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We are planning to update the design of our POS screens, so I want to understand what is making them look dated. The screens currently have all the functionality that we need -- we are just focusing on the design.

Our users build their own screen layout (button size, position, text, colour etc), but the POS determines the design of those controls and the screen.

Our POS sowftare is designed to go on standard POS terminals: http://tinyurl.com/gsu6c27

Any comments and advice welcome.

POS Screen

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  • I've always appreciated the fact that point-of-sale systems (which tend to be awful) have such a fitting acronym.
    – plainclothes
    Jan 7, 2016 at 23:29
  • Oh...You mean, "Point of Sale" design. In my opinion, the clashing and ugly colors, small typeface, and styling of the buttons make the design look like a Windows 95 era application.
    – Tim Huynh
    Jan 7, 2016 at 23:30
  • It looks dated because it appears that no thought was put into the visual aspects of the UI design at all. There are definite UX problems as well, but in terms of why it "looks" dated, I'd suggest hiring a talented visual designer (be it a graphic designer or UI designer)
    – DA01
    Jan 8, 2016 at 0:02
  • 2
    Try GraphicDesign.StackExchange
    – plainclothes
    Jan 8, 2016 at 0:03

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I used many POS systems while I was waiting tables and going to college. That was over 15 years ago. This looks like one of the earlier ones I used. If I were to attach a date to the one you've listed, I would say it came from 1992.

So, what makes it look dated? There are no graphics, the font looks old, and it looks like the entire UI was computer generated.

In the 1990s the toolset for creating rich media was limited. I don't know what programming language your team is using, but if you're getting ready for a product makeover, you may want to see what you can do to convince your team to switch to a newer language that makes working with rich media a cinch. The programming tools your team uses will have a huge impact on what you can and can't design for your system.

Where I'm currently living, POS systems have taken a giant leap forward in the last three years. A POS company called Clover has wiped out the competition in Mountain View, CA where I work. Why are they doing so well? The design of their system uses all of the modern advances in technology. https://www.clover.com/

If I had to convince my engineering team why we needed to change, I would send them to Clover. If they can't understand why Clover is good design, I would look for a new job.

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