Square KDS for Chase CenterUser research, live testing, quant/qual analysis, end-to-end UX and UI design B2B, SaaS, Hospitality Tech, KioskFuzz Productions 


Real-time kitchen display system for high-volume food service

I led the design of a Kitchen Display System for Chase Center that transforms how kitchen employees handle order fulfillment during high-traffic events, taking bottlenecked single-order processing into dynamic multi-order management, enabling staff to handle high-traffic events by prioritizing incoming orders and provides real-time status tracking. 

OUTCOMES

  • 50% reduction in customer wait times
  • 52% faster order fulfillment (2:55 → 1:23 minutes)
  • 10 Speed of Service kiosks deployed across Chase Center
  • Core SaaS product integration for Square's platform
  • 100% simultaneous multi-order processing capability

  • ROLE

    As the lead UX/UI designer, I conducted on-site user research during live events, identified critical workflow needs, drove end-to-end design, conducted pressure testing with venue staff and quant analysis, and worked closely with engineering for implementation.






    A stadium-scale problem

    Chase Center's existing Square POS system created a critical bottleneck where staff could only view one order at a time on the existing Square POS system, overwhelming employees during high-traffic events.

    Our goal was to design a more efficient interface that would allow better processing for multiple customer orders, significantly increasing fulfillment speed, and reducing overall burden on the employees at Chase Center’s eateries.


    The multi-user hypothesis


    We assumed the solution was simple, where we needed a solution for multiple people. Our initial interface featured six order tiles, each allowing staff to manually claim and process orders simultaneously. The workflow seemed logical based on what we knew from the brief: tap "Start Order," prepare the food, hit "Ready for pickup," then "Mark as done" when handed off.


    Insights and pivoting


    We tested our prototype with staff during live events, observing how they worked under pressure and where problems emerged. Our assumptions crumbled within hours. Instead of 5-6 people sharing the iPad, we watched one overwhelmed expeditor trying to make sense of our complex interface. During rush periods, they missed critical notifications entirely. Staff started improvising: one employee used only one tile at a time, defeating our multi-order purpose. Another tried juggling all six tiles simultaneously, creating more chaos than our original problem.

    Overall, we did see an improvement of about 8% in the average customer wait time for this POC compared to the Square POS, but we knew we could do better.



    Designing for speed and precision under pressure

    We stripped everything down to what actually mattered. The final design featured just three auto-populated tiles that displayed orders in priority sequence with clear visual hierarchy, time indicators, and exception flags. Orders that once took 2:55 minutes now completed in 1:23 minutes. The pickup area transformed from a crowded mess into an organized flow, and when problems arose, staff handled them effortlessly instead of panicking.

    An early sketch done immediately following our first on-site pressure testing session during a Golden State Warriors game.
    Testing our second POC prototype at the same eatery during an Ariana Grande concert.

    Implementation and impact

    Chase Center expanded our solution to all ten eateries immediately following the test run, maintaining consistent 1:50 minute average wait times venue-wide. Square integrated our KDS design into their core SaaS platform, where it now serves thousands of restaurants worldwide.