Since some time Albert Heijn has introduced self-scanning of groceries. When you go into a store you can use your "bonuskaart" (customer card) to grab a scanner from a rack. Although I needed some time to get used to scanning my groceries while putting them in my cart, I like the whole concept. However there's a design flaw in the check out process which annoys me very much.
When checking out the order of things is:
- First put the scanner back in the rack - the system won't do anything until the scanner is replaced
- Then scan your bonuskaart
- And then the rest of the check out procedure follows.
Now look at the picture below, which is what the screen of the check-out-system looks like when you arrive at it.
Why-o-why is the instruction for the PRIMARY and MANDATORY user action - putting the scanner back - so poorly visible???
I mean, first there is a big image and huge dark blue text line explaining the SECOND instruction. And then all the way at the bottom of the screen is a small light blue hard-to-read text line which is actually the most important instruction. In fact it is the ONLY instruction needed at that point. The rest could be displayed only when a scanner is placed in the rack.
To make things worse, there is an auditory instruction every 10 seconds or so saying to "scan your bonuskaart".
Come on Albert Heijn, you can do better than this.
