As a personal project during one of my Co-Op semesters at Crown Equipment, I and Industrial Design colleague Noah Pitzer designed the SmartCart Module.

Problem Space

Changing aisle layouts, different stores, and variable grocery lists often get in the way of a quick and easy grocery run. Customers are left confused, lost, and forgetting to buy the one thing they actually came in for.

(We’ve all been there.)

Design Solution:

The SmartCart is a design solution that works for both the customer and the company.

Because customers value efficiency, the cart easily navigates customers through the store in the fastest route for their specific grocery list, ensuring they don’t forget anything they came in for.
Because customers prioritize savings, the cart’s sensor and camera array allow customers to have a running total of everything in their cart at all times (including sales tax!), and its location-based services will recommend coupons based on the user’s in-store location.
To add efficiency for both the store and the customer, the cart also allows customers to skip long grocery lines by simply pressing a button to check out with all the items in their cart, then walking out of the store.
The cart’s small, lightweight design makes maintenance and repairs easy, and means that companies don’t have to replace their entire fleet of carts with expensive electronic units.

How it works:

1.

Customers build their list using their grocery store’s app.

2.

Customers log into the SmartCart module with their app login. The SmartCart automatically imports the customer’s list, coupons, and past shopping history.

3.

The SmartCart creates a path for the user to follow around the store to ensure they don’t forget a single item on their list, while also maximizing the most efficient trip.

4.

When customers are ready to check out, they can skip the line with a simple push of a button, and easily return the SmartCart to its charging pad.

Process

User Survey & Insights:

To begin gathering data, I ran an initial survey of nearly 70 grocery store customers using Microsoft Forms.

The most highly requested features were a running total of items in the user’s car, in-store navigation, and in-cart items, respectively.
50% of respondents wanted to sort their list by department, but 46% wanted to sort the list by the shortest route through the store.
Over half of the respondents reported making a list before they go to the store. 12% said they just picked up items as they went.

Moodboard

When creating for the SmartCart brand, I wanted users to feel comfortable and at ease. Therefore, I prioritized calming colors, and tried to draw on design elements customers would already be familiar with.

Sketching, Low Fidelity Wireframes

Interface must include (in order of priority):

Map / Navigation system
Running total of items
Grocery list (or lists?)
Items in cart
Coupons and other account bonuses
Search function

User Testing & Prototype Revisions

Card Sorting
One-on-One User Testing
Analytics and Click Tracking

User Testing Results:

Users rated the interface an average of 5/7 on ease of use.
Users spent an average of 34.9 seconds on each task.
Users found direct instructions most helpful, and found incentives, such as promotional coupons, to be very useful.

User Feedback:

“I could definitely see using this to make my kroger trips faster, especially if it saves me money! I especially liked to see the feature that promotes coupons in the store, I wish I had that right now lol”

“I like to try new things and have gotten accustomed to using the self check-out option and I like it. I would be agreeable to a shopping experience that I control from beginning to end.”