Observation Assignment : VTM (Value Transfer Machine) & Cash Card
I chose to evaluate the cash card and vending machine (or VTM) used at my local laundry mat. I've observed customers purchasing and using the cards on many occasions throughout the past several months while living in my neighbrhood. Most have no difficulty figuring out the interface, but it often takes them a few moments to realize they must use the cash machine nearby if they don't have anything smaller than a $20 bill.
The cards are an efficient way to handle the large number of machines that would otherwise require cash collection. With the vending machine, the cash collection is consolidated to one location.
The VTM itself has a relatively simple and manageable interface. However, since the neighborhood is multi-ethnic (various Indonesian dialects, Portuguese, Greek and Arabic are spoken), some of the customers may benefit from having a greater variety of languages represented. As it stands, only English and Spanish are being implemented. It seems that French as well as a couple of Asian languages may be helpful. Perhaps, this was an additional cost the developers/programmers did not feel was necessary.
The assigment asked us to consider the perspective of an alien seeing this technology without a reference point. This is certainly what many recent immigrants may feel like when using the machine for the first time. Particularly if English or Spanish aren't languages they feel comforatable with. Luckily, there are visual cues on the machine such as a graphic of money being inserted and color coding of buttons.
Overall, the VTM is a serviceable machine that could be improved aesthetically and internally with software enhancements to make it easier and more pleasurable to use. Most customers would likely rather use it than carry cash or a pocket full of quarters around.
