Credit Card Terminal

Speculative redesign
  • Issue
  • Approach
  • Solution
  • Outcome

A credit card terminal at Whole Foods had jarring, confusing messaging. It caused me to withdraw my card too quickly, and the cashier told me others had the same issue.

I began by photographing the existing terminal. I scratched out some notes about what was missing, and what an ideal experience might look like. And then I opened Figma and got to work.

  • By informing users in non-technical terms what is taking place, I felt my new design removed some confusion
  • The addition of a status bar satisfies Nielsen’s first heuristic of interface design – Visibility of System Status
  • I used a lighter touch to reinforce the need to leave the card in the machine
  • A final message, friendly message adds a human touch and reassures users that things are moving along

Speculative users found the updated experience clearer, reducing the chances of premature card removal,  and speeding up checkout times!

Overview

This credit card terminal at Whole Foods used confusing messaging. I decided to improve it.