Web POS Graphical Design

With the technology and interaction design well on their way, we´re now about to close the graphical design phase for Openbravo Web POS. It's going to look like no other Point of Sale you have seen before and sets a new design direction for Openbravo Mobile and Retail. Here's the design rationale.

Minimalist & direct: Openbravo Web POS features a minimalist design inspired by De Stijl and the Metro design language, that prefers content over GUI chrome. It uses straight and rectangular forms and is strongly typography based. The user is encouraged to interact directly with labels. For example, to add an item from the product catalogue, you just click the label (1). To reduce the amount, you just click the amount (2). There is no need for additional buttons and a minimum amount of taps is needed.

Light & flexible: Elements float on top of a background, emphasizing the lightness and flexibility of a web based application where the presentation layer is separated from business logic and data.

Optimized for modern touch screens: The new design makes use of modern touch screen capabilities that are offered by consumer devices such as the iPad but also increasingly by more industrial terminals. Products are browsed by swiping lists rather than using tedious next/previous or scroller bars. These are only rendered in case of older touch screens or mouse/keyboard operated keyboards.

Happy to be personalized & customized: Openbravo Web POS runs on anything with a browser - which means it must look good on all platforms and devices. It should also blend in with the retailer's shop and brand. The open architecture and use of standard web technology (HTML5) allows for easy adaptation for specific environments and even without coding, personalization should be easy. Colors and backgrounds can be matched with the company's corporate identity and adjusted to temporary themes.

Playful and proud to be seen: Most POS GUIs are dull looking, which is a missed opportunity because the exposure of these systems to staff and clients is high compared to other back end systems. POS systems take central stage in most restaurants and bars and retailers more and more let their customers co-interact with the system. Openbravo Web POS wants to be an appealing, fun and professional piece of software that staff and customers love to use and show. Nifty little design details such as the folded corner, animations, illustrations and intelligent messaging add to the experience. The exposure of the POS GUI to staff and customers is also an opportunity to communicate with them, through the GUI itself (e.g. branded themes), the message area (for staff) or the customer display (for customers).

Here's the full set.