STS (Saving Time Service)

Project Kickoff

It all started on a Thursday afternoon. I was counting clicks on a button when my Product Manager, Mohsen Kashi, approached me with that familiar spark in his eyes:

“Ms. Rahrovan, it's time to start the project we talked about awhile back. Now that our PWA is live, design should lead the way.”

I asked when we’d plan the roadmap, and he replied:

“This one’s yours. Take full ownership, do your research, and come back in a week with your roadmap.”

And that’s how STS, began.

Step 1: Identifying the Problem

I started by consolidating what we already knew about the business and customers.

Brand context:
Jeanswest operates in 64+ branches across multiple cities in Iran.
Each large city has its own warehouse that supplies nearby branches.
The brand is known for offering a wide range of sizes and colors, but despite this, many customers were leaving stores empty-handed due to branch-level inventory shortages.

When customers couldn’t find their preferred color or size, store assistants would manually check stock availability in other branches using a handheld ERP device. This was slow, dependent on staff availability, and inconsistent.
If unavailable, customers would simply walk away, frustrated and disappointed.

Problem Statement:

How might we reduce in-store basket abandonment and allow customers to purchase unavailable items without leaving the store?

Step 2: Mapping the Ecosystem

Over the past 18 months, we have developed Jeanswest’s PWA an e-commerce platform designed to deliver an online shopping experience as seamless and personalized as the in-store journey. It reflected the brand’s core values through a custom-built loyalty and rewards system, as well as a comprehensive filtering and navigation framework tailored to Jeanswest’s diverse product range and audience behavior.

With the PWA live, we gained access to critical operational capabilities, including:

• Real-time inventory visibility across all warehouses and branches

• Integrated in-house logistics supporting same-day delivery

The PWA had already solved inventory visibility online; the missing link was bringing that visibility into the physical store.

That led to our key hypothesis:

What if we could merge the in-store experience with the digital infrastructure, connecting the physical product to its live online availability?

Step 3: Research & Ideation

I conducted market research to explore whether similar solutions existed in the fashion retail space.
Surprisingly, neither in Iran nor globally did I find a similar integration between in-store stock and e-commerce availability.

That was my Aha! moment.. realizing we were building something truly innovative!

Therefore, I decided to focus mainly on field research and understanding the current in-store shopping experience to design a cohesive, customer-centered user flow.

Existing Flow

1. Customer can’t find the size/color they want

2. Approaches store assistant

3. Assistant checks ERP availability manually

4. If available elsewhere → customer informed

5. If not → customer leaves disappointed

I identified that the barcode is the universal tracking entity across all systems: ERP, POS, and the PWA. That became the starting point of the journey.

Proposed Flow

1. Customer scans the product barcode directly

2. They see real-time availability across branches

3. If unavailable locally, they can order online and have it delivered to their doorstep

This simple bridge could preserve the sale and save the customer’s experience.

Ideas Developed from Research Findings:

Option A: Barcode Scanner within PWA (Rejected)

Customer scans through the mobile app and completes the purchase online.

✅ Fast, low effort, minimal development.

❌ Sales wouldn’t be attributed to specific branches, impacting performance tracking and reporting accuracy.

Option B: In-store Self-Serve Kiosk (Approved)

A dedicated device where customers can scan, select, and purchase.

✅ More immersive, aligned with business goals, measurable per branch.

Now that the direction was clear, I delegated the kiosk sourcing and payment integration to the technical team and focused my efforts on interface design, usability, and experience flow as I was the only designer in the team.

Step 4: Product Specification

While the kiosk mirrored the PWA’s functionality, I intentionally prioritized clarity and speed, ensuring that customers could complete a purchase within a few taps, even in a crowded store.

Core Functionalities

1. Barcode scanning and product details

2. Add to basket and basket review

3. Login and account access

4. Loyalty points and bonus redemption

5. Address selection and management

6. Delivery date and time selection

7. Checkout and payment

8. Error handling and confirmation

To avoid overwhelming users, I kept the UI minimal, bold, and distraction-free, optimized for quick interaction and high visibility.

Step 5: Wireframing & Design

After finalizing the feature scope, I moved into the wireframing and interface design phase. I started with low-fidelity wireframes to validate the structure and navigation flow, followed by high-fidelity UI designs aligned with Jeanswest’s brand visuals and accessibility standards.

(The sketch I’m holding was the very first idea I drew for STS, and yes, that smile says it all! :) This photo was taken on the day we launched the first phase, seeing the concept come to life for the very first time.)

And here's a short video of STS in action:

UX Breakdown

Step 6: Testing & Iteration

Once the design was finalized, I led the first round of pilot testing in a single store.
I conducted on-site observation research to understand user behavior, friction points, and reactions to the kiosk.

During the pilot testing phase, several key adoption frictions surfaced:

1. Customers hesitated at the first screen, unsure of the kiosk’s purpose.

2. Shop assistants were not actively promoting the kiosk, as they were uncertain about how it impacted their branch sales.

To address the first issue, I redesigned the entry screen with an animated welcome sequence, making it clear, engaging, and intuitive.

For the second issue, we organized a learning session for all store managers to clarify that every sale made through the kiosk would be uniquely attributed to their branch, ensuring that no performance credit was lost.

Rollout & Impact

After a successful pilot, STS was rolled out to all 64+ branches across Iran.

The results were significant:

• Reduced basket abandonment in physical stores

• Increased branch-level sales through digital enablement

• Higher customer satisfaction due to product availability transparency

• Continuous usage up to this day

Reflection & Learnings

Looking back, STS wasn’t just another product I designed; it was the first time I truly understood what ownership in design feels like. From the first messy sketch to watching people actually use it in stores, every stage demanded decisions that had real business and human impact.

I learned that systems thinking isn’t about fancy frameworks; it’s about connecting the dots between people, tools, and motivation. I saw how a small interaction tweak, like an animated welcome screen, could completely shift behavior. And I realized that sometimes, the real design work happens outside Figma, standing in a busy store, convincing staff, and listening to customers.

Forever grateful to have been part of this journey <3