Tangible Media Group

In recent years, the retail industry has become increasingly interested in Information and communications technology (ICT) systems for enriching the shopping experience. Such systems are increasingly being deployed in retail contexts, however common implementation methods are limited due to high costs and large required footprints. Thus it is a challenge for smaller or temporary retail to install such services. In this study, we explore the usage of a load-sensitive board to improve the retail shopping experience specifically in smaller and temporary retail settings. As a case study, we develop and examine KI/OSK, an easy-to-install modular table-top retail application using SCALE, a previously developed load sensing toolkit specifically developed for Farmers Market applications. Our study uses iterative user research including surveys with Farmer's Market managers to assess design requirements, and testing and revising through a field study in a Farmers Market in Tokyo, Japan.