Shopic
2020 - 2023
UX Lead Designer - User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, AI Integration, Interaction Design, Usability Testing
Revolutionizing the Supermarket Experience
Overview
Shopic is a game changer that brings online shopping to physical supermarkets. As the lead UX designer since day one I was tasked to design a seamless shopping experience powered by AI and smart tech. Our platform uses smart carts with sensors and cameras to enable a checkout free experience and provide grocers with actionable data insights.
The main goal was to increase user engagement, reduce in-store friction and optimize store management through real-time analytics. This case study covers my research, wireframes, product design and overall UX work for the Shopic platform.
The Problem
Grocery shopping has many pain points:
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Long queues frustrate customers especially during peak hours.
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Supermarkets are under pressure to reduce operational costs while still delivering a great experience.
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Valuable customer data is underutilized and opportunities for store optimization and personalized customer interaction are missed.
We wanted to create a seamless and engaging experience for the user and give store managers transparency to make better decisions.
The Solution
We developed a smart cart e-commerce app that eliminates the need for traditional cash registers. By using sensors, cameras and AI powered detection the cart tracks items in real time as they are added. Customers scan their items with their smartphones, pay automatically upon leaving the store and skip the queues altogether.
Design Process
1. User Research & Personas
Since the user base was from tech-savvy millennials to elderly shoppers I conducted extensive user research to identify pain points and create personas for different types of customers. This allowed us to build a product that would cater to users with different tech comfort levels.
We also gathered feedback from supermarket managers who provided us with valuable insights on how our system could improve store operations.
2. Onboarding & Initial Setup
One of our biggest challenges was to minimize friction in the onboarding process especially for users with different tech familiarity. With a wide age range and diverse user base the design had to be intuitive yet comprehensive, deliver essential information without overwhelming the user.
To solve this I created a step by step guided onboarding flow so users could easily understand the core features. I used minimalistic visual cues and progressive disclosure to make complex technology approachable, reduce cognitive load and increase user confidence. This simplified the learning curve so everyone could adopt it smoothly.
Onboarding experience at the entry station
Onboarding experience on the smart cart
Onboarding explain the first time the user used the smart cart
3. Smart Cart Interface Design
The smart cart itself became part of the user experience. The cart screen showed real-time product information, pricing and promotions.
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I designed the interface to be clean and non-intrusive so customers could see the total cost and ongoing discounts without feeling overwhelmed.
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Visual feedback when adding or removing products from the cart to keep the customer informed and reduce errors.
4. Promotions & Discounts
A key UX challenge was presenting promotions and discounts without introducing visual clutter to the interface. The goal was to enrich the shopping experience by showing relevant offers without overwhelming or distracting the users.
My solutions include:
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integrates promotions seamlessly into the shopping journey - such as tags on the items or a small row underneath, indicating the discount amount—so users feel informed and rewarded without disrupting their flow.
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Displaying promotion details clearly on the screen with detailed text when an item is scanned.
5. Handling Produce & System Errors
A key challenge was guiding users through situations where items needed to be weighed or when scanning errors occurred.
Solutions included:
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Creating a centralized hub that tracked unweighed items in the cart, with a notification at the top of the screen showing how many items needed weighing before checkout. Users could tap this alert to see item photos and animations guiding them on which items to weigh.
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Implementing a fault management flow to notify users of scanning errors and prompt them to manually add or rescan items, minimizing frustration and maintaining shopping flow.
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Adding an accessible help button for users to call an assistant anytime, enhancing support and reassurance.
The Outcome
By user centric design and technology we achieved a new grocery shopping experience. Here’s what we got:
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30% reduction in checkout time: No more queuing for customers.
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Higher user engagement: The smart cart’s interactive features and simplicity encouraged customers to engage more with promotions and personalized offers.
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Operational efficiency: Supermarkets saw 15% reduction in labor costs as traditional checkout counters became less relevant. Also the platform provided store managers with real time data on shopping habits, inventory trends and customer preferences so they could manage inventory and marketing better.
Summary
Designing the Shopic Smart Cart UX was a fun challenge that involved cutting edge technology, AI and user centered approach to solve real world problems. From onboarding to in store interactions the goal was to make the shopping experience smooth and enjoyable and also benefit store managers with valuable data insights.
The project shows my ability to balance complex AI technology with simple design. I’m looking forward to bring this experience to new projects where I can continue to push the boundaries of UX design, especially in SaaS and retail.
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