Guidance Screen for Self-Order Terminal Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

In self-order systems, customers often struggle to navigate multiple order screens for various articles, leading to increased inquiries and operational burdens for store clerks who are not familiar with the terminal's operation, resulting in inefficiencies and prolonged labor.

Innovation Solution

A POS system with a table terminal for customers and a handy terminal for clerks, where the handy terminal provides notification and guidance to the table terminal to display the correct order screen, reducing clerk involvement through a guided operation mode that highlights necessary selections, allowing customers to order efficiently.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple order screens are prepared for various articles, then the system can handle a large number of orderable articles, but it becomes difficult for customers to find the correct screen and increases clerk intervention

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to order various articlesVSAvoidease of finding order screen
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A guidance screen is introduced as an intermediary between the customer and the multiple order screens. The guidance screen displays icons representing different order screens and provides guidance information, acting as a mediator that helps customers navigate to the correct order screen without requiring them to understand the complex screen structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by automatically determining which order screen the customer intends to access based on detected operations, and pre-displaying guidance information for that screen before the customer actually navigates to it. This anticipatory approach reduces the time and effort customers need to spend searching

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If store clerks guide customers on terminal operation, then customers receive assistance, but clerks who are not familiar with the terminal cannot provide appropriate guidance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomer guidanceVSAvoidquality of guidance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service guidance where the terminal automatically provides guidance information to customers without requiring clerk intervention. The guidance screen displays step-by-step instructions and highlights operational targets, allowing customers to independently navigate the ordering process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The guidance screen serves as an intermediary that translates the complex terminal operations into simple, visual instructions for customers. It mediates between the system's multiple screens and the customer's limited understanding, providing reliable guidance independent of clerk knowledge

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If customers navigate multiple order screens independently, then clerk labor is reduced, but customers may spend excessive time searching for screens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveordering efficiencyVSAvoidtime to find order screen
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of customer operations and pre-displays the corresponding guidance screen before the customer actually needs to navigate to the order screen. This anticipatory display eliminates the time customers would otherwise spend searching and navigating through multiple screens

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors and detects customer operations in real-time, providing immediate feedback by updating the guidance screen to reflect the customer's current intent. This dynamic feedback mechanism ensures customers always see relevant guidance information without manual intervention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3594890B1Order system, order terminal, and information processing program
Publication Date: 2024.12.25 TOSHIBA TEC KK
  • EP3594890B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3594890B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3594890B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An order system according to an embodiment includes a first terminal operated by a store clerk and a second terminal operated by a customer. The first terminal includes a notifying section. The second terminal includes a determining section and a guiding section. The notifying section notifies an article designated by the store clerk to the second terminal. The determining section determines, based on the notification by the notifying section, the article designated by the store clerk. The guiding section performs a predetermined guiding operation for guiding the customer about operation for ordering, with the second terminal, the article determined by the determining section.