The Home Depot · Store Systems · Self-checkout
Self-checkout at store scale
Home Depot needed any register to run in self-service mode and to retire legacy FUJI self-checkout software. This was a multi-million-dollar program with incremental funding. The experience had to work on the floor under peak traffic.
The problem
Self-checkout fails when it is slow, confusing, or unable to handle a home-improvement basket. Replacing an entrenched vendor platform meant the experience had to survive hardware constraints, associate override, and a rollout measured in stores.
Role
UX consultant and later design leadership on the program: research, interaction design, and iteration inside Store Systems, in a 200+ UX organization, with engineering and operations.
Strategy
- Design exception paths — overrides, help, and associate intervention — with the same care as the happy path.
- Replace the FUJI platform with a coherent application, not a visual skin.
- Support incremental funding with evidence from store use.
Outcome
The replacement self-checkout application shipped and is in use in stores nationwide.