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This page contains :
Membership 1999 - 2003
Mrs. Frances Fortuin (chairperson), The Netherlands
Mr. John Gill, UK
Mr. Hamou Bouakkaz, France
Mrs. Dagny Mörk, Sweden
Mr. Rudolf Volejnik, Czech Republic
Mr. Desmond Kenny, Ireland
Secretariat : Mildred Theunisz, The Netherlands
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- cash
dispensers and ATMs
- Electronic
Fund Transfer at Point Of Sale (EFTPOS)
- Electronic
Purse
- Cash
Dispensers and ATMs
- Electronic
Fund Transfer at Point Of Sale (EFTPOS)
- Electronic
Purse
Chapter 3 : Suggestions for increasing accessibility standards and user
requirements
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Terms of Reference
- To develop and co-ordinate political,legal and public action- to ensure
that blind and partially sighted people in Europe can independently operate
new equipment for electronic money transactions.
- To prepare lists of user requirements for the design of electronic money
systems that is fully accessible for blind and partially sighted people,
based on the results of existing research and evaluation of equipment
already in use.
- To arrange the dissemination of information to producers of this
equip-ment. to policy makers and general consumer or-gani-sations and to EBU
member organisations.
- To seek the incorporation of these user requirements in European
standards.
- In general: to protect thus the interests of blind and partially sighted
people in relation to new electronic money systems.
INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The work of EBU WEMS
The working group on access to electronic money systems (WEMS) was
established by the board of the European Blind Union at the end of 1997. Its
first meeting took place on 31 January 1998 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Meetings in London (October 1998), Paris (May 1999) and Stockholm (February
2000) followed.
Members of the working group :
Mrs. Frances Fortuin, (chairperson) the Netherlands
Mr. John Gill, U.K.
Mr. Hamou Bouakkaz, France
Mrs. Dagny Mörk, Sweden
Mr. Rudolf Volejnik, Czech Republic
Mr. Desmond Kenny, Ireland
First the working group tried to describe the subject they would like to
work on as well as the main problems which could be distinguis- hed. We
focues on three different kinds of electronic money sys- tems :
1. cash dispensers and ATMs
2. EFT POS (electronic fund transfer at point of sale)
3. electronic purse.
The description and ways of functioning of these equipment is to be found in
chapter 1 of this report. In this chapter you will also find a general
description of the main problems visually impaired people face using these
terminals.
EBU WEMS started its work by the collection of data necessary to create a
clear picture of the actual situation. A few questions on each subject have
been forwarded to all the national member organi- sations of EBU. What we
did want to know was :
1. what kind of electronic money equipemnt is in use in the different
European countries?
2. possible solutions familiar to the national member organisation to
improve accessibility of electronic money equipment? The results of this
questionnaire are to be found in chapter 2 of this report.
The purpose of this report
The main goal of this report is to offer the EBU member organisati- ons a
manual which they could use to approach their policy makers on national
level. In chapter 3 the reader can find a lot of suggesti- ons
recommendations for standardisation of terminals and special adaptations to
improve accessibility. For the drawing up of this overview we benefit from
two different sources :
1. the information and experiences the respondents to the EBU questionnaire
sent us,
2. various kinds of documents from other (European) organisati- ons
concerning the subject of accessibility of public terminals,
standardisations in general etc.
A list of the latter is to be found at the end of the report.
Why is access to electronic money systems important to all Europe- an
citizens, including the visually impaired?
Visiting a bank and asking the bank employee for some cash from your bank
account is a scene of history already or will be in the near future.
Electronic money systems replace or at least diminish human interference as
far as money transactions are concerned. Handeling money can be considered
as an important aspect of independent living. That is why EBU decided to
focus on this subject, which faces enormous changes and improvement of
service possibilities in the coming years.
Whether you live in the Netherlands or in Italy or Poland, one way or the
other, you will have to face the appearance of electronic money systems in
your country, now or in the future, and, as far as visually impaired people
are concerned, the problem of unaccessibility of these systems in
particular. Not only for banking transacions, pay- ment in shops etc. but
also for instance to buy a train or bus ticket. A ticket as such would not
exist anymore; instead one will simply insert a loaded smartcard in a
machine and the money for the bus trip will be transmitted from the bank
account automatically. At the moment, using electronic money systems could
mainly be conside- red as a matter of choice. One could use either
electronic purse or cash money. But this will change, together with the
increasing of possible services offered by electronic money systems. If one
could only buy a train ticket by using an electronic purse system, the
customer is simply forced to leave the cash at home and change over to the
system.
It is ofcourse the purpose of the equipment manufacoters to make the
transactions as cheap as possible and to offer their customers more and more
services. But it is at least doubtful whether the visually impaired citizens
of Europe could benefit from these deve- lopments. If we simply wait and
see, we can be sure that we will get behind very rapidly, as the visually
impaired people in fact already are. So what the European interest
organisations of the visually impaired should do is to interfere with the
process of developing and designing this equipment.
