A network of pharmacies is creating a self-service terminal (SST) for visitors. The main business goal is to minimize the workload of the staff (pharmacists) and speed up the dispensing of prescriptions using the government's e-prescription initiative. The terminal offers additional consumer features, such as doctor consultations, quick prescription fulfillment, and ordering and payment without waiting in line. Together with the team, we created the terminal interface, tested it in a natural environment, and launched several pilot versions in city pharmacies.
The goal is to popularize the self-service terminal among pharmacy visitors through a successful user experience and reduce pharmacists' workload.
<aside> 👨‍💻 As a UX designer, I explore the user experience of pharmacy customers and design the interface prototype for the self-service terminal. As the lead designer, I mentor the UI designer and help create the final interface. I also communicate with stakeholders to understand the task, estimate the project, build timelines, manage deadlines, and present solutions.
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Self-service terminals aren’t new, but our team had no experience designing interfaces for such large touch screens. We started by reviewing popular self-service terminals. Users are familiar with self-service at supermarkets, gas stations, and fast food places. We aimed to reuse familiar patterns for our users. We noted what we thought was done well and what we didn’t want in our solution.
We found out that, like gas stations, the main flow should focus on purchasing fuel (in our case, medications). All other functions are secondary, even those we consider very interesting and useful. The product catalog should be similar to e-commerce since it’s familiar. We also liked the push-and-pull prompts between different interface steps, cross-sell elements, and the animation indicating where to find the shopping cart.
I didn’t have time for extensive research, so I surveyed friends and family of different ages and genders to get high-level feedback on their experiences with SSTs at gas stations and supermarkets. We highlighted the results using a “4 Forces” diagram.
We found out that our consumer is a relatively young person, familiar with modern technology. Someone in a hurry and possibly a bit introverted. SST is unlikely to suit elderly people who enjoy socializing at the pharmacy. It also won’t fit those who trust human interaction more or have had a painful experience with SSTs ("I press it like an idiot").
I used the Jobs-To-Be-Done methodology for a workshop so all team members, stakeholders, and the technical department could discuss their vision for the service we were developing. The detailed Job Story description remained as an artifact of our shared understanding.