WiTiGi is an application developed for the information age as smartphones become more ubiquitous and paper currencies start to fade. The application would improve upon current hardware and interface, creating a more natural and human interaction. With no more bills to worry about, and access to overhead stock, users could get more convenience out of their vending machines. The application will allow easy payment, and clairvoyant visibility on vending machines, minimizing time spent using the machine, and less time overall getting the products.
 The new interface removes a lot of effort for the user and a lot less frustration for the user when dealing with bill orientation and square the corners are. There is a lot room for error when inputing the alpha numeric codes. 

The idea for a new vending machine occurred after my friends and I built up an appetite practicing a dance for a skit. We were in Goldwin Smith Hall and we were hungry. We went to the basement to where the vending machines were and were extremely let down when we learned they didn't have any Cornell Card readers. My friend screamed in frustration. Being a futurist, I never carry any cash around, I thought about we had on us. We might not always have cash, but we'll "always" have our phones. That's when it occurred to me that Google Wallet was starting to catch on and Apple had big plans on making SmartPhones replace everything: Wallet, Keys, Camera, Computer, Etc. 

After the experience in Goldwin Smith, I began thinking about how nice it would be to not have to deal with dollar bills, and simply raise your phone to the appropriated area, enter in a pin code, and then purchase the item that you want. Then I thought about how much trouble I had in the past dialing the incorrect codes and getting an undesired food or snack. So I started coming up with ideas on how to map the items more naturally. One of the first things I thought was some type of touch screen that would just overlay slightly smaller buttons than the snack where the users could just touch what they want, the machine would dispense, and then they would be on their marry way. Unfortunately because the items are located a few inches behind the glass there would problems with perspective and users would end up having to get at eye-level with whatever they wanted. I drew some sketches on the basic idea and how it should work. 

I started talking to my piers, even the one who screamed, to get feedback and they were delighted to hear I was making a design for cashless vending machine. They agreed that I needed to work on a more intuitive interface, and one of them said having a huge touchscreen wouldn't be feasible. So I started coming up with a little interface that would replace this "guy"  ....

Finally I created a stop motion video of what would like the interface to feel like. It was initial supposed to be mockup of the vending machine but later became the basis for the UX. It's similar in size to the iPad, and would give a virtual representation of what the vending machine has in stock. Excuse the quality of the film as I didn't have the proper equipment at the time.

I also envisioned a paired mobile app that would allow the user to find their location, find nearby vending machines, and if the machines had the item specified by the user. Then if the user wanted to minimize the whole getting process, they could click on the items they want ahead of time on the mobile app and once they got to the machines, their order would be taken, and the multiple items would be dispensed simultaneously.

I created a field test to demonstrate what the mobile app would look like. Here's a sketch of the app and NFC pad.

Create a more human and more modern version of vending machines. Eliminating the use of cash, a more natural mapping, and catering to the future omnipotent SmartPhones, WiTiGi is going to be the next step in ease of use. 

Field Test App:
http://fldt.st/l2w5o0

Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EaGWk6bSrjJ8l0nz3zCYJy3M-xsobb2G6PRkPZ83atg/edit