The Equipment description and summary of the accessibility problems
To fully understand the three different kinds of equipment we are talking
about, a short description of their functioning and possibilities is needed.
Then a short summary is given explaining in general the problems visually
impaired people may face when using this equip- ment.
1. Cash Dispenser and ATM
Description
Cash dispensers and Automatic Telling Machines (ATM) at first hand are meant
to replace the service which normally/earlier was provided by banks and post
offices. These cash dispensers/ATMs are placed in public surroundings where
the customer activates the dispenser by means of some kind of bank card
together with PIN (Personal Identification Number).
Cash dispensers are used for cash withdrawal of banknotes only. ATMs offer
the same services but they may also have other functi- ons, for example :
- change of currency
- desposition of banknotes
- delivery of statements of account
- cashing of cheques
- delivery of advertising offers
- purchasing of stamps and other articles
- payment of bills
- Internet connection
- interactive dialogue
- information terminal
There are about 150 000 ATMs functioning in Europe.
Main problems for visually impaired consumers
- The handling is difficult to remember if the ATM has many different
functions.
- It is impossible to read the information on the screen for a blind
person and difficult to read as far as customers with serious sight
problems are concerned.
- "Confirming beeps" or tactile markings of the functional
keys are missing too often.
- Touch-keys are difficult or even impossible to use.
- Visually impaired people cannot use the touch-screen function.
- The interface standard varies and can create trouble for the visually
impaired customer who uses different types of ATMs.
- Bank cards do not have any tactile markings which means that there is
a risk the card is inserted in the wrong way and then the machine might
destroy the card.
2. Electronic Fund Transfer at Point Of Sale (EFT POS)
Description
EFT POS terminals can be found in shops, restaurants, theaters, cinemas,
travel agencies etc. In general: in every public place where money
transmission is needed. The customer uses EFT POS with a bank card, without
loading this card in advance. (compare item 3 : electronic purse) If the
customer prefers to pay via EFT POS the bank card should be inserted into
the terminal. Then the customer inserts the PIN (Personal Identification
Number). The amount which has to be paid appears on the display and the
customer confirms the transaction by pressing the "enter" key.
The amount will now be transferred directly from the customer's bank account
to the company's account.
Main problems for Visually impaired consumers
- Handling the card :
As tactile markings on bank cards are missing, the customers could have
problems when inserting the card. The ways to do this may differ as
different kinds of systems are in use. In some occasions the shopkeeper
is ready to insert the custo- mer's card, but in other occastion the
customer is supposed to do this himself.
- Keypad :
Different machines with different keypads do exist so remem- bering
where the right keys are to be found will not help you. The keys on some
keypads are hard to distinguish for people with visually impairment. An
independent transaction is even impossible if the keypad has "touch
keys" which react immedi- ately even after the lightest touch.
- Display :
Most of the visually impaired people have difficulties in reading the
display or are not able to read it at all. Illumination circum- stances
could be bad, the display is rather small and the con- trast is low.
3. Electronic Purse
Description
"Any card or function of a card which contains real value in the form
of electronic money which someone has paid for in advance, and which can be
reloaded with further funds and which can be used for a range of
purposes". (UK Banking Code)
In other words : a pre-paid card system which avoids the use of cash money
and cheques, especially meant for financial transactions of low amounts.
For some time pre-payment cards have been in general use already for
applications such as public telephones. These disposable cards are loaded
with a fixed amount of value, which was then decremen- ted during use. The
next step was to make the cards reloadable which can be done at specialised
terminals or ATMs (compare item 1). Then it is only a small step for the
cards to be used for more than a single application.
To load an electronic purse, the user must be able to operate an ATM or card
loading terminal. To use the electronic purse, the user hands the card to
the shop assistant who inserts the card into a terminal and keys in the
amount of the transaction which is display- ed visually to the customer. The
customer confirms the amount and the money is transferred from the card to
the terminal. In some systems, the customer needs to key in his PIN before
the transaction can be completed.
Main problems for visually impaired customers
- To check the amount on the smart card as well as the latest
transactions, the customer can use a balance reader: a small device in
which the card can be inserted. The display of this reader is very small
and in general not accessible to visually impaired and elderly people.
- Loading the card could be a rather complicated transaction because the
terminal may have different functions, standards are missing and the
customer may face similar problems rea- ding the screen and using the
keys as when using cash dispen- sers and EFT POS (compare item 1 and 2).
- Although the actual paying transaction might be rather simple, if a
PIN is not required, the visually impaired customer is still not able to
confirm the amount by checking it on the display.
The Questionnaire
survey among EBU member organisations; results and conclusions
During the second half of 1998 the EBU working group on access to electronic
money systems distributed a questionnaire among all 44 member organisations
of the European Blind Union. The questionnai- re covered the three items
worked out in chapter 1. An introduction was added to the questionnaire to
explain the functioning of the equipment, summing up the most important
problems for visually impaired people and offering a few suggestions for the
improvement of accessibility.
For each item we presented four questions :
- Which equipment is in use in your country right now?
