Following the release of the Self Checkout functionality in campusM (2025), we conducted user testing with a group of beta testers using the mobile application.

A recurring pain point emerged: when a checkout attempt fails, the error modal only displays a generic message ("Checkout failed") that gives users no indication of why the operation could not be completed. Users cannot tell, for instance, whether the item is non-circulating, already on loan, reserved for another patron, or otherwise unavailable.

Suggestion: We suggest enhancing the Self Checkout workflow in the mobile app to display more detailed and actionable error messages, ideally aligned with existing Alma messaging. Since Alma already includes a wide range of predefined "Self Check Messages," these could potentially be reused or mapped to the mobile app context, ensuring consistency across systems.

Expected benefits:
- Users understand immediately why a checkout failed and what action they can take.
- Library staff receive fewer support requests related to self-checkout failures.
- The feature aligns with the messaging granularity already available in Alma's self-check configuration.

We believe this enhancement would improve the end-user experience.