Help
Posted by
Skateside 
Have you ever had to use one of these machines? They're infuriating! I tried to use one today and ended up shouting at the machine (people were probably looking at me, but I'm a guy with long hair and a beard - I'm used to that). It's not just me, a lot of people hate them. A year ago Which? Online said that 4 out of 10 people don't use them anymore.
After having to call the checkout assistant over for the third time, she told me that my items hadn't scanned properly. She stressed that she wasn't calling me a liar but the machine wasn't working properly. At this point, the penny dropped - I know what's wrong with self-service checkouts: the error handling is terrible.
I'll talk you through 2 problems and how I think they can be solved. A more detailed study will doubtlessly bring up other problems and simple solutions. But first, I have to say something important to anyone who is going to be working on the interface. Brace yourself for controversy: customers can solve their own problems. What happens now is we customers (or "users") just get told that something is wrong. The checkout assistant will come over when they can and log in, clearing the error. Oddly, by logging in, that checkout assistant sees no more information than we customers do, logging in is simply saying "I, being in authority, acknowledge that there is an error." This is nothing but a password-protected "OK" button. Customers are able to press that OK button. If the error was explained to us, we could solve it ourselves; the checkout assistant is not needed.
Problem 1: Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area
This problem is caused by putting an item into the bagging area before it's been scanned. To solve the problem, remove the item, re-scan it then replace it in the bagging area. The way that the error is handled it appalling; the entire screen is taken up with a white box saying "unexpected item in the bagging area", the red light above the till flashes and we need a checkout assistant to come over to clear the error (the only visible button is labelled "store log-in"). What's worse is that all the checkout assistants log in using their barcode. This means that the barcode scanner is still working and still beeps when a barcode is scanned. Scanning another item and placing it into the bagging area before the error pops up will generate the same error again when the current one is cleared. I can not think of a worse way to handle this error.
A much better solution would be to cover the buttons on the side with a yellow box. The box would have an icon in it's top left-hand corner (something like a crossed-out barcode) with a helpful message. I propose "I'm sorry, but I haven't recognised all the items that have been placed in the bagging area. Please double-check the list of items and re-scan any that aren't in the list before putting them back in the bag." Lifting the item out of the bagging area will clear this new box, but there should also be a "Store log-in" button at the bottom. Only when this button has been pressed or the box has been cleared should the scanner become enabled again.
By seeing the problem and being told how to solve it, the customer will be able to fix it themselves. The icon in the top left will be all the customer needs to see if they've seen the error before. If the yellow (not red) light above the till started flashing, the checkout assistant could come over to offer help if they had the time. Less stress all around.
Problem 2: Authorisation Needed
This annoys me because it's not an error. However, it is treated as one. The screen fills up and needs to be cleared before the till is usable again. Of course, the scanner still works, so items may be scanned and added to the bagging area (triggering the above error in the process). Could we not have a yellow box in the top right-hand side of the screen (just below the shop logo) with another icon and useful note? The icon (top left-hand corner of the yellow box again) could be something like a number 21 in a red circle - most of us recognise that as a proof-of-age symbol. The note should say something like "Before you pay, you will need approval to buy the following items:" and then list the age-limited items. A note could also be placed at the bottom saying "Please don't be offended if we ask for proof of age." No further action will be needed and the yellow light above the till wouldn't need to be illuminated until the end. Customers will see the note and expect to have to wait until their products are approved before they can go.
By fixing these issues will limit the "till rage" experienced by so many. What annoys me though, is that these are issues that should have appeared during user-testing. Self-service checkouts were user-tested, right? I'd like to think that if a good solution can be found, with a little research to back up the suggestions, the major supermarkets would change the software and self-service checkouts will be a lot more usable; shopping could be stress-free again.
After having to call the checkout assistant over for the third time, she told me that my items hadn't scanned properly. She stressed that she wasn't calling me a liar but the machine wasn't working properly. At this point, the penny dropped - I know what's wrong with self-service checkouts: the error handling is terrible.
I'll talk you through 2 problems and how I think they can be solved. A more detailed study will doubtlessly bring up other problems and simple solutions. But first, I have to say something important to anyone who is going to be working on the interface. Brace yourself for controversy: customers can solve their own problems. What happens now is we customers (or "users") just get told that something is wrong. The checkout assistant will come over when they can and log in, clearing the error. Oddly, by logging in, that checkout assistant sees no more information than we customers do, logging in is simply saying "I, being in authority, acknowledge that there is an error." This is nothing but a password-protected "OK" button. Customers are able to press that OK button. If the error was explained to us, we could solve it ourselves; the checkout assistant is not needed.
Problem 1: Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area
This problem is caused by putting an item into the bagging area before it's been scanned. To solve the problem, remove the item, re-scan it then replace it in the bagging area. The way that the error is handled it appalling; the entire screen is taken up with a white box saying "unexpected item in the bagging area", the red light above the till flashes and we need a checkout assistant to come over to clear the error (the only visible button is labelled "store log-in"). What's worse is that all the checkout assistants log in using their barcode. This means that the barcode scanner is still working and still beeps when a barcode is scanned. Scanning another item and placing it into the bagging area before the error pops up will generate the same error again when the current one is cleared. I can not think of a worse way to handle this error.
A much better solution would be to cover the buttons on the side with a yellow box. The box would have an icon in it's top left-hand corner (something like a crossed-out barcode) with a helpful message. I propose "I'm sorry, but I haven't recognised all the items that have been placed in the bagging area. Please double-check the list of items and re-scan any that aren't in the list before putting them back in the bag." Lifting the item out of the bagging area will clear this new box, but there should also be a "Store log-in" button at the bottom. Only when this button has been pressed or the box has been cleared should the scanner become enabled again.
By seeing the problem and being told how to solve it, the customer will be able to fix it themselves. The icon in the top left will be all the customer needs to see if they've seen the error before. If the yellow (not red) light above the till started flashing, the checkout assistant could come over to offer help if they had the time. Less stress all around.
Problem 2: Authorisation Needed
This annoys me because it's not an error. However, it is treated as one. The screen fills up and needs to be cleared before the till is usable again. Of course, the scanner still works, so items may be scanned and added to the bagging area (triggering the above error in the process). Could we not have a yellow box in the top right-hand side of the screen (just below the shop logo) with another icon and useful note? The icon (top left-hand corner of the yellow box again) could be something like a number 21 in a red circle - most of us recognise that as a proof-of-age symbol. The note should say something like "Before you pay, you will need approval to buy the following items:" and then list the age-limited items. A note could also be placed at the bottom saying "Please don't be offended if we ask for proof of age." No further action will be needed and the yellow light above the till wouldn't need to be illuminated until the end. Customers will see the note and expect to have to wait until their products are approved before they can go.
By fixing these issues will limit the "till rage" experienced by so many. What annoys me though, is that these are issues that should have appeared during user-testing. Self-service checkouts were user-tested, right? I'd like to think that if a good solution can be found, with a little research to back up the suggestions, the major supermarkets would change the software and self-service checkouts will be a lot more usable; shopping could be stress-free again.
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