at a local coin laundry in clinton hill, brooklyn.
the technology i chose to observe was a laundry card vending machine through which customers purchase and/or add money (with cash or credit card) to the card which operates the washing machines and dryers.
it basically looks like a giant credit card machine: 1) a small display on top which shows user information about its current operation, 2) number keypad plus four extra keys which allows manual keying of credit card number and aids in other functions, 3) magnetic card reader on the right side where you swipe your card, and 4) three slots at the bottom for, a) putting out new cards, b) putting in used cards to add money, and c) putting in cash.
seems fairly simple and easy.
there is, however, also a fat woman sitting in front of the machine. i had never paid any attention to her presence until this assignment, but as i sat down on a nearby chair and observed people interact with the machine, i noticed that her job (at least for the most part) was to help people use the machine. some people would ask for assistance when any kind of problem occurred during transaction, and others would just go straight up to her and she would operate the machine for them. also, another job of hers it seemed, was to stop customers from taking pictures of the machine -- hence no photograph for this blog post.
as i kept watching, i observed that the problem most people encountered was the machine refusing to take their money. if their bill was a little crumpled or torn, it would either be refused or returned immediately. as most people use cash to pay for their laundry card (you only add a couple of dollars each time), this was a major issue in the functioning of this modest machine. this does not seem to be a problem of design (which is pretty simple and functional) that norman writes about; its just bad feedback. it is funny that the woman whose function was clearly to facilitate the transaction, nevertheless did not seem to be an expert in this operation and would often have trouble herself. her function as human interface (in the double sense of the word) therefore was not entirely technical, but rather psychological and social -- a humane buffer to prevent users from getting upset with the technical deficiencies of the machine. life is easier when you know who to blame.
