Self Checkout Experience
Reimagining the hardware and software of self-checkout experience for users with mobility constraints and low vision. Utilizing the European Accessibility Act and requests from international grocery stores the UX team, sales representatives, and accessibility advocates set out to do just that.
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Please note: Details and interaction demos are purposefully vague until the product release is finalized in 2025. Additional images, prototypes, and details can be provided on a non-recorded chat.
Catalyst for change
As the Accessibility Specialist for Restaurants and Retail, I identified significant accessibility issues with our self-checkout machines, a problem that predated my employment. My prior experience as a Special Education teacher equipped me with valuable insights into the challenges individuals with disabilities face when interacting with technology, including self-checkout kiosks.
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Recognizing a shared concern within the company, I collaborated with others from the AVID resource group to address accessibility shortcomings. This led to regular meetings with Daniel Bateson, a colleague who uses double canes, to review hardware designs and provide feedback on both the software and physical aspects of accessible self-checkout solutions.
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I actively engaged with the UX team, advising on design improvements, contributing to prototype mockups, and conducting accessibility assessments of the user interface based on Section 508 standards. These findings, presented in Figma, were initially not prioritized but gained renewed attention in 2023 due to inquiries from international retailers.
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The urgency to address accessibility increased significantly in 2024. This was driven by:
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Customer demand: International retailers, particularly in the UK and Australia, expressed concerns about accessibility in their partnership agreements.
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Legal and regulatory pressure: The approaching EAA June 2025 mandate and legal counsel's warnings about the risks of non-compliance heightened the need for action.
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Internal momentum: Growing internal awareness of accessibility issues and the potential for improved customer experience and market share further fueled the push for change.
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This confluence of factors ultimately led to a concerted effort to overhaul the self-checkout experience with a strong focus on accessibility.
Identifying the Issues with Self-Checkout
Reimaging the self-checkout experience
Keypad navigation with UNAV
Addressing accessibility for self-checkout began with integrating Storm's UNAV keypad navigation. While widely used by NCR Voyix's government clients, previous implementations had not always provided an optimal user experience.
The team conducted extensive research, both remotely and in-person, to optimize UNAV integration within the checkout flow. This included:
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General navigation: Evaluating the overall checkout flow for accessibility.
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Complex interactions: Examining specific use cases, such as item lookups, SKU entries, and edge cases.
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Landmark identification: Identifying key points within the checkout process to guide users effectively.
The research culminated in an improved user experience characterized by:
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5-key keypad with landmarks: Intuitive navigation using a simplified keypad with clear landmarks.
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Skip functionality: Enabling users to quickly bypass less critical steps.
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Dual-color outline: Enhancing visual clarity and ease of location identification.
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Flexibility: Supporting both on-screen and physical UNAV devices to accommodate varying user needs and preferences.
This approach aimed to create a seamless and efficient self-checkout experience for all users, including those with disabilities.
Audio Output
Once the keypad framework was established, the team focused on optimizing audio output across different platforms. This involved a comprehensive analysis of the information architecture and user flows, considering the needs of both visually impaired and sighted users.
Audio output was:
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Integrated into legacy products: Enabling interaction with physical UNAV devices.
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Optimized for new software: Supporting both on-screen and physical UNAV devices.
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Enhanced with automatic activation: Automatically initiating the audio experience when headphones are connected.
This multi-faceted approach aimed to provide a robust and inclusive audio experience for all users.
Text Resize
The UX team conducted a thorough review of the current UI text sizing to address discrepancies identified against Section 508 standards and established ATM accessibility guidelines.
I collaborated with the UX team, leveraging Figma plugins, to visualize text scaling at 200% and 400% across various screens. This analysis informed a scalable approach to text resizing, allowing for adjustments to specific elements while maintaining readability for headings and other display text.
Ongoing work with the UX and product teams explores innovative solutions for adaptive text sizing. This includes investigating the feasibility of:
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Personalized text settings: Enabling users to adjust text size via loyalty cards or in-app settings.
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Enhanced discoverability: Ensuring easy access to text size adjustment options for time-conscious shoppers.
Scanning and bagging
While we have addressed reach and touch issues through UNAV integration and optimized screen layouts, the hardware team has developed a range of customizable components to enhance kiosk accessibility. These include:
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Height adjustments: Allowing stores to configure kiosk heights to suit various user needs.
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Modular components: Offering easy-to-install options for larger bagging surfaces, wheelchair-accessible configurations, and integrated bagging sections.
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Support features: Providing support bars for users who require assistance while interacting with the kiosk.
Ongoing research and development with the hardware team are exploring further customization options to better accommodate individual user preferences and needs.
Continuing beyond compliance
What are the next steps for self-checkout to ensure a cohesive and accessible experience for all users?
Geolocations
Utilizing in-store geolocation capabilities to direct users to accessible self checkout machines.
Considerations for those that have complete vision loss, how do they know which machines are available, the layout of the scanner and bagging area etc
Personalization
Allowing users to utilize store loyalty cards to scan and personalize their self-checkout experience is the next step in innovation. This personalized interaction could potentially change text size, initiate audio output, or adjust the height of some self-checkout machines. It can also integrate with marketing to provide personalized adds to users based on their shopping history.