Mock up of chart with stickers

Receipt stickers printed on clear adhesive sheet, stuck onto the chart backing.

Does it have to be a tangible object?? Going back to the idea of the Excel spreadsheet, it could be an online app?

Organisation - Sticker Chart

What if receipts were printed as small stickers which could then be stuck onto a chart (wall or book) to improve the organisational quality of the receipt process?

Example layout of sticker chart shown above.

Information hierachy

- PLACE OF PURCHASE AND WHICH EXPENDITURE GROUP THIS FALLS UNDER (e.g. Transport, Recreation and Culture, e.t.c.)

- DATE (Month and Year most important)

- AMOUNT AND IN WHICH FORM PAID FOR (e.g. Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card or Cheque)

Excel analysis of expenditure

I have direct debits for Transport, Housing (rent), Fuel, Power, Communication and Education, so do not have receipts for these expenditures.

Analysis of receipts in my wallet

Who am I designing for? The retailer or the consumer?

As a consumer I accumulate a large amount of paper receipts, mostly from credit card transactions, which linger in my wallet and eventually get thrown away. There is a need to make the receipt an object which is retained by the purchaser so that they can check their accounts to make sure they tally, and, if desired, return the item to the seller getting a full refund or store credit.

The receipt at the moment is not designed to aid the receiver. They are printed on thermal paper as it is cheap and does not require the use of ink, this is to cut costs on the retailer's end. By making the object feel cheap it gives a feeling of unimportance and therefore is commonly discarded. This benefits the retailer as the consumer does then no longer have proof of purchase and will therefore find it difficult to return the purchased product. Retailers will do as much as possible to ensure they do not have items returned to them.

I intend to redesign the receipt to aid consumer experience. I intend to improve on the satisfactory experience of receiving said receipt and by designing to increase the quantity of receipts kept and stored by consumers I will be aiding people to retain their consumer rights.

How to design a receipt

By ehow.co.uk:

Receipts are legal documents that provide details about a transaction---sales, donation,

materials received or petty cash. The document can be used to track incoming revenue,

identify a return of materials, or keep track of inventory. Some businesses may have further

receipt requirements that include facility identification numbers, customer numbers,

and business tax numbers. Knowing federal, state and local government requirements

pertaining to taxes and identification before designing the receipt prevents the need

to re-design the document.

Instructions

1. 1

   Decide what type of receipt is needed and how it will be used and printed.

2. 2

   Identify all the information needed for the particular receipt. For example, a sales receipt will need to indicate a date, the names of the parties making the transaction, the form of transaction (cash, credit card, store credit), the items being purchased, state, local and federal sales tax (if applicable), and a place to note the total amount of the transaction.

3. 3

   Identify all the different departments that will handle the receipt and ask what they need to see on the document.

4. 4

   Design the receipt using the information in Steps 1 through 3. Sketch the receipt design on paper before creating the document in a computer graphics program.

5. 5

   Include any other information that may be pertinent for the customer--return policy, available discounts and coupons, fees charged for restocking merchandise, and business identification numbers.

Read more: How to Design Receipts | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_5800829_design-receipts.html#ixzz19vQ3Q9kK

Properties of the receipt

- Thermal paper - discolours in direct light and heat (fades over time)

- Most can only print in b&w

- All very similar - indistinguishable

- Quantity - excessive use of paper for a small quantity of information

- Thin - feel cheap and invaluable - readily discarded

- Easy to lose - diminishes probability of returning purchased object

PROOF OF PURCHASE - CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND SHOP

Receipt as contract between seller and purchaser

Advice from direct.gov.uk :

Shopping rights

When you go shopping anything you buy is covered by a law called the Sale of Goods Act 1979. This means that when you buy a product it should be:

• as described
  
• fit for purpose
  
• of satisfactory quality

As described

This means that the item you buy should be the same as any description of it. A description could be what the seller has said to you about the item or something written in a brochure.

Fit for purpose

What you buy should be able to do the job that it was made for. Also, goods should be fit for any specific purpose you agreed with the seller at the time of sale. For example, if you were looking to buy a printer and asked the seller if it would work with your computer then that advice has to be correct.

Satisfactory quality

Goods that are of satisfactory quality are:

• free from minor defects (problems)
  
• of a good appearance and finish
  
• strong and safe

• Sale of Goods Act 1979Opens new window

Refunds

You can get your money back if an item is:

• faulty (it doesn’t work properly)
  
• incorrectly described
  
• not fit for purpose
  

If you find that the item doesn’t meet these requirements you can ask for your money back, as long as you do so quickly. Alternatively, you can request a repair or replacement or claim compensation.

You do not have a right to a refund if you:

• change your mind about a product
  
• decide you do not like it
  

Receipts and proof of purchase

You don’t have to have a receipt to get a refund. However a seller can ask you to provide some proof of purchase. This could be a credit card bill or bank statement.

Items bought in a sale

If you buy anything in a sale you are still covered by the Sale of Goods Act. You wouldn’t get a refund if:

• you were made aware of a fault before the sale
  
• the fault should have been obvious when you bought the item

Where to get help if things go wrong

First, ask the company to put things right - put your complaint in writing. If you are still not happy you may have to take the matter to court. Contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau for advice.

You can also get in touch with the local council’s Trading Standards office.

Critical Prototypes - The Receipt

Government figures on the average UK household expenditure.

Design for Deception - Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception plan during World War II. As part of the widespread deception plan Operation Barclay to cover the intended invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 instead of Sicily, the actual objective. This was accomplished by persuading the Germans that they had, by accident, intercepted "top secret" documents giving details of Allied war plans. The documents were attached to a corpse deliberately left to wash up on a beach in Punta Umbría in Spain.

Wallet litter - Design of wallet contents in order to fool the Germans into belief of this character e.g. - false love letters, false receipts (for a wedding ring), false identification e.t.c.

Printed matter about your person as an indication of who you are and what you do. Evidence of existence.

PDF Presentation - Themes