A Study Of An ATM Simulator Based Tool For Usability Evaluation

With the progress of technology and competition between banks, the ATMs have been developed rapidly in recent years and benefit both users and banks. However, the usage of ATM in China is not in an ideal condition compare with the developed countries. One of the most important reasons is the ATM usability problems. Whether or not people can use the ATMs efficiently and easily may affect them will start or continue to use ATMs.Based on the analysis of current ATM usability research achievement, the author tries to design and develop an ATM simulator based tool for usability evaluation. This tool provides a prototyping framework combined with a user testing platform for interactive development, it also can use the users' interactive action data to help the engineer find usability problems of ATM. The author uses the tool to simulate three ATM systems user interface flows and conduct user testing on them, by dint of the tool and other methods the author then evaluate the three ATM systems usability. With trials of this tool, it is tested to be useful and can help the engineer to find some usability problems. It is practicable in some degree now.In this thesis, the author summarizes the ATM usability research firstly and then analyzes methods of ATM user interface usability evaluation. Learning from the advantages and disadvantages of those methods, the author introduces the design, development and application of ATM simulator based tool for usability study. In the end, the author summarizes work of the thesis and gives some advice to this tool in the future.