ImPOS

The Challenge

To create a Point of Sale (POS) application that caters specifically to the needs of cafes and bistros. The goal was to develop an intuitive and user-friendly interface that can be quickly learned and easily set up by cafe owners, managers and staff. The application needed to offer customised functionality, ensuring that it addresses the unique requirements of cafes and bistros. The challenge was to strike a balance between simplicity and the ability to provide tailored features, ultimately creating a POS solution that enhances efficiency and productivity for businesses in the food and beverage industry.

Discover

To assess the market and identify which features to test, I conducted a competitor analysis. My research included examining companies such as Square, Quickbooks, and Revel.

Stakeholder interviews helped me gain insights into the needs, expectations, and perspectives of key stakeholders involved in the project, including the CEO, sales, marketing, customer support and project management.

To understand the needs and pain points of small cafes and bistro owners, extensive user research was conducted. This involved interviews, surveys, and on-site observations.

Key findings from the research phase included:

• Small cafe and bistro owners value affordability and ease of use in a POS software solution.

• They require functionality tailored to their specific business operations, such as order management, table tracking, menu customisation, and reporting capabilities.

• The ease of setup and learning curve are important for adoption. It is crucial that the system can be acquired and set up on the same day.

• 3rd party hardware integration are vital for receipts and EFTpos machines

Define

Workshops were conducted to analyse and group themes derived from the key findings of the research phase. "How Might We" statements were used to identify concepts moving forward.

“How might we develop a POS system that is easy to set up, allowing café owners to download the app and start using it immediately?”

The following design principles were established:

• Streamlined Setup: Simplify the onboarding process by providing step-by-step guidance and intuitive setup procedures, allowing small business owners to start using the POS software quickly.

• User-Centric Interface: Design an intuitive and visually appealing interface that reflects the unique needs of small cafes and bistros, providing easy access to essential features while minimising complexity.

• Customisable Functionality: Offer flexible customisation options, allowing businesses to tailor the software to their specific requirements, such as menu items, pricing, and table layouts.

• Efficient Order Management: Implement a user-friendly order management system, enabling seamless order taking, modifications, and tracking, improving operational efficiency.

• Reporting and Analytics: Provide comprehensive reporting and analytics features, allowing owners to gain insights into sales, inventory, and customer behaviour to make informed business decisions.

Design

In order to concentrate on the minimal viable product fit to go to market the senior UX designer and I used the MosCoW method to prioritise key features.

Based on the research findings and design concepts, an MVP of the cloud-based POS software was designed into interactive prototypes. The focus was on core functionalities essential for small cafes and bistros, such as order management, menu customization, table tracking, and basic reporting capabilities.

The design went through iterative testing and feedback cycles, leading to refinements and enhancements to improve usability and meet the specific needs of the target users.

Deliver

We underwent testing and refinement after release in order to iterate and improve the system based on user feedback.