FastLane Case Study

Stores struggle with hiring, theft, and lost sales from long lines. Shoppers face delays, item searches, and missing product details. FastLane cuts staff needs, and speeds shopping boosting sales by increasing foot traffic.

Client/Company

Snap Inc.

https://www.spectacles.com/?lang=en-US

My Role

Product Designer (UI/UX/XR)
Product & Business Strategist

Collaborators

Isabella Wang
Katherin Velazquez

Tools

Figma

Bezi

Unity

Duration

July 2024 - Present

Customer Success Stories

‘We reduced our turnaround time by 95% and expanded our reach by 352% within three months of using Sentinel’

- IIFL Team

‘Sentinel gave us granular visibility into loan programs improving policy creation speed by 40% and reduced errors by 50%’

- Poonawalla Fincorp

Research & Insights

Why grocery shopping needs to evolve?

Stores lose sales due to inefficiencies → Long lines, theft, and high staffing costs.

Shoppers face delays and frustration → Hard to find items, no product ratings, and slow checkout.

Research-backed insights → Solutions are detailed in the next section.

Research Methods & Synthesis

What’s broken in traditional shopping?

Research Methods

User Interviews

Asked shoppers & store owners about key frustrations

Observational Studies

Watched real shoppers & store operations while taking notes of pain points

Competition Analysis

Studied existing solutions & their weaknesses to guide us on what not to do.

Personas

Owner

Needs a faster, more efficient store, with higher sales.

Shopper

Wants a smooth, hassle-free shopping trip.

Synthesizing Key Data

Affinity Mapping

Grouped pain points into key themes

Pain Point Prioritization

Ranked issues by impact vs efforts to create goals

Insights & Solutions

How research shaped our solutions

Checkout lines reduce sales & frustrate customers

Walk-out payment removes checkout delays with automatic linked
payments.

No easy way to compare products

AR displays ratings, prices, and nutrition when items are picked up and something more.

Stores struggle with staffing & theft

Automatic checkout removes cashiers; glasses track items to prevent theft.

Shoppers forget cart & list contents

AR cart UI shows real-time total, cart items, and to-do shopping lists.

Finding products takes too long

AR navigation guides shopper directly to products closest to them on their list.

B2B First Strategy

Why selling to stores is the smartest path

B2C adoption is too slow - Waiting for mass consumer AR adoption delays market entry.

Stores buy the glasses, not customers - Just like shopping carts, users borrow AR glasses while shopping.

Retailers gain efficiency & sales - Faster checkout, fewer employees, shorter turn-around-time, and more footfall.

Path to consumer ownership -  Once people experience AR shopping, they may want it at home—just like personal computers.

This mirrors how PCs gained adoption—starting in workplaces before reaching consumers. I explored this idea further in

this LinkedIn post.

Final Design

How FastLane Transforms Shopping with AR

The final design integrates all research insights into a seamless AR shopping experience. This section breaks down each stage of the user journey with supporting visuals.

Entering the Store & Setup

Users pick up AR glasses, log in with their phone, and instantly see their shopping list.

Product Details in AR

When an item is picked up, AR displays price, discounts, ratings, and nutritional info.

Shopping List & Live Cart Tracking

Items are checked off automatically, and the cart total & items update in real-time.

Automated Checkout at Exit

Payment is processed instantly when users walk out, eliminating checkout lines.

Learning and Next Steps

Learnings

Checkout speed is a business problem, not just a shopper issue - Long lines reduce sales and frustrate customers

B2B adoption accelerates - AR growth Stores adopting AR first enable instant market entry without waiting for consumer adoption

Security and theft prevention are as critical as convenience - AR must track unpurchased items to prevent loss

Hands-free interaction is essential - Gesture and eye-tracking are more effective than touch-based controls

Ratings and product insights improve decision-making - Customers rely on reviews and need more transparency when shopping

Future Steps

Short-Term Enhancements (MVP Expansions)

Improve hand-tracking and gesture controls

Expand product insights to include allergens, sustainability, and price comparisons

A/B test different checkout experiences

Long-Term Growth & Scalability

Develop personalized AR shopping based on user preferences

Integrate store-wide inventory tracking and dynamic pricing updates

Expand FastLane beyond grocery stores into other retail sectors