Automatic Teller Machines – Ineffective Interface Design

The concept of the Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), and the service they provide is brilliant as they make life all the more easier. However, the interface design cripples its utility and functionality.

ATMs are everywhere: banks, government buildings, stores, restaurants, gas stations and delis. The fact that they can be found in a multitude of quick-stop locations is convenient for users, who often need cash unexpectedly. ATMs allow easy access to the user’s money through the use of a credit or debit card, and PIN (Personal Identification Number) code, while avoiding the inconvenience of long bank lines and the scrutiny of curious bank clerks. Even though ATMs are aimed at making life and banking easier, they could stand to become user-friendly and enhance the customer experience. Even though ATMs have improved over time, the older, inefficient generations of stand alone ATMs are still being used today.

Firstly, the very aesthetics of the ATM is unpleasant, especially when considering modern day machines and systems. This makes the ATM unappealing and unapproachable, unlike the car seat control console, which users are so tempted to use whether they need to or not. This is because the design of the car seat control console is chic, comprehendible and natural. The appearance of the ATM, on the other hand, simply seems out-dated and difficult to use.

When a user does approach an ATM, he/she must go through a series of steps in order to withdraw money, and the whole process may become tedious easily. The user must first input their PIN before proceeding to answer the various questions that result in the desired action. However, the questions and its sequence differ from machine to machine, which slows the user, as he/she does not always know what to expect. Also, the layout of each page varies, forcing the user to use additional time surveying. This may be avoided if all ATMs (including today’s generation) adopted a standard process and layout.

The old generation of ATMs do not feature touch screen, but instead have physical buttons along the side of the screen that correspond to options onscreen. However, what makes this a poor interface is that the options onscreen do not align with the physical buttons that function it. This is frustrating as the buttons associated with each action is ambiguous. The push buttons themselves are not the easiest feature to function either, since they often jam, and sometimes cause errors; forced duplication or by an absence of imputation. Installing touch screens is the best solution, but aligning the buttons onscreen with those off screen is obvious, and should not have been an issue to begin with.

Another solution for the unfamiliar systems is personalized interfaces. Users may personalize their own settings through their bank’s website, which would be stored onto their card. Users may individualize screen shots, from dedicating wallpaper, to font and even language preference. Users should also have the option of adding quick links to their settings, which may give them access to their account information and activity. All these settings will be saved onto the card, and will appear each time it is swiped in any ATM, ensuring that the experience is natural, and the process is fast.

Each time I use the ATM, I receive twenty-dollar bills, why can I not receive the exact amount I need, or choose the denominations I would like to withdraw the cash in?

Security is always a concern when dealing with money, especially if it is through an ATM at a disheveled, New York deli. To assure most safety, ATMs may incorporate something more inimitable than a four/six-digit pass code, something that only the user can provide - a fingerprint. An onscreen finger print reader allows for added security.

If an ATM is able to dispense money, why is it not able to accept it too? By including the deposit function, users are able to bank after hours, avoid long lines at the bank and filling out bank deposit slips.

The service ATMs provide is irreplaceable, since we always seem to find ourselves in situations requiring that we have cash. However, its interface is something that can be replaced and developed. Bank ATMs have begun to do so but they too need further improvement.