Insanely Generative

Target’s Double-Tap Debacle and the UX Scold


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The Target parking lot: where the rubber meets the road, the minivans meet the SUVs, and an elaborate pas de deux unfolds between app-tapping shoppers and beleaguered Target employees. This is the scene of the great “double-tap” debacle, a symphony of button-mashing that has sent the Target UX team into a spiral of corrective measures.

Picture it: curbside pickup. A thing of beauty, at least on paper.

You, the shopper, are supposed to place an order from the cozy confines of your home. Then, you hop in your car, tap “On my way” as you leave, cruise over to Target, and, upon arrival, give a triumphant tap on “I’m here.” Ideally, this gives Target employees time to gather your assorted treasures when you first let them know you’re on your way. In theory, it’s a well-oiled machine, a seamless ballet of anticipation and order fulfillment. You show up, tap “I’m here,” Target delivers your order within three minutes, and you leave with a trunk full of consumer delights.

But in practice? It’s chaos.



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Insanely GenerativeBy Paul Henry Smith