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CASE STUDY 05 · MedPlus

Omnichannel Smart Kiosk Terminal for Retail Pharmacy Stores

-40%: Reduction in physical front-counter customer queue wait times within 60 days of store deployment.

+15%: Recovery of previously lost walk-away revenue via the automated, next-day warehouse backorder delivery service.

92%: Successful task completion rate achieved across non-tech-savvy demographics using the multilingual Video Call funnel.

<15s: Average call-routing connection interval achieved by the intelligent backend language-allocation algorithm.

MedPlus Smart Kiosk order method selection screen with Video Call and Self Order options

01 / 10 · MedPlus Smart Kiosk order method selection screen with Video Call and Self Order options

02

The Challenge

Physical retail pharmacy counters experience intense bottlenecking during peak evening hours, causing long queues and walk-away revenue loss.

The core challenge was designing a robust in-store terminal that handles complex prescription medicine filtering for two distinct user demographics: tech-savvy shoppers who want speed, and elderly or digitally isolated shoppers who require human assistance to translate physical prescriptions into digital orders.

03

Problem Statement

Peak Hour Retail Counter Congestion: Long physical queues at checkout desks during high-traffic intervals frustrate shoppers and strain floor staff.

In-Store Stockout Revenue Bleed: Walk-in customers immediately leave the store if an item is out of stock, instead of placing a manual future delivery request.

Prescription Interface Accessibility Gaps: Elderly or non-technical retail shoppers are unable to navigate self-serve digital search logs, requiring direct human guidance to convert prescriptions into store picklists.

04

Competitor Analysis

Competitors Assessed: Standard self-service food/retail kiosks (e.g., McDonald's, Decathlon).

Gaps & opportunity

  • Strategic Gaps Identified: Traditional retail kiosks assume 100% self-sufficiency and simple item scanning. They completely lack regulatory compliance interfaces for medical prescriptions, do not provide remote human expert advisory connections mid-funnel, and fail to bridge local inventory deficits with automated supply-chain routing for next-day home delivery.

05

User Research

  • MethodologyOn-site field observations of 100+ walk-in pharmacy shoppers, queue-length timing analysis, and exit intercept interviews across key retail spots.
  • Insights DiscoveredOver 45% of shoppers waiting in physical lines were purchasing simple over-the-counter (OTC) items or basic refills that required zero pharmacist consultation. Conversely, 80% of elderly shoppers ignored traditional testing screens entirely out of pure interface anxiety, expressing a clear preference for talking to an interactive voice or face rather than typing on glass screens.

Research was conducted before any design work; findings shaped the problem definition and strategy.

06

Discovery

Cross-functional operational discovery revealed that while a self-service cart works for simple OTC products, it fails for complex, handwritten prescriptions. We realized that human interaction could not be completely removed for senior demographics. This birthed the architectural separation into two core modules: a light, hyper-fast "Self-Order cart" and an interactive, low-latency WebRTC "Video Call routing grid" that leverages backend corporate agents during on-site store rushes.

01

Contextual interviews

Interviewed in-store shoppers — from hurried OTC buyers to elderly customers — to learn who trusted a kiosk and who needed a human on the other side.

02

Journey mapping

Mapped both self-service and assisted kiosk journeys, identifying where queue pressure and prescription complexity demanded live agent support.

03

Analytics review

Analyzed store queue times and basket composition data to segment quick OTC purchases from consultations requiring human assistance.

07

Strategy

  1. Problem

    Physical retail store queues swell because all shoppers — regardless of order complexity or tech literacy — are forced through a single human counter queue.

  2. Insight

    Tech-savvy users want quick transactional speed, while high-risk or elderly patients require immediate human confirmation to feel secure purchasing health products.

  3. Opportunity

    Divert up to 50% of counter foot traffic to automated digital screens by providing two tailored interaction funnels in a single terminal.

  4. Strategy

    Deploy an offline-resilient, hybrid kiosk network that pairs a fast, keyboard-less self-order catalog with an intelligent, language-mapped video routing engine.

  5. Solution

    Launch a dual-mode store kiosk featuring an instant WebRTC Video Call module for assisted sales alongside a high-density Self-Order engine backed by automated next-day logistics routing for local stockouts.

  6. Roadmap Prioritization

    Phase 1 focused on building the core local-store kiosk shell and self-order flow. Phase 2 deployed the live video consultation stream and language-selection agent dashboard logic. Phase 3 integrated the auto-generating backend backorder service with central warehouse systems.

08

Design Process

Designed a ruggedized, high-impact touch interface engineered for public hardware spaces. The UI utilizes large font sizing and high-contrast styling to account for low-light store corners and older eyes, with a persistent visible cart footer detailing current picklist items.

01

Wireframes

Kiosk welcome screens were wireframed around two clear action pillars: video-call an agent or self-order for fast checkout.

02

Exploration

High-contrast, large-font concepts were explored for public hardware, low-light store corners, and users with limited digital literacy.

03

Prototypes

Interactive kiosk prototypes paired the self-order flow with live video consultation, language selection, and a persistent visible cart footer.

04

Testing

In-store testing with older and first-time users validated readability, touch target sizes, and the clarity of the dual-action welcome screen.

05

Final Design

A ruggedized, high-impact touch interface with dual-action entry, large readable type, and a persistent cart for confident self-service ordering.

Only the iterations that changed the direction of the work are shown — not every exploration.

09

Final Experience

Final experience visuals for Omnichannel Smart Kiosk Terminal for Retail Pharmacy Stores

10

Personas

Persona 01

Portrait of Tarun Mehta, a research persona

Tarun Mehta

The Digital-First Shopper · Business Analyst

A young, tech-proficient professional who visits physical pharmacies strictly for immediate OTC products, wellness supplements, or routine health refills.

Goals

  • Bypass physical retail queues entirely, complete a standalone order in under 60 seconds, and exit the store immediately.

Frustrations

  • Being trapped behind long lines of users handling multi-item prescription validations at standard store counters.
  • Age: 27
  • Single
  • Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Archetype: The Velocity Seeker

Persona 02

Portrait of Gurnam Singh, a research persona

Gurnam Singh

The Assisted Senior · Retired Government Officer

A senior retail customer carrying a handwritten physical doctor prescription who requires reassurance and validation before finalizing any health purchase.

Goals

  • Speak to a knowledgeable professional who can translate their paper prescription document into an accurate, secure store picklist.

Frustrations

  • Struggles significantly with on-screen keyboard typing, search box parameters, and anxiety regarding digital interface inaccuracies.
  • Age: 71
  • Married
  • Chandigarh
  • Archetype: The Vocal Traditionalist

11

Impact

-40%

Reduction in front-counter queue wait times within 60 days

+15%

Recovery of lost walk-away revenue via next-day backorder delivery

92%

Task completion rate across non-tech-savvy demographics

<15s

Average call-routing connection interval