Shoppingmaid wearable shopping assistant.

A barcode scanner that aids consumers in making purchasing decisions based on personal filters.


System diagram.

The most inefficient process in the grocery store experience is the checkout. All items must be removed from the cart and scanned before being put back. The Shoppingmaid is a barcode scanner that allows the shopper to scan in his or her own groceries as they are pulled off the shelf.

In addition, the Shoppingmaid takes advantage of the barcode information and a local wireless network to present relevant information to the shopper, such as nutritional and "bang-for-the-buck" information.

This is the result of a year-long development process (and done before grocery stores began adopting self-checkout technology), from ethnographic research in a grocery store environment and user profiling, to ideation and technical research and specification.

Concept exploration

Produce scale

Grocery assistant

Handy scanner

Research

Goal

Identify and explore design issues in the grocery store environment, and develop product and environment concepts to address those issues.

The results of this research are to be used in creating new products and environments to be produced by the Rubbermaid corporation, for the grocery store environment.

Method

Users, both customer and employee, were unobtrusively observed interacting in and with a grocery store environment. This was done to identify actual user needs in the real world that can be addressed.

The grocery store was broken up into two main settings that were observed - the general shopping area and the checkout area. In the shopping area, the shopper's path is unpredictable, making it difficult to pick an exact loaction for observation to take place. High traffic areas were selected as a starting point for the research. Unusual patterns were then identified for further focus. The checkout observations took place at a checkout station observing everyday shoppers finishing their grocery shopping.

In addition to real-world observation, research was done on the existing grocery store market, and on current technology and trends in related fields. This was done to ground the design concepts in what is currently possible, what has already been done, and how well it works.

The observation ran for 2.5 weeks, and included extensive notetaking, photography, and videotape of families in a grocery store, shopping and checking out.


Research sites (grocery store map)

Secondary research (client, trends, technology)

Users

The grocery store exists to serve shoppers, so the primary users of this study are the shoppers.To better study and address the needs of individual shoppers, the primary users have been divided into three groups. Each of these groups comes into the store with different goals and exhibits different behavior patterns in shopping.

Of course, employees are also users in this environment, but in this research, secondary to the shoppers who ensure their jobs. Therefore, they have been observed only in their interactions with the shoppers.

primary user

"the pro"

main goal:
"Get what's on the list."

  • carries a list
  • doesn't impulse buy
  • uses coupons
primary user

"the wanderer"

main goal:
"Let's get some food."

  • walks around aimlessly
  • does impulse buy
  • often gets more than intended
primary user

"the run-in"

main goal:
"Let's get in and out."

  • gets a few items max
  • "Can't carry it - don't need it."
  • rarely uses basket; never uses cart
secondary user

the cashier

  • greets the customer
  • scans items
  • handles the transaction
  • unloads the cart sometimes
  • calls for: price checks, backup, gofer
secondary user

the bagger

  • handles the bags
  • loads groceries into bags
  • loads bags into cart
  • hands the customer bags
  • gofer

Topics

Accessibility

  • Can a customer comfortably reach products that are high or low on shelves, and into or over floor bins?
  • Are the checkout scanners flexible enough to scan heavy and bulky items, and items on the bottom of shopping carts?
  • Is it easy for the customer to weigh and label bulk foods and produce?

Storage

  • How are personal belongings (i.e. purses, shopping lists, wallets, children) handled while shopping?
  • Will a customer be able to load and unload his or her cart with heavy items?
  • Is there enough space for the customer and his or her cart to get through the checkout aisle comfortably?
  • Are the shopping bags easy to fill and transport for both the customer and the store employee?

Signage

  • Is the current signage effective and helpful to the customer?
  • Is navigation, especially for the first-time customer, effective?
  • Do product price labels provide enough information clearly?

Activities

User activities were separated into two major groups: shopping and checkout.

The shopping activity begins when the shopper enters the store and preparing, by getting a cart or basket and situating children and personal belongings. The core shopping process follows, in a cycle of locating an item and acquiring it.

After all desired items are acquired, the shopper proceeds to the checkout activity. This consists of preparing by getting out the items and method of payment, transacting, and receiving feedback, of which the groceries are an important part.