DBA Design Challenge 2002
 

Shop Sense / Kinneir Dufort, Appliance Studio

Shopping is an essential day-to-day activity that can pose real problems for people with limited mobility. 'What I want is an intelligent assistant who will help me make my choices' - noted one expert user who advised the design team. Kinneir Dufort and Appliance Studio have designed just that, in the form of a device like a virtual shopping basket and a radically redesigned retail environment to eliminate the pain of shopping but retain its pleasurable social aspects.
 

new layout

How Does it Work?

Shop Sense comprises two key elements - a new store layout and a user friendly 'intelligent' assistant that delivers information about available products and services in the format that suits each individual consumer. Trolleys, baskets and checkouts are eliminated in favour of a virtual shopping trolley which can be loaded or unloaded at will. This handheld device with its shaped, non-slip back allows wheelchair users to rest it on their lap as they browse. It has simple controls and a touch screen ridged to separate the displayed items. Visual or audio information about any product within range is delivered thanks to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Disc) tags on the item.

intelligent assistant

The supermarket environment has been divided into two retail areas radiating out from a central social hub. The pleasurable, sensory element of shopping takes place in the market hub. Here shoppers can browse and select fresh and speciality items, which are packaged and sent to their actual shopping basket in the warehouse. Shopping for ready-packaged goods is quick and more efficient since the shelf area in the display zone has been drastically reduced. A sample item is displayed on the five shelf unit with the product range of the top and bottom shelves duplicated for consumers of different heights.

Once the final selection has been made, the shopper docks their device on a table in the social hub, checks their list with or without call centre assistance, specifies delivery style and pays their bill. Any instore waiting time is also displayed.