[IxDA Discuss] ATM interaction design

[Mitchell Joe]

Some things I'd like to change about my local Washington Mutual ATM are:

-When it takes my card, it takes it really slowly. You wouldn't think  
that that would make that much of a difference but it does. It's kind  
of like if a cashier were to hand you your change back verrrrrry  
slowly. Kinda creepy. And it doesn't inspire much confidence in the  
abilities of the machine.

-After I enter my 4-digit PIN, I have to press enter or some other  
button. Seems like they should just know that when I'm done, I'm  
done. It seems like not that much bad could happen by not allowing  
the user to cancel the incorrect 4 digits that they've just entered  
(as opposed to just telling them right after being the only option).  
But maybe some PINs are more than 4 digits. I don't know. (But if  
that were the case, then I would vote for making them all the same  
length.)

-My ATM makes me indicate that I would like to continue in English. I  
live near Chinatown and Little Italy in San Francisco and I do think  
they should offer at least Chinese and Italian and Spanish in my  
neighborhood, but they shouldn't make English speakers press a button  
to continue in English. They should just assume that I want to  
continue in English (by saying "Enter your PIN" in the English  
language) and at the bottom of that page have the language options.

-Wording. It asks me two questions before it lets me get my cash-- 
whether I want a receipt and whether I want to see my balance first.  
These seem like reasonable things to ask, but my choices for answers  
are 'Sure' and 'No, thanks'. What's wrong with 'Yes' and 'No'? I just  
want my money. I don't need the machine to try and be friendly. I see  
all the metal. I'm not fooled. If my choices were words like 'Yes'  
and 'No', then I think that the whole process would go more quickly.  
I'd be tempted to not even ask questions and just present the user  
with pairs of buttons: 'Receipt' and 'No receipt', and (on the next  
screen) 'See Balance' and 'No'.

-It would be great if my ATM could remember what I usually do. I  
usually ask for $100 from checking, no receipt, no balance. If I  
entered my card and then my PIN and then saw a button that said '$100  
from checking - no receipt', that would be great. That would be my  
favorite button. And then it could just offer me the other options if  
I needed them.

-I agree about the card swipe vs. card swallow issue. I think card  
swipe is better, for the reasons mentioned by others. (Makes it  
unlikely that you'll leave without your card.)

-I saw this really cool keypad in Germany as I was entering my  
friend's apartment building--the keys were clear and plasticky and  
numbers on the keypad were generated digitally underneath and the  
positions of the numbers changed. This means that the top row wasn't  
always 1 2 3 and the second row wasn't always 4 5 6. They might have  
been 7 4 3 and 9 1 6. This (I assume) was so that people looking at  
you from far away watching where your fingers moved wouldn't be able  
to deduce your access code. I'd like one of those on my ATM. :)

Sorry, didn't mean to complain. I love the fact that I can get money  
24/7 in about 30 seconds. I'd just prefer if I could get it in about 20.

Mitch

--

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise.
Seek what they sought."

Basho