Redesigning Voice and Scanning Shopping Lists

We spent much time looking at ease of use and psych of the shopping list.  Often mentioned here (see the tag below).   Here is a unitasking solution to grocery lists.   By voice, and with much better design, they say.   Current voice lists do have problems with complex names and descriptions, and could foul up cooks and gourmands.   Scanning works, if you have a code handy.  Inclined to think the market will be limited, and those folks will use multitasking assistants.  Kickstarter at $79.

Alexa Gets some Company, LYSTR Takes the Headache out of Creating Grocery Lists  By Lulu Chango in DigitalTrends

With all of the other lists you’re creating and keeping tabs on in your head, the last thing you need is a complicated grocery list, too. Luckily, there’s a new app that wants to take all the thinking out of shopping — for food, that is. Meet Lystr, a new Internet of Things product that just made its Kickstarter debut, and aims to take the hassle out of your grocery shopping.

Anytime you realize you’re running low on an essential kitchen supply like milk, olive oil, or eggs, simply tell your new connected device something like, “Hey Lystr, add milk.” If you want to remember an exact brand of a product, you can use Lystr’s sensor to scan the item’s bar code. No matter which method you opt for, the item will automatically be added to your shopping list so the next time you make a trip to the store, you won’t be wracking your brain trying to remember what you forgot.

The companion Lystr smartphone app contains the entirety of your grocery list, and you can share the contents of said list with any of your contacts, or email it to your personal assistant (if you’re lucky enough to have one).

Lystr founder Kara Scanlin sees the product as the equivalent of Amazon Alexa or Dash. Rather than talking to an Amazon Echo, you’ll be talking to a discreet device that plugs into any outlet in your kitchen, and can be taken just about anywhere you go.

“We put an insane attention to detail in designing the product,” Scanlin noted of the design process. “I’m picky, and I know my customer is picky about what they put in their kitchen, so we had to make it beautiful.”   .... '