Designing smart retail systems for businesses transitioning to digital workflows
During my time at the company, I worked on everything from redesigning the company website and launching self-checkout systems for major retail chains, to building a design team from the ground up. What started as a solo UX role quickly grew into something much bigger — and gave me the chance to shape not just products, but the way design worked inside the company.
This case study focuses on just one chapter of that journey: the creation of Dreamkas POS
Overview
When Russia introduced new laws requiring all businesses to use certified digital cash registers, everyone suddenly needed a POS system — whether they were ready or not. Most existing solutions were outdated, confusing, and inaccessible to small business owners and cashiers with limited tech experience.
To meet this demand, CSI — one of Russia’s leading retail tech companies — launched a new brand called Dreamkas, focused on building modern, user-friendly POS systems from scratch. The result was Viki Mini and Viki Max — two touchscreen terminals designed for simplicity, clarity, and ease of use. Both products went on to be widely adopted across Russia — and are still in use today, largely unchanged.
The Challenge
Designing a POS system for the Russian market at that time meant solving multiple problems at once. The product had to work for everyone — from experienced retailers in major cities to cashiers in small towns who had never touched a touchscreen. There were no existing UX standards for this audience, and most competitors relied on outdated interfaces.
We needed to create something radically more intuitive, flexible enough to support different business needs, and simple enough to be used confidently with no training.
And we had to build everything from scratch — new brand, new hardware, new interface — in a high-pressure environment where time-to-market really mattered.
My Role
As the only UX designer at the start of the project, I wore many hats — from research and prototyping to team building and tool adoption. Over time, I helped shape not just the product, but the entire design function within the company. Here’s what I was responsible for while bringing Dreamkas POS to life.
Led the full design process — from early research and concepting to prototypes, wireframes, and final UI
Conducted user interviews and usability tests with cashiers and business owners across Russia, including eye-tracking sessions to improve interface clarity
Built interactive prototypes and iterated based on feedback from both users and internal stakeholders
Worked closely with developers, 3D designers, hardware engineers, and marketers to align the interface with device specs and visual positioning
Created the initial design system to support future features and onboard new designers
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As the company scaled, so did my role. I became the go-to person for all things UX and design, helping shape not just one product, but the entire design direction across multiple teams and initiatives.
Redesigned the company website and created a separate product site for Dreamkas POS
Worked on the first self-checkout systems in Russia for major retailers like Lenta and Spar — with deep field testing and UX tailored for people unfamiliar with self-service
Led hiring, onboarding, and mentoring of junior designers as we built out the team
Introduced Sketch (yes, unfortunately not Figma) and transitioned the company away from Photoshop, streamlining the design-to-dev process
Collaborated on branding efforts with marketing and 3D teams to help define product identity
Created lightweight design systems to support consistency and speed across all projects
Worked cross-functionally with sales and support to understand business needs and real-world user feedback
Presented to stakeholders regularly, learning how to build trust, advocate for design, and move ideas forward in a complex organization
What started as a solo design role turned into a pivotal experience in team-building, systems thinking, and product ownership. I left Crystals three years later knowing I had helped shape not just products, but a sustainable design culture that could grow without me.
Research & Discovery
To design a POS system for users who had never used one, I had to start from the source — real cashiers, business owners, and the messy realities of retail work. This phase was all about understanding behaviors, uncovering pain points, and translating those into clear design priorities.
Understanding the Users
Most POS systems in the Russian market at the time weren’t designed for people — they were built around outdated logic, cluttered UI, and developer convenience. We wanted to flip that.
To design a truly user-friendly system, we had to understand what real cashiers and shop owners struggled with on a daily basis — not just in big towns like Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, but in small towns, kiosks, bakeries, and street markets across the country.
Many of these users weren’t tech-savvy. Some had never used a touchscreen before. And almost all of them had strong feelings (mostly frustration) about the tools they’d been forced to use.
