Enhancing the Usability of Self-service Kiosks for Older Adults: Effects of Using Privacy Partitions and Chairs

TL;DR

This study investigates how physical design features like partitions and chairs in self-service kiosks affect older adults' workload and task performance, finding that seating and partitions significantly improve usability and reduce mental demand.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the positive effects of specific physical design features, such as chairs and partitions, on older users' experience with self-service kiosks.

Findings

Sitting reduces task completion time and workload.

Partitions decrease mental demand and effort.

Design recommendations improve older adults' usability experience.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of possible physical design features of self-service kiosks (SSK), side and back partitions and chairs, on workload and task performance of older users during a typical SSK task. The study comparatively evaluated eight physical SSK design alternatives, and younger and older participants performed a menu ordering task using each physical design alternative. Older participants showed a large variation in task performance across the design alternatives indicating stronger impacts of the physical design features. In particular, sitting significantly reduced task completion time and workload in multiple dimensions, including time pressure and frustration. In addition, the use of either side or back partitions reduced mean ratings of mental demand and effort. The study suggests placing chairs and either side or back partitions to enhance older adults' user experience. The use of the proposed physical design recommendations would greatly help them use SSK more effectively.