HALO
Mobile Point of Sale
Project Overview NCR HALO is a mobile point of sale device designed while working for the industrial design and engineering team at NCR. HALO is a unique, new and multifunctional approach to point of sale devices capable of high security EMV compliant chip and pin functions while maintaining a small and compact form factor. The design implements a range of the latest payment technologies as well as future proofing with advanced palm vein biometric identification.
Project stats: Time period: 4 months Members:
Individual project
Location:
NCR Dundee
RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS Stagnant Market Conducting market research quickly identified an opportunity for a unique and innovative design to compete with existing mobile point of sale devices. Current products provide similar functionality in a form factor which makes it hard to distinguish one brand from another.
Multiple Paymet Methods It became clear through user research that a payments device should revolve around user facilitation. This is due to the rapidly increasing number of ways to pay for things. Making the device multifunctional in terms of payments became a requirement of the project.
ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS
Time Sheets
Employee Identification
In-store communication
Members of staff across various sectors including retail and hospitality are required to either manually fill out time sheets or carry a card used to swipe in and out of work.
Shoppers often highlighted the difficulty of locating the right members of staff to deal with specific needs, indicating name tags are often ineffective.
Members of staff are often required to carry or wear radio sets used for in-store communication. These are inconvenient to use and add additional cost for employers.
CONCEPT GENERATION Sketch Development A series of concepts were generated driven by the research and insights gathered in the first phase of the project. A mix of flat paper sketching, hand rendering, quick CAD and adobe creative suite were used to create a range of concepts. The initial concepts explored different aesthetic approaches as well as possible features and functionality. Initial concepts were reviewed and ranked according to how they met the requirements set out by the research.
Defining Functionality Adobe illustrator was used to quickly generate user defined storyboards. This helped determine how different concepts might be used within different environments.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
Mock-up Models
Defining Components Having chosen a design direction and defined product functionality, a ground up design approach was adopted to ensure an accurate and achievable product was created. Components were sourced and critical dimensions gathered in order to generate accurate tolerance stacks. This helped to quickly define overall dimensions for the product.
Screen Cover
E-Ink screen Verify
Plastic top
Verify
PCB
PCB
PCB
Battery Battery
Palm Vein Sensor
Keyboard Battery
Battery
Induction Coil
Card slot
Camera
Plastic base
A series of models were created throughout the project to test size and usability of the product. Models were created from a mix of card board, foam and 3D printing.
WEARABLE STAFF ID Quickly Locate The Correct Member of Staff HALO utilises two main methods of user feedback. The first is a multicoloured LED ring used to give primary feedback and communication. The LED ring can be used by retailers by assigning different members of staff (or department) a different colour. When worn on a lanyard, customers can quickly identify who they are looking for. The E-ink display can then display a welcome message or name used to engage the customer.
Shops and restaurants can print off an “Employee Key� used by customers to identify what each colour displayed on HALO refers to.
ADDING VALUE Streamlining Functions HALO has an inbuilt speaker and microphone permitting instore communication between members of staff (eliminating the need for additional radio hand sets). A camera module in the base is capable of scanning bar codes or promotional vouchers eliminating the need for a separate scanner.
CHIP AND PIN Select Payment Method
Enter Pin
A mechanical scroll wheel is used to navigate the E-ink display and a touch sensitive button in the center of the screen is used to select. A card reader in the base of the device allows users to insert a chip card.
A unique pin entry method was devised for the compact, round form factor. This was developed with NCR’s accessibility team to ensure users with impaired sight could use the product. Similar to entering digits into a traditional safe, users use the scroll wheel to enter digits one at a time. The LED ring lights up in quadrants as the pin is entered. Tactile markings on the scroll wheel and top face allow for accessibility.
CONTACTLESS PAY
Card or Mobile HALO facilitates NFC contactless payments allowing it to be used with both contactless cards as well as mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay. Combining the mobile nature of HALO with fast payment methods such as Apple Pay allow for high speed checkouts. Once paid, receipts can be emailed to customers straight from the device or printed via an internet connected printer at the till.
BIOMETRIC KEY A New Approach to Payments Palm Vein authentication was proposed as a third, future payment method. The sensor, developed by Fijitsu, was incorporated into the design of HALO. Similar to a finger print, the sensor would use the palm vein pattern to look up and verify an account all in one swift, non contact hand gesture. The infared camera sits hidden under the transparent touch sensor. The non contact nature of palm vein is well suited to a publicly used product, helping prevent the spread of germs.
Transparent touch sensor
Fijitsu Palm Vein Sensor
CLOCK ON, CLOCK OFF A Smart Incentive During the concept development phase of the project a solution was developed to solve three problems in one. The challenges were: • A suitable place to store and charge the products. • Provide a simple means of tracking employee hours. • Prevent staff from leaving the store with a secure payments device. A hanger charging dock was developed for HALO which consists of a coat hanger style rack and an induction charging rail. An a-symmetric magnet inside the base of HALO allows it to snap to the charging rail. Using NFC the device clocks employee hours at the beginning and end of a shift. This would ensure staff return the product at the end of the day.
DESIGN DETAIL AND ANALYSIS Navigation wheel
Contruction Overview
Light Guide
Pressure Sensor
The transparent snap fit cover contains a 45° bounce line which guides the light being emitted from the perpendicularly mounted LEDs.
Pressure sensors sit between the bosses of the product. These determine whether the product is being tampered with.
Below is an exploded view containing all of the major components which contribute to HALO’s functionality. Components could be added or subtracted depending on cost of the final device.
Snap fit cover E-ink Display
Touch input
The wheel is mechanically held between the top and bottom of the enclosure. A potentiometer converts rotation to electronic control.
Enclosure top
Scroll wheel
PCB Assembly
Lithium Ion Battery Card reader Audio input
Vibration motor
Magnet
Enclosure base
Silicone ring
Mechanical Check To ensure the product was robust a series of finite element analysis simulations were carried out. The polycarbonate casing was subject to a series of point loads (imitating the force of a finger) to ensure the material did not yield at a range of typical pushing forces.
HALO STAND The HALO stand was developed as a means to provide a fixed point of sale alternative. The stand incorporates a steel ring which is used with the magnet inside the base of HALO to fix the product to the stand. The power cable, routed through the metal frame, runs to an inductive charging coil used to charge the product. A hole in the resting cup allows the camera on HALO to scan items in the area behind the stand. The metal frame is also free to rotate allowing the customer to face either the HALO display or card slot when required.