Retail UX Kiosk Design Heuristic Evaluation User Testing

Safeway

Co-led a human-centered redesign of Safeway's self-checkout kiosk, using heuristic evaluations and user testing to simplify navigation, enhance discount clarity, and improve overall user satisfaction.

Role UX Researcher & Designer

Method Heuristic Evaluation + User Testing

Platform Touchscreen Kiosk

Context Retail / Physical-Digital

Outcomes

~40% faster checkout · Reduced confusion & errors · Improved discount clarity

~40% faster checkout time across 3 user types in usability testing

10 Nielsen heuristics applied as the evaluation framework

3 user types tested: frequent, occasional, and first-time shoppers

4 usability testing tasks: membership, produce, offers, and checkout

Overview

When the machine is slower than the human

Safeway self-checkout kiosks allow customers to scan, bag, and pay for their groceries without assistance from a cashier. While these kiosks aim to streamline the checkout process, users often face challenges such as scanning errors, unclear payment steps, and usability issues that lead to frustration and delays.

The goal of this redesign was to enhance the self-checkout experience by addressing these pain points, improving efficiency, and making the interface more intuitive for users of all backgrounds.

Headquarters

California, USA

Founded

1915

Industry

Retail

Revenue

$80.4 billion (2024)

Company Size

325,000+

Platform

Touchscreen Kiosk

Challenge

Three main problems we aimed to solve

Confusing Search

The search requires exact product names — searching "russet" doesn't yield "Potato Russet." Three different search options on the home screen create visual clutter and confusion about which one to use.

Unclear Discounts

Users must scan barcode tags or manually add discounts through the app — not intuitive. On the final bill, discounted and voided items appear visually similar, making it hard to confirm savings.

Inconsistent Design

Each screen varies in layout, creating a disjointed experience. The interface doesn't reflect Safeway's brand elements like its signature red color, weakening brand recognition at the kiosk.

Current Safeway kiosk home screen with cluttered search options

Current home screen — three search options creating visual clutter

Search flow — rigid exact-match requirement

Search requires exact product names

Discount and voided items appearing visually similar on final bill

Discounted vs. voided items — hard to tell apart

Research

Usability testing data

We ran moderated usability tests with three user types, observing task duration, hesitations, facial expressions, and screen-recording interactions.

Add Membership

Adding club card / membership details to the kiosk session.

Add Produce

Adding 7 green bell peppers to cart using search.

Clip an Offer

Adding a bread item with a discount offer to cart.

Checkout & Pay

Completing checkout and selecting payment method.

Major Participant Feedback

Participant 1

Preferred clipping the offer on screen — often forgets to clip in the app
Could immediately notice where to enter membership details
Liked the countdown animation for lane availability

Participant 2

Clipping offers is very easily visible in the new flow
Checkout process is more linear for offers
Likes transparency of item discounts throughout the process
Phone number placement is clearer than current kiosk

Participant 3: Felt the "Add Membership" button could mislead first-time users into thinking they're creating a new membership. Suggested renaming to "Enter."

Research Methods Applied

Heuristic Evaluation

Analysed usability using Nielsen's 10 heuristics. Each issue rated on a 0–4 severity scale to prioritize key pain points.

Cognitive Task Analysis

Observed decision points, perceptual cues, prior knowledge expected, and situational awareness demands at each step.

User Personas

Built 3 persona types from research: frequent shopper, occasional visitor, and first-time kiosk user — each with distinct needs.

User Personas — frequent shopper, occasional visitor, first-time user

User Journey Map

End-to-end user journey map

Solutions

Solutions and wireframes

1. Smart Search & Visual Guidance

A subtle side animation helps users understand how to scan items, while the familiar search bar offers an alternative for those without barcodes. Search results offer related items and extra details to guide selection with ease.

Redesigned smart search with related items

Smart search — related items and visual cues

2. Clearer Membership Audio & UI

New users found the audio message about adding a club card unclear and confusing. We redesigned the membership prompt with clearer language, visual confirmation, and a distinct state change when details are added.

Membership entry — clear prompt

Membership confirmed — visual feedback

3. Clear & Easy Discount Visibility

Discounts are now displayed directly on the kiosk during checkout with distinct visual styling for savings — making them easy to differentiate from other offers and helping users feel confident about what they're saving.

Redesigned discount visibility on checkout screen

Discounts now clearly visible during checkout

Payment Flow

Payment method selection

Payment confirmation

Insert card prompt

PIN entry

Results

Success of Redesign

Usability testing with three user types showed about a 40% faster checkout time. Although the environment differed from actual Safeway checkout areas, users adapted quickly to the new UI, flow, and interactions, reducing confusion and errors.

"With our new visual branding and language in place, the new Safeway brand clearly captures the essence of Safeway's current and target customer base, our employees, and our values."

— Heather Lum, Methods & Tools Human System Engineering, Professor, Arizona State University

Reflection

Retail UX is high-stakes, time-pressured design

Error Prevention Beats Recovery

The biggest kiosk frustrations were preventable. Clear affordances, better feedback, and pre-emptive guidance reduced errors before they happened.

Heuristics Are a Starting Point

The heuristic evaluation surfaced problems efficiently, but contextual observation revealed the real pain: time pressure, embarrassment, and anxiety about holding up the line.

Physical Context Changes Everything

Designing for a kiosk means accounting for ambient noise, glare, social pressure from queues, and physical fatigue. Standard screen assumptions don't transfer cleanly.

Conclusion

The Safeway Kiosk redesign successfully addressed usability issues, resulting in a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.

The improved UX/UI design led to increased user adoption, engagement, and satisfaction — demonstrating the value of principled heuristic methodology applied to real-world retail environments.

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