No inventory sync
Physical and online stock did not match.
05 / ASALTA / 2 WEEKS
POS System UX Research.
Field research across six store formats showed why checkout was slow, and shaped a one-screen, offline-first POS.
UX ResearcherContextual inquiry, interviews, personas, competitive SWOTFigJam · Figma · Jira
The impact
−0%Cashier training time, with checkout steps cut from five to two.
The problem
A legacy POS took 4.2 minutes to check out, 10 days to learn and stalled without a network.
The solution
Five solution highlights: one-screen checkout, offline-first sync, integrated payments, a role-based dashboard and real-time inventory.
Research process · Asalta POS
- My role
- I defined the UX strategy with the PM from business KPIs, ran 12 contextual inquiries across 6 store formats, built personas, and delivered the competitive SWOT and feature priorities.
- The central decision
- Cut the transaction to what a cashier actually needs: one screen, works offline, pays any way.
- Project scope
- UX research for a modern, mobile-friendly POS, delivered in two weeks.
01 / Context
A legacy POS holding a retailer back.
Asalta needed a modern, mobile-friendly POS that works online and offline, integrates with backend systems and needs minimal cashier training.
What I owned
- UX strategy with the PM from business KPIs
- 12 contextual inquiries across 6 store formats
- Personas: cashier, floor manager, store owner
- Competitive SWOT and key-feature report
02 / Problem
A checkout that fought its cashiers.
The legacy system slowed every sale, took days to learn and stalled when the network dropped.
0 min
average checkout
0 days
to train a cashier
0
steps per transaction
Missing integrations
No UPI, wallets or loyalty systems.
Network fragility
Frequent connectivity issues, no offline mode.
Business goals
Reduce transaction time, raise cashier productivity, sync inventory across channels, improve retention.
User goals
Check out in under 2 minutes, minimal training, real-time stock visibility, easy loyalty and digital payments.
03 / Research
Listening in the store.
The research followed six stages, from understanding how a POS works to testing with real users.
0
contextual inquiries
0
store formats
0
interviews: 18 cashiers, 5 managers
0
competing POS systems benchmarked
I interviewed two kinds of user. Regular users, typically small vendors, wanted few features. Larger store operations expected extra capability to manage many data points. Open-ended questions for admins covered how they managed customer and product data, ran promotions and tracked reports. Questions for cashiers asked for a good or bad experience, and how they felt about the current system.
04 / Analysis
What the market and the floor told us.
Four pain points emerged from the field work, and a SWOT of three leading systems showed where each one is weak.
Too many screens
Five steps for one transaction.
Confusing icons
Icon-based navigation was hard to read.
No offline support
A problem in stores with poor connectivity.
Manual loyalty entry
Slow and error-prone at the counter.
Competitive SWOT
Square, Clover and Shopify POS, from user reviews and field observation.
| SquareBest for business on budget | CloverBest for integration | Shopify POSBest for retail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Easy to use, clean interface, real-time sales updates, customisable | Easy to use, reliable and eye-catching design, simple multi-location setup | Quick setup, user-friendly, minimal layout |
| Weakness | Hidden costs for add-on modules, hard to read sales summaries on the phone app | Outdated design, confusing app interface, difficult dashboard | Integration challenges, limited customisation, lenient staff permissions |
| Opportunity | Sign in with pre-saved data; awkward to flip the screen to ask for a tip | Improve stability, add shortcuts that streamline workflows | E-commerce first, POS an afterthought; no purchase-order function |
| Threat | Inflexible sales-report categories make drill-down hard | Aimed at restaurants, so many features do not fit retail | Any staff member can use another’s PIN; app stops until updated |
The original SWOT boards
01 / 0205 / Solution
One screen. Works offline.
The findings pointed to five solution highlights and measurable gains.
Ring up a sale
Taps to complete one transaction. Steps, not seconds.
Legacy POS · 5 steps
- 01Screen 1
- 02Screen 2
- 03Screen 3
- 04Screen 4
- 05Screen 5
Redesigned · 2 steps
- 01Screen 1
- 02Screen 2
Reported improvement
% change versus the legacy POS.
View as table
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Shorter cashier training | −50% |
| Stock-check accuracy | +40% |
- One-screen smart checkout
- Offline-first sync logic
- Integrated payments: UPI, wallets, gift cards
- Visual role-based dashboard
- Real-time inventory widget
06 / Impact
Faster to learn. Safer to use.
Checkout works through network loss and new cashiers get up to speed in half the time.
“The research helped me understand what a POS really has to do to deliver a good user experience.”
Reflection
07 / PROCESS
How it came together.
- 01
Strategy
UX strategy with the PM from business KPIs.
- 02
Observe
Contextual inquiries and time-on-task studies.
- 03
Interview
Cashiers, floor managers, store owners.
- 04
Analyse
Personas and competitive SWOT.
- 05
Recommend
Prioritised features.
Contact