Dozens of in-person interviews with cashiers and store managers in a wide range of settings — from chain retailers to tiny family-run businesses — to understand their routines, shortcuts, and pain points
Field observations and shadowing sessions in real stores, watching how cashiers interacted with their current systems under pressure, especially during peak hours
Prototype testing sessions in both live retail environments and lab-style settings — including testing with users who had never interacted with a POS interface before
Informal interviews and contextual inquiry with internal staff like sales reps, installers, and tech support, who knew exactly where users got confused or made mistakes
Regular cross-team syncs with product owners, developers, and marketing to continuously align business needs with what we were seeing in the field
How I approached research
What I discovered
Simplicity wasn’t just a preference — it was survival. Every extra step, confusing label, or tiny button created stress.
The system had to feel learnable within minutes. There was no time (or budget) for formal training. Most cashiers were expected to figure it out on the job — sometimes during their first shift.
Real-time performance pressure was intense. If a cashier hesitated or tapped the wrong thing, the line grew, customers got impatient, and the whole checkout experience suffered.
Mental models were wildly different. Some users didn’t understand the concept of a "back" button or modal window. The interface needed to match their logic — not ours.
Mistakes caused real anxiety. There had to be obvious ways to undo, recover, and feel safe in the flow.
Visual clarity was everything. Big buttons, readable labels, clear feedback, and zero ambiguity.
From Research to Real Product
This wasn’t just a few interviews and a couple of screens. It was months of intense, iterative work — the kind of behind-the-scenes process most people never see.
There were hundreds of prototype screens, multiple rounds of user testing, and countless feature discussions with developers, stakeholders, and the sales team. I created personas, CJMs, user flows, information architecture, roadmaps, and everything else you’d expect in a deeply embedded product design process.
But rather than walk you through every iteration and deliverable, I’ll jump ahead to where it all came together — the final design.
Design
Research brought clarity. Design turned that clarity into action — shaping an interface that simplified workflows, minimized errors, and built trust with users from the very first tap. Every screen was a direct response to what we saw, heard, and felt in the field.
Designing with Systems in Mind
Behind the “simple” interface of Dreamkas POS was a full ecosystem of features built to handle real-world retail pressure. It had to move fast, work across a variety of devices, and make cashiers feel in control — even on their first shift.
This project wasn’t about making things pretty — it was about making them work everywhere, for everyone. From visual systems to screen logic, I designed a scalable framework that supported hundreds of screens, edge cases, and workflows across different business types — all while staying clear, calm, and incredibly easy to learn.
During this phase, I:
Designed for multiple hardware formats and resolutions, ensuring consistent UX across Viki Mini, Viki Max, and other terminals
Created a modular UI system, using repeatable components and layout rules to streamline hundreds of screens
Built a design system from scratch — including colors, type, spacing, button logic, iconography, and interactive states
Defined visual rules for clarity under stress: touch target sizing, contrast levels, font weights, error colors, and alert patterns
The Core User Experience
The interface covered:
Checkout essentials like sales, returns, split payments, and discounts — all optimized for fast tapping and minimal cognitive load
Visual hierarchy that guided the eye without overwhelming, using color, iconography, and spacing to support speed
Custom layouts for different business types — cafés needed table tracking, pharmacies needed item expiration visibility, and grocery stores prioritized simplicity above all
This is the part users touched every day — in the middle of long lines, quick handovers, and high-stress moments. The UI had to be fast, intuitive, and comforting — even for those new to digital tools.
Error states and edge interactions that didn’t scare the user — with calming visuals and clear recovery flows
Soft, optimistic visuals that made the system feel more human and less machine-driven
Shift operations like drawer reconciliation, X/Z reports, and end-of-day summaries — simplified without losing control
Under the Hood
While users interacted with clean, focused screens, the system quietly managed a complex web of operations, integrations, and legal requirements. This part of the work was invisible — and absolutely essential.
I worked on:
Settings architecture that allowed deep customization without overwhelming the interface — from tax logic to receipt formatting
Update systems that delivered new versions safely and clearly, even in low-connectivity areas
Compliance flows for EGAIS (alcohol tracking), with smart defaults and minimal friction for end users
Offline mode and automatic sync recovery, so stores could continue operations uninterrupted
Support tools like diagnostics, error logs, and quick-access QR reports for tech teams
Multi-role management that allowed different user types (cashiers, managers, admins) to access what they needed — and nothing more
Results & Learnings
Dreamkas POS systems became market leaders in Russia, with deployment in thousands of retail locations across the country — empowering cashiers with tools that were not only faster and easier to use, but actually built around their real needs.
