When Innovation Meets Reality: Lessons from the Scan & Go Usability Testing at ALDI Nord

Client

A global Supermarket corporation

Project type

Company Client Project

Role
UX Researcher - Led usability testing and insights synthesis to guide the design of a multi-modal Scan & Go solution.

In collaboration with ALDI Nord, a leading global discount supermarket chain, this project set out to reimagine the in-store shopping experience by introducing a digital “Scan & Go” solution aimed at reducing checkout friction and enhancing convenience. As the UX Researcher, I led live usability testing and affinity mapping to uncover key user pain points and behavioral patterns. While the solution delivered a smooth digital experience, the pilot revealed deeper challenges around user adoption and operational fit — turning this into a critical case of how UX insights can both shape innovation and reveal when the broader context isn’t ready for it.

Problem Statement and core assumption:

“A mobile Scan & Go feature, built into the ALDI Nord app, will eliminate checkout friction and be eagerly adopted by customers.”

Our goal was to prove (or disprove) that shoppers would use their smartphones to speed up checkout.

Initial Assumptions:

Long queues were the primary driver of checkout dissatisfaction.
A smartphone-based self-checkout experience would feel intuitive and empowering for customers.
Reducing reliance on physical terminals would improve flow, reduce hardware costs, and support a more seamless in-store journey.

Research & Process

Together with our product manager and design lead, we designed a research plan combining:

Live Usability Testing in five ALDI Nord pilot stores
Affinity Mapping workshops with designers and engineers

We recruited 20+ real shoppers— to ensure diverse perspectives.

Live Usability Testing

In each store, our research team observed customers:

Scanning items on their phone
Completing payment in‑app
Exiting through the digital gate

Collaborative Sessions

I led a cross‑functional sessions to cluster and analyse observations:

Collected observations from 20+ tests.
Grouped similar notes in a clustring session.
Identified three main issues: scanner preference, staff interruptions, missing feedback.

Presenting Insights

We distilled our insights into a concise deck for ALDI leadership:

Usability was solid—once customers committed to the flow, scans and payments succeeded.
Adoption was low—most shoppers never tried the mobile path.
Operational costs rose—more staff needed to manage exceptions and reassure customers.

Real‑World Takeaway

My Contribution: I led the research that surfaced WHY a technically sound UX didn’t translate into real‑world adoption—linking user behavior to operational constraints.

Team Learning: Even the best digital flows must align with shopper habits and store operations. Our research prevented a broader rollout that likely would have incurred high support costs and low usage.