Role
Timeline
Methods
Problem
Kiosk interfaces lack standardized design guidelines. Unlike personal devices, they exist in public-facing, distracting environments.
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Intervention
Context
Since one of their biggest clients is a nationwide arcade franchise, our research primarily focused on this setting.
Field Research
To observe exactly how customers navigate kiosks, we visited a local arcade and asked participants to walk us through purchasing and reloading a game card.
Participants consistently struggled with on-screen text instructions about swiping cards. Users stared at the screen, while the card reader below flashed unnoticed.
Aggressive countdowns (presumably to help lines move faster) and abrupt feedback loops didn't help; they only increased anxiety, especially during transactions.
Participants weren't keen on the upsells or memberships and were confused about how to navigate this specific pop-up/page.
Based on our ideation and prior research, we moved on to creating wireframes and quickly turned them to screens for the first prototype.
Testing Set-Up
We loaded our prototype onto a 32-inch kiosk monitor provided by Frogslayer and set up shop in the Purdue Memorial Union (PMU - Our Student Center).
Surrounded by eateries and the rush of students between classes, it served as a high-traffic environment to stress-test our prototype.
Process & Iterations
Participants were tasked with purchasing a new game card using a think-aloud protocol.
Across three sessions—on different days—we iterated on the spot (& after). This way, we tested multiple versions of the prototype, aiming to make sure our guidelines were rigorously backed:
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Testing spanned about two weeks, and parallely, we were all on the lookout for how loyalty programs were proposed and framed across different outlets to inform our own prototypes.
Upsells
Points/Perks
Guideline Synthesis
We gathered data from all stages of research and testing, then analyzed and categorized our findings into three broad themes:
This categorization gave us a framework to present the guidelines. For the format, we took inspiration from NN/g Usability Heuristics.
Limitations
While we did our best to simulate the arcade environment at the PMU, we recognize it wasn't a perfect match. Our testing pool was restricted to students (ages 18–25). Testing with a wider demographic—particularly families and children who frequent arcades—would have given us deeper insights into attitudes toward loyalty programs, environmental constraints, etc. We tried to bridge these gaps by cross-referencing our work with scholarly whitepapers and industry reports.
Reflections
I’m grateful I got to be a part of this project and do tons of hands-on research (with a whole kiosk monitor! I'm still not over how cool it was to load our prototypes on it). I fell down rabbit holes and learned a ton about Service Design and CX. I realized how many variables go into defining success, and I aspire to design for ecosystems like these.
Most importantly, I had a wonderful team. I learned a lot from them and was able to provide mentorship during testing sessions and data analysis where I could.
A huge thank you to our professors, TAs, and project owners for being a great support system and helping us bring this project together.
