Speculative Redesign for the Credit Card Terminal at Whole Foods
Situation: The credit card terminal at the Whole Foods Market where I occasionally shop is confusing!
- The random exclamation point causes confusion and leads to premature card removals.
- It doesn’t provide any additional information, such as what is happening or how long it will take.
I think it needs a redesign.
Research:
- I was confused by it.
- The cashier told me others are confused by it as well.
Existing Terminal
Redesign
Thinking:
- I thought it was important to provide useful info from the get go.
- I also wanted to convey that it was important not to remove the card yet.
- I also wanted to give some kind of idea how long the process would take.
- And I wanted to add some type of personal touch that connected with the user in some way.
Solution:
- By stating in the first line what is taking place, I think it’s already more informative.
- Just giving that information indicates that the card shouldn’t be removed.
- An additional line reinforces that the card shouldn’t be removed.
- The progress bar probably isn’t super accurate in this circumstance, but it’s more engaging and ensuring than a spinning wheel (or nothing at all).
- I think the final message offers a human touch that might help a user relax some if they’re in a hurry.