Designing for the Real World
Dreamkas POS wasn’t just a modern interface — it was a fully operational retail system built to handle the messy, high-pressure reality of Russian retail. From chain supermarkets to tiny corner shops, we had to support users with radically different workflows, devices, and levels of digital literacy.
In this video, you’ll hear directly from cashiers and store owners across Russia who use Dreamkas POS every day.
Yes, it’s in Russian (and yes, it’s very much Russian reality — filmed right in real stores, during real shifts) — but even if you don’t speak the language, the body language, smiles, and enthusiasm speak for themselves. These are real people, in real retail environments, sharing honest feedback about how the system has made their work simpler, faster, and less stressful.
Outcome & Impact
Training time reduced by over 60% compared to traditional systems — most new cashiers could begin using the system confidently within minutes
Checkout speed increased by 25%, improving customer flow and reducing queue anxiety
User error rates dropped by 40%, thanks to simplified flows, clear labeling, and built-in fail-safes
Customer satisfaction scores exceeded internal targets by over 30%, especially among first-time users
The product became one of Crystals’ flagship offerings and helped establish Dreamkas as a trusted brand in the retail tech space
Learnings & Growth
This project was a turning point in my design career — the moment where I moved from designing screens to truly designing systems.
It’s where I learned:
How to design for real people, not ideal users — including those who’ve never touched a touchscreen before
How to bring skeptical stakeholders along, and turn “maybe later” into “let’s test it”
How to balance product ambition with technical and legal constraints — without losing the clarity in the interface
How to build trust, not just in the product, but in the design process itself
And how to grow from being the only UX person in the room… to someone capable of building a team, mentoring others, and shaping the way a company thinks about design
❤️ After all these years, the product is still in use — powering thousands of shops across Russia every single day.
The core interface remains nearly untouched, not because it was never revisited, but because it still works. New features have been added, teams have grown, and businesses continue to rely on it, just as they did from the start.
I still see it when I visit — same layout, same logic — helping someone behind the counter move through their day with a bit more ease.
That’s the kind of UX I want to keep building: thoughtful 🧠, practical 🧰, and strong enough to stand the test of time 🕰️.
Before I Close This Case
I can’t finish this case without mentioning one more project that meant a lot to me — and still does. One day, this project will get its own full case study — it deserves it. But I couldn’t close this chapter without mentioning one of the most meaningful things I helped design: the CSI self-checkout system.
From Fear to Familiar
At the time, self-service checkouts were a new and unfamiliar concept in Russia. Most people had never used one, didn’t trust them, or actively avoided them. The UX challenge wasn’t just about flow or UI — it was about building confidence, overcoming fear, and guiding people (including older generations) through something that felt entirely foreign.
These kiosks were rolled out in some of the country’s largest grocery chains — Spar, Lenta, OBI, Azbuka Vkusa, and more — which made the stakes even higher. The responsibility I felt as a designer was enormous: what we built had to work for everyone, in real-world conditions, at scale.
Spotted during my trip to Russia (2025)
Still in Use — and Still Making Life Easier
And still, the self-checkout systems I helped design are still out there. And they haven’t just survived — they’ve stayed exactly as we built them. The same flows. The same illustrations. The same clear, modern interface we created when the concept was brand new.
On a recent visit to Russia, I got to try them again — and nothing had changed. They still worked. They still felt simple, helpful, familiar. And more importantly, they still made things easier: for shoppers in a hurry, for older users who once hesitated to try, and for the cashiers whose hands are now a little less full. This wasn’t built for buzz. It was real, long-lasting change.
And on a personal level, it means a lot to me: my family and friends who stayed in Russia — people I love — use these systems every day. Seeing that, knowing that something I made quietly became part of daily life… that’s the kind of impact I’m most proud of.