Aloha Cloud POS order entry interface showing menu item grid, modifier architecture, and card-based ticket layout with real-time pricing.
Nested modifier interface with breadcrumb navigation for tracking position in deep modifier hierarchies.
Kitchen ticket display with typographic hierarchy for fast scanning during high-volume service.
Nested Modifier Architecture
Contextual panels with breadcrumb navigation handling 3-4 levels of modifier depth for complex orders.
Mod Codes
Verbose descriptors (Lite, Extra, None, Side, Add) for ambiguous quantities matching natural restaurant language.
Typography System
Standardized font sizes, weights, and hierarchy across the entire application for scanability.
Verbose modifier (Mod Code) example showing 'Lite' descriptor for ambiguous quantity communication.
Typography standardization grid defining font sizes, weights, and use cases across the application.
Modifier flow showing how servers navigate item customization through progressive disclosure.
The Process
NCR was developing Aloha Cloud POS to modernize legacy on-premise restaurant systems. Servers needed to enter complex orders with multiple modifiers — a single burger order might include "Medium-rare, no onions, add bacon, sub sweet potato fries, side of ranch" — quickly and accurately under time pressure. The interaction patterns for order entry, modifier flows, and quantity input weren't yet defined.
I designed a nested modifier system using progressive disclosure with breadcrumb navigation, enabling servers to drill through 3-4 levels of modifiers while maintaining context. I also architected how "Mod Codes" — verbose descriptors like Lite, Extra, None — would integrate into the Cloud POS workflow, preserving natural restaurant communication patterns. Defining how servers communicate with the system under pressure meant every interaction had to feel immediate and forgiving.
I was moved to a different project before Cloud POS reached completion, but the interaction patterns I established during those 4 months became foundational. The product later launched globally and is now deployed in thousands of restaurants worldwide.
PLACEHOLDER: Order entry flow diagram showing item selection to modifier to ticket flow
Order entry flow
PLACEHOLDER: Modifier nesting architecture showing depth levels and breadcrumb pattern
Modifier nesting architecture
PLACEHOLDER: Mod Code integration showing how verbose descriptors flow from order to kitchen ticket
Mod Code integration
Impact
Early Stage Design
Restaurants Deployed
Interaction Patterns Established