At my local Lowe’s store, when you’re ready to make your purchase at the self-checkout, you have the option to choose either English or Spanish for your checkout language.
The process is pretty straightforward. I chose Spanish on the first checkout screen, and was moving along with my purchase until this screen displayed:
Look carefully.
Notice the instructions on the left screen are written in English, telling me to have my card ready to show the cashier.
The touchpad on the right displays Spanish text, asking me to confirm the last four digits of my card.
If I only know Spanish, how can I be prepared to show the cashier my card?
Not a One-Time Mistake
While I thought this might be a one-time error, the next step in the process revealed a similar issue.
English text displayed in the left screen, asking for my signature.
The touchpad on the right screen repeats the left screen’s instructions in English.
And asks me to touch the button named “Regresar.”
The “Regresar” button doesn’t exist.
The only buttons I can select on the left screen are written in English, “Clear” and “Done”, words I wouldn’t know if I only speak Spanish.
Oops! Looks like some additional usability testing is needed.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m impressed with the outreach Lowe’s has made for Spanish-speaking consumers, with bilingual signage as well as the Spanish checkout option.
As I left the store, I told the Lowe’s staff member about the mix of English and Spanish content in the checkout process.
She thanked me for telling her, replied no one else had mentioned the issue, and said she would tell her manager.
Hopefully, Lowe’s will get it straightened out quickly.
