Imagr's technology is an ambitious retail shopping solution aiming to turn any supermarket into an automated, no-queue, one-click checkout experience. Using advanced camera imaging inside the cart, IA and machine learning, Imagr's SmartCart detects every product added or removed from the trolley and keeps its companion mobile app synced with a digital cart list. The technology is world-class, but their app’s user experience was lacking. They engaged me to lead a ground-up UX design process to deliver the top-notch mobile app experience their tech deserves.

Some challenges we faced included: How do we make using complex and unfamiliar new technology feel friendly and intuitive? How might we teach people to use this new experience in a delightful way? How can we make fallbacks and failure states as seamless and enjoyable as the happy path? How might we leverage new mobile technology to make traditional user pain points quicker and easier?

With user flow diagrams and low-fi prototypes we outlined a user experience that made a complex process feel simple. I advocated use of the latest technology to give the app experience the same magical quality that the hardware and software create. NFC tags instead of QR codes for tap and go phone+cart pairing, passwordless sign up and login with SMS codes instead of emails for authentication, and credit card scanning to replace payment info data entry.

The result is an experience that’s not overly demanding on first-time shoppers and nearly effortless for repeat users.

Visuals played an important role in the app’s need to educate. We decided on illustrations over live-action videos for this purpose, but were challenged by the constraints of a cart form-factor that was due to change. We had to keep depictions abstract yet highly informative, and also work for a multi-lingual environment. I supplied art direction to the very talented Latham Arnott who created a series of illustrations and animations that introduce people to the SmartCart concepts and guide them along the way.