Sonic Drive-In
I interned with Intelligent Transactions in Roswell, GA, in the role of UX/UI designer. While there, I had the privilege of working on the Sonic Drive-in account. My work there consisted of UX research and UI design for Sonic’s new point-of-sale (POS) system.
The first steps of my user-centered design process was to conduct research on the POS system Sonic used. I facilitated interviews with stakeholders onsite at several Sonic locations in Georgia and Oklahoma which included franchise owners, restaurant managers, employees and customers. In these interviews, I gathered data that was aggregated in to design needs which included both advantages and disadvantages of the POS system they had been using.
“We are committed to sharing the traditional foods we grew up with as kids.”
The list of design needs served as a checklist for my wireframes. I was able to justify each design choice with evidence from the user feedback obtained in the research.
The Challenge
While testing these interfaces with the stakeholders and employees, I found that one of the primary challenges the design needed to overcome was time. It is imperative in restaurant service, particularly fast-food, that employees are able to complete tasks as quickly as possible in order to meet stakeholder goals. This challenge prompted more iterations that aimed at decreasing the number of clicks and screen transitions needed to complete main tasks.
Achievement
Employees and stakeholders felt that the redesign was more efficient and user-friendly. Many noted that the redesign was more intuitive and tasks were easier to complete because buttons were easier to find. During my internship, I was able to mock up user flows for the following processes:
Clock Control
Order Entry
Financial Adjustments
Fiscal Segments