McDonald’s Brave New IoT and Face-Recognition Efforts Share: Point Jupiter Score Awaiting client review n/a Date Published 4 July 2019 Reading Time 2-Minute Read We worked on implementing a new state-of-the-art face recognition software to McDonald’s digital kiosks to improve usability and delight users. The goal of the project was to introduce state-of-the-art face recognition technology to McDonald’s. Face recognition can offer many benefits, for the company itself and for the customers. The technology uses a facial recognition system that can find out the person sex, age, even sentiment. Those findings can be used in various ways. Statistical data and advanced meal recommendation system are just some of the proposed use cases. 3 Steps The basis of the project was to showcase the technology on a McDonald’s conference. The first step was to leave your data and meal preferences on an onsite tablet and mobile app. Next step was placing a user in front of an ordering kiosk booth. At the same time, the nearby big screen was showing what happens when the recognition software kicks in. Mobile and Tablet Apps The first step (optional) was aimed at getting the information from the user. The information included was the user’s name, selfie, and meal preference. Onsite tablet and mobile apps were the tools to do so. Kiosk A user entering the kiosk booth triggers the second step. Kiosk booth has an integrated camera connected to the face recognition technology, and when it scans the users face, it displays users information, and it gives corresponding meal recommendations. Big Screen As the user’s face is scanned, face recognition software recognizes the user’s gender, estimated age, and sentiment. Along with knowing the time of the day and the current weather, it displays a suitable meal recommendation. Results The face recognition prototype was successfully set up, and it attracted a lot of people at the conference. People enjoyed seeing the age and sentiment guesses by the technology, which made the onboarding experience smoother. Services Used Project Strategy Client Workshop Research Defining MVP Feature Set UX and UI Design Information Architecture User Personas User Experience Prototyping UI Design