this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
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If every self checkout was similar to others, but each of them want to make things different.
Different and worse. How do designers keep seeing other checkout system and think: "You know, I think I see a way that we could make this process slower and more complicated...."
Well for starters because their job title is designer. Gotta earn that $$$$.
If they just copy and pasted it would be "What are we paying you for"
See every single UI/UX change on a modern operating system, or website in the past 30 years.
Trust me it's not the designers choosing to do it this way. There's management above them saying "hey this other company makes them put in their phone numbers, it must be for SOMETHING, we should too"
I don't understand why the card reader and the screen are separate units, just combine them like those Square kiosk things that counter order places have.
Security is a big reason to never combine payment processing and user (the store) defined ui.
Could you clarify? Because I'm pretty sure that's not a thing.
stripe recommends it for card reader to smartphone at least, and it looks like home depot is an example of why it should be done between the card reader and the pos.
https://stripe.com/ie/resources/more/how-do-card-readers-work
https://listings.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/accepting_mobile_payments_with_a_smartphone_or_tablet.pdf
Because at the scale these stores work at. It's cheaper to have different units you can replace, repair and upgrade at different intervals as needed.
This is doubly true for the card payment terminals. The on screen options are all in different places, orders, and with random questions thrown in. What’s your phone number? Do you want to round up to donate a car to starving kittens? What’s your zip code? Debit or credit?
Also, because this system is apparently developed by a maniac: where I live (might be national and not state level, not sure) EBT cards have to be used on some terminals by swiping, not the chip that comes on the card. But to swipe, first you have to use the chip and let that fail. So if you see someone using an EBT card that looks like they have no fucking clue how to use a card, it’s probably that they’re actually using it the only way they can.
Absolutely insane design choice, especially for people who may already be facing delays like separating items into two separate transactions for non-covered items, having to remove items that seem like they should be covered but aren’t, etc.
why would a store need a zip code?
Sales metrics, I guess. Ikea always asks for it when you check out, and I remember having to ask people when I worked at a retail clothes store untold ages ago.