Conversational POS Menu Layout for Faster Hierarchical Ordering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing point-of-sale systems face challenges in efficiently displaying and navigating hierarchical restaurant menus, particularly when patrons order in a conversational style, leading to delays and inefficiencies due to the need for multiple screen navigations and inability to adapt to different menu hierarchies and ordering preferences.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for displaying digital menus on a point-of-sale device that allows for a single virtual page with scrolling mechanisms, dynamically adapting to conversational ordering styles, and utilizing processors to analyze historical orders to prioritize and preselect most ordered items for rapid ordering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hierarchical menu structure is displayed on a point-of-sale terminal with multiple pages, then the menu content is organized systematically, but the ordering process requires multiple screen navigations which increases time and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The menu is segmented into multiple selectable tiers (e.g., appetizers, entrees, desserts, beverages) that can be independently chosen and displayed simultaneously on a single page, eliminating the need to navigate through hierarchical pages while maintaining systematic organization
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional single-dimensional hierarchical navigation (page-by-page) is transformed into a multi-dimensional grid layout where multiple menu tiers are arranged in columns and rows, allowing patrons to access any menu item across different tiers without sequential navigation
2Device complexity
If a fixed hierarchical menu layout is used, then the display structure is simple and consistent, but it cannot adapt to different menu hierarchies and conversational ordering styles
Solution Approach 1:
The menu display transitions from a static hierarchical structure to a dynamic grid layout that can be reconfigured based on the selected menu tier, allowing the system to adapt to different menu hierarchies and conversational ordering styles while maintaining a consistent visual interface
Solution Approach 2:
The grid display system serves multiple functions: it can display any combination of menu tiers simultaneously, adapt to different menu structures, and support various ordering styles including conversational ordering, making it universally applicable to different restaurant menus and ordering scenarios
3Quantity of substance
If multiple display pages are required for menu items and modifiers, then all menu options can be presented, but the ordering process becomes slower and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple menu tiers that would traditionally require separate pages are merged into a single display page, with each tier represented as a column or row in the grid layout, allowing patrons to view and select items from different menu categories simultaneously without page transitions
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-loads and displays multiple menu tiers simultaneously in the grid layout, so that when a patron selects a menu tier, the corresponding items and modifiers are already visible and ready for selection, eliminating the need for sequential page loading and navigation
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for displaying a digital menu on a point-of-sale device, the method including: on a touchscreen display, displaying selectable icons as a single virtual page, where: the selectable icons correspond to menu tier elements in menu tiers according to a menu tier hierarchy; and the touchscreen display includes scrolling mechanisms to display one or more of the selectable icons that are not initially visible on the single virtual page; selecting one of the selectable icons in a menu tier for an order, where the menu tier is not a highest-level tier in the menu tier hierarchy; and responsive to selection of the one of the selectable icons, modifying the single virtual page by replacing one or more of the selectable icons in higher-level and lower-level menu tiers relative to the menu tier with new replacement icons that correspond to the one of the selectable icons in the menu tier hierarchy.