How programming can influence your thinking

So, I'm going to take a break from explaining what I have been learning to talk about what I have been experiencing. I had to take a part time retail job and it has made me think about how programmers approach problems and how they should be. As a cashier, I notice things like the way the our touch screen checkout is laid out. Does it make sense that when you log into the register, that the first thing you see is the training screen, or rather would it make more sense to default to the checkout options, sale, return etc?. Another thing I've noticed is that our credit card machine screen. Besides the fact that it takes FOREVER to run a credit card, the instructions are lacking. Sadly, not everyone understands how it works.....and the credit card machines vary widely from one merchant to another. Information on how to choose to run your card as a credit transaction vs a debit transaction are not available on the screen and often people don't say anything until you realize you've been standing there for what feels like 30 minutes and nothing has happened. Obviously, I'm exaggerating. These things have made me think about the little things that programmers assume that a end user may or may not need. What I think is necessary may not be that obvious to someone who doesn't go through what I do on a regular basis when I check out a customer. Who knew that a customer would want to see if their item is ringing up correctly when I scan it. Apparently not the person who programmed the register software. What made sense to them, wasn't what the customer wants to see. I often get asked about whether or not the item came up at the correct price and then in order to verify this information, I have to attempt a price check. Not the end of the world but it seems like an unnecessary step to take to get information that should probably already be there.

The reason for talking about this is not to talk negatively about my experiences, but rather to point out that as a programmer/developer we need to be aware of how our end user will interact with our product.

So, the question becomes....do the programmers talk to people that have to interact with the interfact they created on a daily basis? Do they talk to them when they consider improvements?