Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Path: utzoo!sq!msb
From: msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader)
Subject: Re: Touchscreens
Message-ID: <1991Jun17.062203.1381@sq.sq.com>
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
References: <8435@awdprime.UUCP> <6460@ns-mx.uiowa.edu>
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 91 06:22:03 GMT
Lines: 36


I never met an input device I liked as well as a keyboard, except for
the two cases of specialized environments and of graphics/drawing.  But
that's just me.

However, I'm particularly annoyed by a machine installed a few months
ago in my bank branch.  (Royal Bank of Canada, Yonge/Eglinton branch).
ago in my branch of the Royal Bank of Canada.  This machine takes the
user's ATM card and account passbook, and prints any pending updates
in the passbook [using a dot-matrix font :-(].

The device has a touchscreen and a numeric keypad.  To verify the user's
identity, it asks for a PIN, the same as an ATM does.  This has to be
entered on the numeric keypad.  Then, after the user has used the
touchscreen to choose which account to update, it asks the user for the
most recent balance shown in the passbook; this is to provide a partial
verification that it is the right passbook and open to the right page.
It then displays a numeric keypad on the touchscreen and disables the
real keypad!  Sheesh.  There is visual feedback, and I only have to type
a few digits, but it's still quite irritating to be slowed down by having
to use this method.

(A detail: unlike some banks, the Royal requires you to use a decimal
point on its machines.  On ATMs, $150 is typed as "150.00" or as "150"
plus the OK key, not as plain "150" or "15000".  Similarly the passbook
updater requires "150.00".  But its numeric keypad, I believe, has no "."
key.  Was this the reason for the decision to force the user to use the
touchscreen?  Couldn't something else have been done about it, like
getting numeric keypads *with* a "."?)

-- 
Mark Brader		"Actually, $150, to an educational institution,
Toronto			 turns out to be about the same as a lower amount."
utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com				-- Mark Horton

This article is in the public domain.