Designing a Smart Vending Ecosystem from the Ground Up

UI system and cloud management platform built across multiple machine models, custom client flows, and third-party app integrations.

Company: DMVI, Digital Media Vending International.

Role: Lead Product Designer.

My scope: Product Research, Conceptualization, User Journey Mapping, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, Development Companion, Stakeholder Management.

Deliverables: Standard UI, Custom UI Variants, Cloud Management Platform.

Product type: 0 → 1, B2C Consumer Touchscreen UI, B2B Cloud Dashboard, Multi-model hardware system.

Problem:
No standardized UI across old and new machine models. Existing interfaces were inconsistent, inaccessible, and not customizable per client. No cloud platform for operators to manage inventory, monitor performance, or configure flows.

Process:
Led end‑to‑end product design, navigating an international team across time zone gaps and cultural differences. Preserving design intent meant prioritizing functionalities within budget and time constraints, negotiating on details when full fidelity wasn’t achievable, and maintaining close oversight to keep what mattered most intact.

Solution:
A modular touchscreen UI system operating across all DMVI models that host from 200 to 5,000 products, built following WCAG accessibility standards and e-commerce UX principles adapted for vending machine interactions. Fully brandable for each client directly from VendingTracker OS, which also handles IoT telemetry, cashless payments, and remote operations tooling on a single platform.

Result:
Deployed across 22 countries, improving operations visibility and reducing incident resolution time. Featured on NBC San Francisco and exhibited at the NAMA Show.