Storyboarding Voice-Enabled POS in Action
Voice enabled interaction
👩💼 Persona
Name: Maria Lopez
Role: Retail Cashier
Location: Madrid, Spain
Context: Works in a busy electronics store — handles long queues, multitasks between scanning, bagging, and customer interaction.
🎞️ Scene 1 — The Rush Hour Challenge
Setting: 6 PM, peak shopping hours.
Pain Point: Maria struggles to scan items while keeping up with customer questions. The touchscreen POS demands both hands, slowing her workflow.
Dialogue (internal thought):
“I wish I could just tell the POS what to do while I’m packing…”
UX Insight: Hands-free input could reduce friction in multitasking environments.
🎞️ Scene 2 — Activating Voice Mode
Action: Maria taps the 🎙️ microphone icon on her POS screen.
System Feedback: A soft chime plays and a blue glow surrounds the mic icon.
UI Cue: “Listening…” appears at the top.
Voice Command:
“Add item 2456 — apply 10 percent discount.”
System Response:
✅ POS confirms aloud: “Item added. Ten percent discount applied.”
The screen highlights the updated cart in green.
UX Impact: Quick, error-free command input; Maria keeps her eyes on the customer.
🎞️ Scene 3 — Accessibility in Motion
Scenario: A coworker, Daniel, who has limited mobility, also uses the same POS.
He enables Voice Mode (Always On) and performs all operations hands-free.
Voice Command:
“Print receipt and close order.”
System Response:
🖨️ Prints automatically.
💬 “Order closed successfully.”
UX Impact: Accessibility improves independence and speed for staff with physical challenges.
🎞️ Scene 4 — Error Handling & Feedback
Situation: Maria says, “Apply discount to headphones,” but the POS doesn’t recognize the item.
System Response:
🔴 Voice feedback: “Item not found. Try saying item number.”
💡 Visual cue: Headphones entry flashes red.
Voice Retry:
“Apply discount item 2456.”
System Response: ✅ Success tone plays.
UX Principle:
Consistent audio + visual feedback minimizes confusion and builds user trust.
🎞️ Scene 5 — End of Shift
Action: Maria issues a final command:
“Show today’s sales report.”
System Response:
📊 Displays daily summary with voice confirmation:
“Total sales €4,350 — 127 transactions.”
Maria’s Thought:
“It’s so much faster — I didn’t have to touch the screen all day!”
🗺️ Journey Map: Voice Interaction Experience
| Stage | Task | User Emotion | Touchpoint | Pain Points | Design Solution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | Learns about new voice feature | 🤔 Curious | POS onboarding screen | Fear of tech complexity | Added demo mode with live voice tutorial |
| Activate | Turns on voice mode | 😊 Empowered | Mic icon on POS dashboard | Unsure of commands | Short command guide (“Try saying ‘Add Item 2456’”) |
| Interact | Adds, discounts, closes orders | ⚡ Focused | Voice + screen feedback | Background noise | Added adaptive sensitivity + retry prompts |
| Validate | Reviews transaction summary | 😌 Confident | Voice + audio summary | Lack of confirmation tone | Added sound + highlight feedback |
| Reflect | End of shift | ❤️ Satisfied | Reports screen | None | Quick voice report summary (“Today’s sales total…”) |
🧩 Interaction Flow Summary
[User Action] → [System Listening] → [Command Recognition] → [Action Execution] → [Audio/Visual Feedback] → [Next Intent Suggestion]
Example:
- User: “Add Item 2456”
- System: “Item added. Would you like to apply discount?”
- User: “Yes, 10 percent”
- System: “Discount applied. Total updated.”
🧠 Key Takeaways
- Storyboarding revealed real-world context gaps that traditional POS testing missed.
- The dual feedback loop (audio + visual) ensured accessibility compliance and user trust.
- The journey map helped align design and engineering teams on state transitions for voice interactions.
🎨 Visual Asset Suggestions (for Figma)
| Frame | Description | Visual Style |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria struggling during rush hour | Desaturated, high crowd density |
| 2 | Mic activation moment | Highlight glow, bright blue |
| 3 | Successful voice command | Green confirmation glow |
| 4 | Error + retry state | Red flash, subtle animation |
| 5 | End-of-day voice report | Calm neutral tones, summary overlay |
✨ Conclusion
The voice journey transformed everyday POS usage from a manual, high-friction process to an inclusive, intelligent, and human experience.
By designing for accessibility first, we uncovered opportunities to improve speed, comfort, and user satisfaction for all employees.
“Good design gives users control — great design listens to them.”