Kroger Associate Facing Applicaton
Perishable Inventory Review
Perishable Inventory Review is a Android application that exists in the Kroger Instock app. It aids Kroger department leads to count all fresh depertment products for their period inventory count.
My Role
User Experience Designer, Researcher
Duration
10 Months
Tools
Figma, Mural
theOverview
As part of Kroger’s commitment to RF deprecation, how might we improve and simplify the Perishable Inventory Review counting process while transitioning it over onto the Zebra TC-52 device.
As with most major retailers, Kroger conducts an annual inventory count across all stores to ensure accurate product tracking and financial reporting. However, with fresh departments, the process known as Perishable Inventory Review (PIR) occurs every period to maintain freshness. Since a foundational process was already in place, our role was to deeply understand the existing end-to-end workflow in order to identify opportunities for improvement and update it to a new mobile handheld experience.
In preparation for their PIR count, associates would work their back room so that all the shelves were full stocked on the sales floor. To avoid any sales movement while counting, counts were completed overnight using the RF gun and then finished on the office computer to review count totals.
When the associate began their department count, they needed to select where in the department they were counting by selecting from a list of department locations. Some examples of these department locations were: sales floor, sales floor freezer, service case, back room freezer, etc. They would need to count all the products that were in each of those locations. Once all counts were collected, they would go up to the office computer and print out the count report and skim through the counts to find anything that seemed off. As department leads, they all knew their department very well and could spot when an amount seemed off. However, this still relied strictly on one persons knowledge and led to inventory errors and financial inaccuracies if not caught.
By thoroughly analyzing this workflow, we aimed to identify pain points and design a solution that streamlined the process, reduced manual effort, and enhanced overall accuracy and efficiency.
User-Centered Research & Testing
Conducted field research across multiple divisions, gathering first-hand insights from store associates and managers.
Partnered with UX Research to establish structured feedback loops, enabling continuous iteration and user-informed design decisions.
Discovery Workshop
Facilitated a comprehensive three-day discovery session with cross-functional teams, including designers, project managers, developers, and stakeholders.
Focused on problem framing and gaining a deep understanding of existing workflows using various LUMA Institute design methods.
Led sketching sessions and solution prioritization exercises to define the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Prototyping & Iteration
Designed and tested a range of prototypes—from low- to high-fidelity—refining user workflows based on usability testing and direct feedback.
Kroger's primary objective was to transition all existing applications from the legacy RF gun scanner—used for over 25 years—to the modern Zebra TC52 handheld device. Leveraging Kroger Design System standards, I designed an enhanced PIR audit experience aimed at streamlining perishable inventory counting for store associates on the Zebra handheld device.
Improving Visibility and Streamlining the PIR Process
Previously, during PIR counts using the RF gun, associates had no visibility into what had already been counted—either at the product or department level. If they wanted to confirm whether a product had been counted, they had to leave the floor, access a store office computer, and print a report. These printed reports listed items using shorthand abbreviations that were often difficult to interpret, adding confusion and slowing down the process.
Today, associates can view a clear, organized list of products grouped by their respective departments directly within the app. They can easily search by product name, UPC, or location, giving them immediate access to real-time count data and reducing unnecessary back-and-forth to the office.
Simplifying the Review Process
A key enhancement is the integration of an intelligent flagging system. This feature automatically highlights product counts that appear too high or too low, removing the need for associates to manually review totals on the office computer. In the past, only department leaders—those with deep knowledge of their inventory—were trusted to conduct PIR counts. Now, the app supports associates at all levels by comparing their entered counts against a smart estimate generated from historical inventory, point-of-sale data, and ordering patterns.
If a count falls outside of expected ranges, the system automatically flags it for review, enabling faster, more accurate reconciliation. This not only increases efficiency but also empowers more team members to confidently participate in the PIR process, improving accuracy across the board.
