A Customer Facing Device for Slurpee Fans

My first large end to end project at 7-Eleven was designing the in-store customer facing devices (CFDs). I was approached with the problem that 7-Eleven Quick Service Restaurants (7QSR), Laredo Taco Company and Roost, did not have anything facing the customer during checkout. This lead to customer confusion and often led to long checkout lines. Instead of just taking the current CFD designs that were on the store side and implementing them in the 7QSR side, I wanted to revamp the system using the latest design system. These designs could then be used across the different lines of business to keep a cohesive experience not just across stores, but across devices as well.

The best way to find out where to go is to really figure out where you are. I took the time to go into a Laredo Taco Company store at a 7-Eleven location and not only watch, but partake in the checkout process. The current method was clunky with the store associates spinning around the checkout monitor. They often skipped steps, for example not asking the customer for their 7Rewards account to speed up the process. There was also no way to keep track of price as your items were rung up or discounts were applied. Overall, it was a very frustrating experience for both the customer and the store associate.

To continue my research, I also went in-store to a local 7-Eleven to check out their current checkout process on a CFD. Although it was not quite as unpleasant as the experience at Laredo Taco Company, it was still outdated and could use a more eye catching revamp. After my trips into the field were complete, I met with the product manager of the current 7-Eleven CFD to learn more about all the possible flows and scenarios they had planned for. I learned a lot from being able to test the scenarios which helped my project manager and I begin writing out possible user flows.

My first approach was a much more targeted one. (Above is just one of many, many sketching flows.) I took inspiration from the layout that currently lived on the existing store side CFD: items on the left and rewards on the right. When I jumped from low fidelity to high fidelity, I threw in as much Laredo Taco Company branding as I could. My goal was to have the customer feel fully immersed in the branding, that there was no doubt where they were. However as I went back and reflected, I realized that first of all I really didn't take much notice of the actual rewards side. My focus was fully on the items side. More concerned with how my items would ring up, I barely glossed over what was on the right side. If it was off to the side of the screen it surely was not important, right? Then the Laredo Taco branding against the 7Rewards was a little overwhelming. Was I at a Laredo Taco Company or a 7-Eleven? As I reflected back on the current store side CFD I realized, that one was not even up to the current design system. It was time to start fresh, think outside the box and create a cohesive experience across the 7-Eleven brand.

The second round of iterations came out a lot cleaner. Bringing in the up-to-date 7-Eleven design system made these screens feel modern and sleek, truly 7-Eleven. Bringing in the 7Rewards as the main element on this page gave the user more of a prompt to do something, making it reactionary to begin typing in their phone number. Once that was typed in, the user would be prompted to redeem points and use rewards. On the right they could see their items as they were rung up and even see in live time as the discounts were added and points redeemed to bring down their total. When presented to stakeholders, these screens were met with overwhelming positive feedback. Everyone was ecstatic for such a polished experience to be presented to our customers. The next steps were to work with product to break down all the possible user flows needed and make sure all scenarios were accounted for.

Over 30 flows were tracked and accounted for. This included different types of stores and registers, whether the user was already an existing 7Rewards member or not, whether the user chose to sign up, incorrect phone numbers, cash or card payment, applied discounts and more. Breaking down not only what different scenarios could happen on the left side with 7Rewards but also the cart on the right hand side. Throughout this project, I worked side by side with product managers and developers to come up with solutions to every problem that might arise and make sure everything was technically feasible. This also included not only the CFD but working with the register (POS) facing the store associate as well.

My designs for the CFD are now live in stores across the country! I am over the moon to be able to make a daily impact in the lives of our customers and store associates. After six months working side by side with the 7QSR team, it was a joy to collaborate and discover new insights about our customers. We created a new, delightful experience that will be used every day taco and slurpee lovers alike. Interested in what it looks like in action? Check out the video below that I took during in-progress testing. Want to check it out yourself? Drive on over to your nearest Laredo Taco Company or Roost!