Smart Shopping Cart
Rethinking In Store Shopping
Find Item Easily
Avoid Crowded Aisel
Shop Faster
This project reimagines the physical supermarket experience through Smart Cart a cart mounted system that reduces product search time, simplifies navigation, speeds up billing, and improves the overall in store shopping experience.
ROLE
Product Designer
PROJECT DURATION
4 + 4 months
Design and Tech (2025-26)
TEAM
Design, 3 x CS, Mech, ECE students of 3rd year
TOOLS
Figma, Fig Jam, docs, Meet
Context
Developed as part of IIITDM Colleges prefinal year interdisciplinary Engineering Design Project (EDP) under the
theme "Productivity Tools" this project enhanced my skills in cross-functional collaboration and designing within technical constraints.
Problem
Finding products, long billing queues, and crowded aisles create an inefficient shopping experience for both customers and staff.
Methodology
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
EMPATHISE
User Research
Visited local Jabalpur retail stores, supermarkets talked with both customers and staff members.
Understanding user painpoints
I spend more time looking for products than actually shopping.
I don't like asking the staff for every item I can't find.
Sometimes getting trough crowd becomes so frustrating and uncomfortable
The billing queue usually takes longer than the shopping itself.
I often realize I've missed something only after reaching the billing counter.
There is no feedback system for unavailable products
Current Market Scenario
Physical Retail Continues to Grow
Despite the rise of quick commerce, Indian supermarkets remain the preferred choice for monthly grocery and household shopping, especially for bulk purchases, product comparison, and fresh produce.
Stores Are Going Omnichannel
Retailers like DMart, Reliance Smart, and others have introduced online ordering and home delivery,
yet the in-store experience remains central to customer engagement and purchasing decisions.
Shoppers Expect Faster Experiences
Today's shoppers value speed, convenience, and guided experiences over spending time searching for products. They are comfortable using technology when it simplifies everyday tasks.
Opportunity for Indian Retail
Global retailers are investing in smart shopping carts and self checkout, but India requires affordable, retrofit solutions that retain staff assisted billing. A cart mounted attachment bridges this gap while improving efficiency without disrupting existing store operations.
Time Saved = Better Store Throughput
Reducing product search time and speeding up checkout can help stores serve more customers, reduce staff interruptions, and improve the overall shopping experience, creating value for both shoppers and retailers.
DEFINE
HMW Statement
How might we simplify product discovery in large supermarkets through intelligent navigation?
IDEATIONS
Product Ideations
Planogram-Based Indoor Navigation
Crowd-Aware Path Adaptation
Offline-First System Design
List Integration
Crowd-Aware Path Adaptation
User Flow
Current User Flow
Enter Store
Pick Cart
Search products
Ask help to staff
Add to cart
Take another route
Come back later
Realises late
Crowded Aisel
Item not Available
Stuck in crowd
Continue shopping
Item scanning
Payment
Exit store
Wait in billing queue
Forgot an Item?
Time waste, uncomfortable
experience
Loose users trust
overtime
Frustrating
Takes too much time
Avoid / unavailable assistance
Item found
Skip item
Item not found
Walk Back & Collect
Smartcart User Flow
Enter Store
Pick Cart
Import List
No shopping list
Quick Search
Follow Route
Feedback
Add to cart
Scans at the same time
Quick check
No more last min tour back
Seamless experience
Feels heard
Crowded Ahead
System auto reroutes
Continue shopping
Pending items alert
Checkout Queue
Quick Verification
Payment
Exit
Item found
Item not found
Item not Available
Attach Device
Design System
Montserrat
Text
Text
10 / 15
Search
Cart
10
Text
Home Screen
Search
Explore
Cart
Alerts
List
Dont have a list ? you can just make one here
Quick Review
Flags unavailable items early and suggests suitable alternatives.
Onboarding Screen
Later
Map helps you navigate
Suggestions based on your list
Real time dynamic route guidance
minimize clutter and improve focus.
Flag item for later
Remove item from list
Get Quick Directions
Sorted in Categories
Filters to sort further
Add to list
Jump directly to any Item
Shopping progress and estimated time
Items appear progressively along the route.
|
Search for forgotten or unplanned items anytime and get instant directions.
Guides shoppers with optimized navigation, progress, and real-time updates
Search complete product range, discover alternatives, and navigate instantly.
Review scanned items and prepare for a faster checkout.
Organize, track, and optimize your shopping list.
Biscuit Parle|
Biscui|
Recent Serches
Suggestions
Offers
Quantity
Price
1
Fruits
Items : 5
2
Snacks
Items : 5
Reroute
Clear CTA
Drag and reorder items to priortize
Recalculates and optimizes
Bill Summary with breakdowns
Mentions discount and loyalty cards
Pending Items Alert
fastest route
Final Thoughts
SmartCart taught me that good product design goes beyond creating intuitive interfaces. It requires understanding user behavior, collaborating across disciplines, and making thoughtful decisions that balance usability, feasibility. This project strengthened my approach to solving complex, real world problems through research and iterative design.
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