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From: norton@manta.NOSC.MIL (LT Scott A. Norton, USN)
Newsgroups: comp.human-factors
Subject: Good ATM interface (WAS Re: Yucky ATM interfaces (WAS Re: Touchscreens)
Message-ID: <2073@manta.NOSC.MIL>
Date: 21 Jun 91 20:33:25 GMT
Organization: Space & Naval Warfare Systems Command
Lines: 23

Last month, I used my ATM card over the Cirrus network to get some
cash while at an airport, far away from my home bank.  I was
worried because I needed the cash, and I had never used the network
before.

After I inserted the card and entered the PIN, I was very pleased
when the ATM showed "Welcome to the XYZ Cash Machine, A. Scott Norton"
Becuase the machine said my name, I was immediatly assured that it
was progressing along correctly on the transaction.

In retrospect, I would guess the machine probably got the name from the
cards stripe, but the heartening effect was real.

On the down side, after the machine used my name for the fifth time,
it just got annoying, like a bad mail-merge form letter.

The lesson for user-interface designers is that substantive feedback like 
this has a real positive effect, particularly on an apprehensive user.

Scott Norton <norton@NOSC.MIL>
"Please state your full name."
"Ah... Clem"
"Thank you, 'Ah... Clem'"   -Firesign Theater