| Clients | CarrefourSA and MediaMarkt |
|---|---|
| Sector | Retail |
| Scope | Screen interface and back-end software infrastructure for in-store companion robots, plus integration APIs |
| Technologies | Custom interface software, robot integration APIs, back-end software infrastructure |
About the Project
We developed the screen interface and the underlying software infrastructure for the companion robots used in CarrefourSA and MediaMarkt stores. The robots move between stands inside the store and provide information to visitors. A store visitor usually meets the robot only briefly and in the middle of shopping, which means the interface must be understood at first glance. Since the visitor’s first contact with the robot happens through the screen interface, the interface was the most visible part of the project. We developed the interface and the software infrastructure behind it from scratch. In robotics projects, software constantly exchanges data with hardware and with other systems; for this reason the work was not limited to screen design but also covered the integration layer that defines how the robot talks to back-end services.
The Need and the Problem Solved
The in-store companion robots needed a user-friendly screen interface through which they could interact with customers. The interface had to be designed so that anyone could use it easily in a crowded, fast-moving store environment. In environments like this, the interface is generally expected to offer:
- Simple screen flows that can be understood quickly
- Usability for visitors of different ages and different levels of familiarity with technology
- Compatible operation with the robot’s hardware and the back-end services
- An experience designed around in-store usage scenarios
Our Solution
We developed a custom screen interface and back-end software infrastructure for the companion robots from scratch. The components of the work:
- Custom screen interface: the surface through which the visitor interacts with the robot; it determines how information content is presented and the steps a visitor takes to reach the information they want.
- Back-end software infrastructure: the layer where the content shown on screen and the robot’s behaviour are managed.
- Integration APIs: organize the data flow between the robot’s hardware, the interface and the back-end services; designing this layer separately ensures that a change made in the interface does not affect the robot’s other functions.
- UX based on in-store scenarios: simplifying the screen flows by considering where, for how long and for what purpose the visitor interacts with the robot.
Technologies Used
- Custom interface software
- Robot integration APIs
- Back-end software infrastructure
Process
The steps below summarize the general order we follow in interface projects that run on hardware:
- Analysis: in projects of this type, the environment the robot will be used in, the visitor profile and the information the robot will present are identified. In this project, the real store environment where the robot would operate was taken as the basis, rather than a ready-made template.
- Design: screen flows are kept simple, taking into account the noise, crowds and pace of the store environment.
- Development: the interface, the back-end infrastructure and the integration APIs are developed as separate, decoupled layers.
- Field testing and go-live: in software that runs on hardware, interface decisions are not final until they have been tested in the field, so the screens are validated under real usage conditions.
Results and Benefits
An interactive robot interface that enriches the in-store customer experience was brought to life. Developing the interface and the infrastructure from scratch made it possible to design screens and flows freely around in-store scenarios. Basing the work on the real environment where the robot would be used, instead of adapting to a ready-made template, allowed interface decisions to be shaped by actual use in the field. It also made it easier to change content or flows without touching the robot’s other functions.
In busy environments such as retail stores, having the layers work together in harmony ensures that technology is perceived by the visitor as a helpful tool rather than an obstacle. We also apply the robotics and interface experience gained in this project to our warehouse automation and autonomous systems projects.
Discuss a Similar Project
If you have a robotics, kiosk or in-store technology project, take a look at our custom software development and AI solutions services. Let’s talk about your project: tell us what you need and we will prepare a written proposal covering scope, timeline and cost. Call us on +90 850 335 10 87, message us on WhatsApp, email info@360-soft.com or use our contact page. You can also browse our other case studies.
This case study is a localized version of our reference page in Turkish: Türkçe.
