The barcode reading space is too small and it’s not comfort-able for big items.

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SELF CHECK-OUT AT HOME-DEPOTDESIGN INTERVENTION

1. Improve the barcode reader space{ bigger, easier }

2. Integrate everything in one screenlessen complication. { provide more human-friendly GUI and guidelines }

3. Improve position of the barcode reader. It should read from above instead from underneath. Also, it willhelp the user to easily locate the barcode.

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PUBLIC OBSERVATION AT TOTTO RAMEN2

1I started this assignment by accidentas I was craving for ramen and jumpedout for it days ago. I found this ramenshop by searching ‘Ramen’ from Maps.It went there two times. My first attempfailed because I was the 20th queue.But my second one, I went there since4.10 (the shop opens at 4 on Sunday)and I was the 8th.

After sitting and waiting in a very smalluncomfortable space for 20 minutes and there were half of the line to go, I started to document.

Who is there?- Customers waiting for seats(mostly asian, group of 4, couples, only few who came alone like me)- Waiter who is responsible fororganising the line (small picture)and he doesn’t speak english well.- Finished customers walking out

Everyone was willing to stay and waitI kept hearing things like “I’m veryexcited!” and conversation about theramen menu.

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4Queing Process?1. Every customer is sloppily guided to write down their name on the queue list which is a scrap.2. After the finished customer walked out, the waiter will call the next custom-er and guide them to the table

PUBLIC OBSERVATION AT TOTTO RAMENQUESTIONS?

POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS

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How could we make ‘waiting’ more enjoyable and challenging?

How could we systematically organise the queue list?

How could we improve the waiting area?

How could we holistically redesign the process of queing, orderingmaking payment for this particular shop to be more convenient?

1. Turns queing into a game or challenge -- by tracking record ofwhom that spend longest time queing then reward them back,for instanceRequired information- User behavior- What makes user enjoyable while waiting- What drives them to wait

2. Create an app that enable you to queue the line before arriving.Required information- User behavior on mobile/app usage

3. Redesign the whole service to improve efficiency, fasten the process of queing, organizing, cooking, etc. and suit compactspace e.g., vending machine system, McDonald system.Required information- User behavior- Waiter/cook behavior

EVERYDAY LIFE QUESTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS

What would happen if wedon’t have to wash clothesanymore?

Bike-theft is big issue andbike lock is frickin bulky and heavy. Can we integratelock system to our bike?

Can we redesign a bike post?

What is the meaning ofthe food container?

Is there a container thatfits all kinds of food?

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EVERYDAY LIFE QUESTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS

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Video calling is a partof my life.

How can we improvevideo call? Can weenjoy things like games,movies, music togetherwhile making call?

What would happenif the governmentbanned plastic bags?

What material shouldbe used instead ofplastic?