Reach modelling for drive-up self-service

People using a self-service terminal such as an automated teller machine (ATM) tend to adjust their physical position throughout a transaction. This is particularly apparent with terminals that are designed to be used from a vehicle (i.e. drive up automated teller machines or ATMs). Existing predictive tools tend to focus on static reach and provide limited predictions for how far people are willing to stretch to complete a task. Drive-up self-service products have 3 main challenges: the variability of vehicles, people and driver behaviour. Such conventional tools are therefore of limited use in understanding how much people are willing to move to use a self-service terminal. Work is described to build in-house predictive models based on 2 large empirical studies of reach in a drive up installation. These 2 studies assessed comfortable and extended reach from 10 vehicle categories. Extended reach was defined as stretching/leaning as far as participants would normally be willing to in order to complete a drive-up transaction. Findings from these studies indicated that participants are prepared to adopt more extreme postures at drive-up than in other situations with extended reach at drive-up being significantly different to what might be seen at a walk-up kiosk.