UX Design
Interaction Design
POS App
Designing a POS System for Bakery Order Management
Streamlining a bakery’s order taking, in-store service, and beyond - a specialized ordering system designed for bakery staff.
Role
UX Research & Interaction Design
Timeline
8 weeks
Client
Rose Family Bakery · Food & Retail POS
OVERVIEW
A modern point of sale, built for
the morning rush.
Rose Family Bakery is a beloved local artisan bakery specializing in handcrafted pastries, custom cakes, and fresh-baked breads. With a growing customer base and increasing demand for custom orders, the bakery needed a modern point-of-sale system to streamline order management, improve inventory tracking, and customer communication.
This project focused on creating an intuitive iPad-based POS experience that helps staff efficiently process orders during busy morning rushes while maintaining the warm, personal touch that defines the bakery's service philosophy.
1
User research & insights synthesis
2
Persona development & journey mapping
3
Information architecture & wireframing
4
High-fidelity design & usability testing
Design Process
Five stages, one focus: getting order details right.
01
Understand
Research & discovery
02
Define
Problem framing
03
Ideate
Concept exploration
04
Design
High-fidelity screens
05
Test
Usability validation
Problem Statement
Paper pads weren't built for custom cakes.
Bakery staff relied on paper order pads, handwritten notes, and disjointed spreadsheets to manage custom and daily orders. This fragmented approach led to lost order details, delayed service during peak morning hours, and increased cognitive load on employees.
1
Digitize the ordering process to eliminate missing or incorrect details
2
Create a flexible workflow that supports both quick daily orders and detailed custom requests
3
Ensure high visibility of delivery and pickup constraints
4
Reduce staff training time and cognitive load during busy hours
User Research
Understanding the habit before designing the fix.
• Users lose autonomy — they don’t trust AI systems they can’t override, no matter how accurate.
• Users lose autonomy — they don’t trust AI systems they can’t override, no matter how accurate.
• Users lose autonomy — they don’t trust AI systems they can’t override, no matter how accurate.
40%
make a bakery or coffee order at least once a week
65%
prefer a digital display over verbal-only ordering
80%
experienced missing details on a custom order before
To validate our initial assumptions and understand broader user behaviors, I distributed a survey to 20 participants who frequently visit local bakeries and coffee shops. The survey focused on their ordering habits, frustrations with current systems, and what features they value most when interacting with a food-ordering platform.
User Perspective
Meet Avery.
A
S
Avery works the counter during the morning rush, juggling walk-in orders, custom cake requests, and phone calls — often all at once. She needs a system that keeps up with her, not one she has to slow down for.
Avery
Bakery Counter Employee
Reduce back-and-forth with
customers
Feel confident handling custom
requests
GOALS
No easy way to see pickup vs.
delivery timing at a glance
Struggles to confirm custom cake
specs quickly
Frequently loses order details in
handwritten notes
PAIN POINTS
Take orders quickly without missing
details
Journey & Empathy
Where paper-based ordering breaks down.
A journey map across Awareness, Ordering, and Pickup/Delivery, paired with an empathy map of what staff say, think, do, and feel during the morning rush, surfaced where the paper-based process broke down most: capturing custom order details accurately under time pressure.
Awareness
Ordering
Pickup / Delivery
Staff need a clear view of items, custom requirements, and timing before each order begins.
The order flow must capture product details accurately while the counter stays fast and welcoming.
Pickup and delivery are distinct workflows that require the right details at the right moment.
Key Insight
The intervention needed to feel like a guided check-in, not a checkpoint — capturing detail without slowing staff down.
Key Insight
The intervention needed to feel like a guided check-in, not a checkpoint — capturing detail without slowing staff down.
Redesign
From structure to detail.
The wireframes moved from a bare-bones structural layout to a warmer, higher-fidelity design once the core flow was validated - adding the bakery's own color and type system without changing the underlying logic.
FINAL EXPERIENCE
A Streamlined Ordering Experience.
Guided Order Entry
A step-by-step interface guides staff through order creation, ensuring all necessary information is captured. The system prompts for item details, quantities, and customization options while reducing cognitive load.
IMPACT
Reduces reliance on memory
Minimizes mental load for staff
Product Customization & Selection
Reduces time spent locating items
Supports custom cake and cupcake orders
IMPACT
Delivery & Pickup Workflow
Clear decision points ensure the right information is captured based on order type. Pickup orders prompt for a ready time, while delivery orders request address and contact details.
IMPACT
Captures all necessary delivery/pickup details
Reduces customer follow-up calls
FUTURE CONCEPT
Designed for the first order — and ready for the next.
Enhanced Personalization
Subscription & Weekly Boxes
Social Sharing & Gifting
Suggest pastries based on previous purchase history
Subscribe to weekly curated bakery boxes
Send digital gift cards or treat boxes to friends
REFLECTION
Designing this experience was a journey in balancing digital efficiency with human warmth. Bakeries are inherently physical, sensory spaces — the challenge wasn’t just to make a functional tool but to craft an interface that felt as inviting and carefully made as the pastries themselves.
I learned the importance of iterative testing with real users. Simplicity in UX isn’t about stripping things down — it’s an act of empathy for the person under pressure at the counter.
Good service starts with
a system that keeps up.