TBC Bank Usability Testing |
Testing a bank kiosk before building it: TBC Bank
In Georgia, many banking tasks happen at kiosks rather than on phones, so a confusing kiosk costs a bank customers and transactions. Before TBC Bank built its new kiosk interface, Box UK tested it in a lab with a realistic mocked-up kiosk, imitation money and real users, and found problems that screen-based testing would have missed.
In short
- Georgia is still largely a cash-based economy, so TBC Bank customers rely on kiosks and ATMs
- TBC Bank wanted to validate new kiosk designs before development.
- Box UK built a realistic touch-screen kiosk in its usability lab.
- Recruited participants used imitation cash and a TBC debit card to complete real tasks.
- A second consultant observed and analysed every session live.
- Testing found issues that desktop or tablet testing would have missed.
Customer background
TBC Bank is one of Georgia’s largest banks. Because much of the Georgian economy still runs on cash, its customers do a lot of everyday banking through kiosks and ATMs: paying household bills, topping up mobile phones, depositing and withdrawing cash. TBC’s goal was to offer the best multi-channel banking experience in the country, and kiosks were a big part of that.
The challenge
TBC Bank had designed a new kiosk interface covering many user journeys, and needed to know it worked before investing in development. The kiosks had specific requirements too: accepting multiple currencies and letting customers log in securely for some tasks.
Testing on a desktop or tablet wouldn’t show how people behave at a physical machine, with cash in one hand and a card in the other.
Our approach
We chose lab-based usability testing for the depth of insight it gives. Cultural and banking differences meant some testing could only happen in Georgia, but many high-level findings about findability and efficiency could come from UK participants in Box UK’s usability lab.
To get realistic results, we built a realistic environment:
- a touch-screen banking kiosk mocked up in the lab
- imitation money and a TBC Bank debit card for every participant
- participants recruited to match TBC’s customers: early twenties to early forties, familiar with current accounts, credit cards and mortgages
Participants withdrew cash, made deposits, topped up phones and checked balances. A UX consultant sat with each one, asking questions and noting behaviour, body language and expressions. Both the participant and the screen were recorded and relayed to a second room, where another consultant observed and analysed in real time.
What we found
Because participants used a realistic kiosk, they behaved like real customers, and that surfaced problems a screen-based test wouldn’t. For example, users missed notification messages while they were inserting money, because their attention was on the cash slot, not the screen.
The outcome
TBC Bank went into development with evidence of what worked and what didn’t, and could fix issues in the design, when changes are cheapest, rather than after the kiosks were live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because people behave differently at a machine. In TBC Bank’s testing, users missed notifications while inserting cash, which wouldn’t have shown up on a desktop or tablet.
Partly. For TBC Bank, UK participants gave useful insight into findability and efficiency, while testing that depended on Georgian banking habits had to happen locally.
A participant completes real tasks while a consultant observes and asks questions, and the session is recorded and watched live by a second consultant. At TBC Bank, tasks included withdrawing cash, making deposits and topping up phones.
Before development, while the design is still a prototype. That’s when changes are cheapest.
What this means
for your organisation
If you’re designing for a physical touchpoint, whether that’s a kiosk, a self-service terminal or a device used on the move, testing on a laptop won’t tell you what happens in real use. People’s hands, attention and surroundings change how they use it.
If you’re about to build something people will use away from a desk, send us a few lines about it. We’ll tell you how we’d test it.
Talk to one of our digital experts
Tom Houdmont
Chief Technology Officer
Do you have an idea or a project you need support with?
Tom is CTO at Box UK, with 12 years’ experience helping clients deliver ambitious digital products. His background spans Solution Architecture, Front End Development and AI adoption, with particular expertise in high-traffic websites that perform reliably at scale and in embedding AI into delivery practice.
Or call us on 020 7439 1900
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