Self-serve credit crunch
Posted in Usability Tips on February 5th, 2010 by Shefik Bey – 4 Comments
The process was slower than I had expected it to be, but the real crunch came at the point of making a payment; my credit card signature needed to be assessed by the self-serve assistant. It was apparent after a moment or two of scratching my head and looking about like a idiot, that it was I (rather than the system) that was required to notify an assistant that they were required to complete this transaction. As the assistant was busy attending other customers I had to wait, for what seemed a long time, for my turn. This seemed completely counter-productive.
I have used my credit card in a number of other comparative self-serve systems recently including car park and public transport ticketing machines. In these instances signature validation was not required. Of course, Woollies level of security with signature assessment is a notch above these systems, however, this experience for a first time user will undoubtably put many off from self-serving again.
When you consider how vital credit cards are for self-serve transitional purchasing, surely some revision is required to aid consumer adoption of the service? I would encourage Woollies to consider one of the following:
- Scrap the signature validation completely (consistent with comparative systems), or
- Electronically match/validate the signature.
