I led the design strategy for transforming JCPenney's 20-year-old point-of-sale system into a modern, mobile-first omnichannel platform across 31+ stores, achieving $6.2M in cost savings and enabling checkout anywhere in the store.
Timeline
32 weeks (2 engagements)
Role
Staff Product Designer
Stores Impacted
31+ locations
Cost Savings
$6.2M (17% reduction)
Industry: Department Store Retail
Challenge: Legacy 20-year-old POS creating competitive disadvantage
Engagement: Contract Staff Product Designer via Kitestring
My Role
Staff Product Designer leading mobile POS design strategy, JTBD research, and hardware-software integration
Cross-Functional Collaboration
20-year-old POS technology creating competitive disadvantage with slow, inflexible workflows that couldn't adapt to modern retail needs.
Associates tied to fixed registers with no mobile capabilities, creating bottlenecks and limiting customer service flexibility.
Long wait times and fragmented experience across online and in-store channels
Limited mobility and inefficient workflows reducing productivity and customer service quality
High operational costs, competitive disadvantage, and lost sales opportunities
I designed for checkout anywhere in the store, untethering associates from fixed registers
I unified online and offline experiences through consistent data architecture
I streamlined every transaction step, reducing average checkout time by 40%
I leveraged Android POS device capabilities while designing for physical constraints
Created modular design system optimized for handheld Android devices
Designed seamless transition between mobile and fixed terminals mid-transaction
Embedded real-time approval within transaction flow, eliminating context switching
Designed interfaces leveraging single source of truth across all channels
Specialized checkout for high-value items with enhanced security protocols
Appointment and service-specific transactions with integrated scheduling
Large item and installation workflows with delivery coordination
17% reduction in hardware and support costs across 31+ stores
Within aggressive 32-week timeline across two engagements
Reduced average transaction time through streamlined workflows
Associates actively using mobile POS within 3 months of rollout
"Kitestring has and continues to be a strategic partner by helping to shape and develop our transformation journey. From the start Kitestring understood the scope of what JCP was looking to do not only modernizing Store's Checkout Technology but also Customer and Associate Experience... Eugene and his team are a fantastic partner to work with who brought a level of transparency to the program that was required in making critical decisions quickly to continue our forward momentum."
Designing for physical Android POS devices taught me that successful hardware-software integration goes beyond screen design. I learned to leverage device-specific capabilities like hardware buttons and barcode scanners while designing around constraints like screen size and processing power. The key insight was that mobile-first retail design requires understanding the physical environment—lighting conditions, counter space, and how associates actually hold and use devices during busy shifts. This contextual awareness shaped every interaction pattern I created.
One of the most valuable insights from this project was realizing that the ability to move transactions between devices mid-flow was more important than optimizing any single device experience. Associates needed to start transactions on mobile, transfer to docking stations for complex operations, and complete at fixed terminals—all without losing context or requiring re-entry. I learned that designing these transition states and handoff moments required as much attention as the primary workflows themselves.
Co-leading JTBD and ORCA workshops with business stakeholders revealed how powerful this methodology is for breaking down organizational silos. By mapping every use case team members encounter, we created a shared vocabulary that product, engineering, and operations could all reference. This common language accelerated decision-making and reduced misalignment throughout the project. I learned that investing time in rigorous research frameworks upfront pays exponential dividends in execution velocity.
Rolling out new technology to 31+ stores taught me that change management is itself a design problem. I learned to design training materials, rollout sequences, and support documentation with the same rigor as product interfaces. The 85% mobile adoption rate within 3 months wasn't just because the product was well-designed—it was because we designed the entire change experience, from initial training to ongoing support. This holistic view of design impact is essential for enterprise-scale transformations.
Replacing a 20-year-old POS system while maintaining business continuity taught me to design for both the ideal future state and the messy transition period. I learned to create interfaces that could gracefully handle both old and new system states, allowing for phased rollouts and fallback scenarios. This experience reinforced that enterprise design isn't just about the end vision—it's about designing the migration path itself. The ability to think in parallel states and transition strategies is a critical skill for large-scale transformations.
Designing for jewelry, salon, and general merchandise departments revealed the importance of modular, composable design systems. Each department had unique requirements—jewelry needed enhanced security protocols, salons required appointment integration, and home goods needed delivery coordination. I learned to create a core design system with specialized modules that could be mixed and matched based on department needs. This modular approach enabled scalability while maintaining consistency, a balance that's essential for enterprise retail design.
I'm looking for my next leadership role where I can build teams and shape product strategy. If you're hiring a Principal Designer who knows how to ship, let's talk.
Available for full-time roles