Cartoon Dreams: ATM Research Project

Hey guys! While I was at the Carlow institute of technology me and my fellow Industrial Design students did a cool service-design related research project. We split into small groups of 4 or 5 people. Our goal was to collect data on the different ways that people handled using a public ATM. We set up shop a ways away from an ATM in a mall and gathered data on everyone who used it. We made 3 final sheets to convey our findings. I was the designated sketcher for my group, and in the observing stage did numerous sketches of the users. Afterwards, I also designed and drew the final sheets from sketches and notes we had taken. It's important to note that I didn't do the marker work here. Also the ATM in the pictures is traced from line-work that another group member did.

So these first two are "Personas" created from observing many different kinds of users and looking at the overlap. We found that men tended to act much more cautiously throughout the transaction, especially when they were alone. We also found that mothers tended to be more comfortable, even though their attention was often split between the ATM and their child.

The third sheet I did is a look at the way various users handled taking out their purses/wallets. It also looks at the way that the cash is collected and put away after the transaction. We found that men tended to get their wallets out earlier and also put the cash into their wallet while walking away. Women tended to do the opposite in those two instances. We also found that mothers sometimes hang their purses on their strollers, or even leave it on the floor for a minute. Generally speaking, women tended to take their time more and go at a slower pace, while men tended to hurry through the process.

Here are some gesture sketches I did while watching various users. Some of these are sequences of use (step by step sketches of the various actions taken by the user). These are just a few choice sketches ones out of many.