United States Postal Service

Improved Transaction Flows

Role: Lead UX Designer
Project Type: Retail Experience Modernization
Impact: 73% increase in sales, Reduced clerk dependency
Tools: Figma, Adobe XD, Jira, Claude, React/TSX

The United States Postal Service (USPS) was introducing a new AI-powered retail platform across self-service kiosks. I led the end-to-end modernization effort, defining a scalable design framework and reimagining the customer journey to improve usability, accessibility, and conversion.

problem

Inefficient Transactions

Current flows had inconsistent visual design, outdated IA, and long processes for common transactions. There was difficulty scaling new features; as AI-driven functionality grew in chatbot usage, package detection/measurement, and personalized suggestions, these issues became more apparent.

How might we modernize USPS kiosk experiences to improve usability, accessibility, and customer conversion?

user research

It works, but could be better

Qualitative: 12+ Interviews, Customer Journey Analysis (Mail a Package/Purchase Stamps), Accessibility Audits
Quantitative: Surveys, CSAT/CES Scores, Task Completion Times
Biggest Takeaway: Keep it simple. A kiosk screen is a singular touchpoint - customers have stood in line to use it. Less pressure, the better.

key findings

↑ Freedom, ↓ Overload

Customers navigated across 25+ screens to ship a package.
Speed, confidence, and guidance were the main priorities.
Customers lacked undo, cancel, or exit options for error prevention.
Disabled buttons did not consistently meet accessibility expectations according to WCAG 2.2 and Section 508.

number of seconds per screen to mail a package

competitive analysis

Existing Kiosks

How do these platforms handle visibility of status, design patterns, accessibility, and guidance?

Transportation Ticketing (Delta, Amtrak)
TSA PreCheck Enrollment Systems
FedEx Retail Services
Banking ATM Interfaces

ideation

Simplifying Flows

Through collaborative workshops with Product, Engineering, and R&D teams, iterations focused on:

Streamlining content and navigation flows around customer goals and common tasks
Ensuring frontend and backend interactions are complementary
Maintaining consistency with colors, fonts, and icons coded directly in React/TSX
Integrating accessibility requirements into every stage of design and validation
Modernizing with clear CTAs and edit/back/cancel options to account for human error

heuristics

Testing Prototypes + Scoring AI Outputs

My teammates and I evaluated screen by screen, rated the severity of any issues found, and annotated exactly where and why each one violated a heuristic. I walked away with a clear list of points for improvement and comparable metrics between iterations.

stakeholder validation

Feedback + Iterations

Qualitative: Think-aloud, A/B, Observational, IBM Accessibility Checker
Quantitative: Task Completion Times, # of Clicks
Success Metrics:
- Task completion efficiency > 85%
- Navigation success rates > 90%
- Accessibility compliance
- Satisfied, Confident Customer

before

after

For guidance, I added a persistent nav bar with access to Mr Zip (chatbot), language options, and cart. The progress bar is a clear status indicator; back and cancel buttons give users the ability to go back on their decisions.

The cart summary shows transaction details and related services/pricing. Disabled buttons have extra visual indicators and error messages.

For more consistent button colors, back is grey, close is red, and primary action is blue. "No" and "Yes" are both valid answers that will bring users forward in the flow.

Moving "Back" to the top-left separates it physically from the primary forward action so they don’t accidentally click on it.

results

Building Customer Confidence

USPS's NextGen Retail Software System has a new modernized feel, with progress-tracked mailing flows, enhanced readability, and validated accessibility against WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 standards. At any point in a workflow, users can choose to void or suspend their transactions if they want to resume their progress later on. Customers can now act freely with options to go back/cancel/edit.

additional improvements

Changing Landscape

Speech-to-text investments: cost avoidance means fewer clerk-hours and service improvements
Phone-kiosk connections
New vertical kiosks… self-checkout capabilities…

takeaways

Always Improving

Build way-outs. Test for edge cases.

Innovatively iterate. Design is not a one-and-done assignment; new technologies emerge every day.