- Could you mention some relevant agencies in your country regarding the
subject?
- Have you succeeded in increasing accessibility for blind and partially
sighted people? Could you explain how?
- Could you give us the name of a contact person within your
organisation to keep in touch with WEMS?
During a period of approximately seven months, we received 18 completed
forms.
In 1999 a initial report was drawn up, containing the main categories in the
completed forms and presenting the most remarkable conclusi- ons. A short
summary of the responses we got is to be found below.
1. Cash dispenser and ATM
Compared to the two other items, cash dispensers seem to be rather familiar
in the responding countries. The cash withdrawal function is in most cases
the only function. Other respondents mention the withdrawal of stamps and
the loading of telephone cards as additio- nal functions.
Additional information :
Many countries prove to have two or more different cash dispenser systems
which have a different functioning (keypad, display, se- quence of
transactions etc.)
Although the majority of the responding organisations has experien- ce on
the issue of increasing accessibility, "raising awareness" is the
kind of experience mentioned most often. Immediately followed by
"pilots" e.g. one or a few accessible cash dispensers installed at
a bank or at the organisation's office itself. Adaptations mentioned in this
respect are: braille, tactile markings, speech output. Regular equipment
adapted for visually impaired people seems not to be common. We found only a
few exceptions.
2. EFT POS
Generally speaking, this systems turnt out to be the less familiar one
within most European countries. The trouble was that some corres- pondents
mixed it up with the credit card system, from which EFT POS differs because
there is no terminal involved for the use of a credit card. Just a signature
will do. The opposite with EFT POS : the consumer just inserts a PIN and
confirms the transaction; no signatu- re required.
Again, respondents make clear that different EFT POS systems in one country
do exist, confronting consumers with different functio- ning. One system
might be more accessible than another, because of for example the presence
of a tactile dot on the number "5" key or a good contrast on the
keypad.
As the transactions required from the customer are relatevely simple as far
as EFT POS is concerned, many respondents do not consider accessible
problems very urgent, especially as the system is rather uncommon in a lot
of countries in Europe. The help of a shop assis- tant (for exampel by
inserting the bank card) is mentioned as an important aspect. It is in fact
true that human interference is possible without much risk for the
customer's privacy. On the other hand, handling the equipment independently
should be the most preferable situation, especially as the customer must
insert his PIN anyway without any help.
3. Electronic Purse
Although many respondents state that the system is not used frequently in
their countries, a few of them make clear at the same time that they feel
worried about the rapid developments relating to this system. As the number
of services with which electronic purse is involved grows, the importance of
accessibility for visually impai- red people will increase as well.
Unaccessibility of the loading terminals and the reading problems as far as
the balance reader is concerned, have been mentioned as main problems.
Remarkable here is that no respondent mentions any special adapta- tion
already in use.
General conclusions
Overlooking the whole field of work this survey deals with, we must be aware
of the immense distinction between - roughly speaking - the countries in
north-western and southern Europe on the one hand and the countries in
central and eastern Europe on the other hand. Useful experience, awareness
of the urgency of the subject, scien- tific research and established
contacts with banks etc. is to be found in the first group. It is to be
expected however that the issue of elec- tronic money systems will turn out
to be of increasing importance, either in the European Union or in the rest
of Europe. And as the number of services available in electronic ways
increase, the alterna- tives such as asking a bank employee for your money
instead of using ATM, will diminish. In this respect the survey proved what
we did expect already: it is an important issue to handle as soon as we can
and within international co-operation.
3.1 International Standards
International standards for card operated equipment such as ATMs, EFT POS
and electronic purse, can be very important as a tool for consumer
organisations, governmental organisations, banks etc. to raise the issue of
accessibility and to make their wishes clear to the equipment's producers.
The design of the electronic money systems should meet the international
standards in order to make sure that as many consumers as possible will be
able to handle the equipment independently. So in this paragraph we do not
talk about special adaptations for the interest of special consumer groups
such as visually impaired people, but these standards should influence the
total design of the equipment to ensure that the user interface is easy to
use for all consumers, including visually impaired and elderly people.
International standards could not only work as a "manual" for
various parties involved, it could also ensure that someone who could handle
a cash dispenser in Paris is able to do so in Stockholm or Madrid as well.
The European standards organisation CEN for example has produced standards
on "Card Systems Man-Machine Interface". These stand- ards include
for example :
a. card orientation : specifying a notch on the card to help blind people
inserting the card correctly,
b. keypads : specifies the arrangement, the number and location of numeric
and command keys on card operated devices; for example : the keypad must be
laid out as on a telephone, with a tactile identifier on the number 5,
specified colours and con- trast on command keys "enter",
"cancel" and "clear",
c. coding of user requirements in the card :
detalis of a user's prefered interface (large characters on the screen, more
time to use the terminal or sound output) can be stored on the customer's
card.
3.2 Specified standards
a. Screens and displays
There are various features to be determined to improve readability of
screens and displays.
- illumination : the light from the surrounding of the screen should be
of high quality, but not disturbing the consumer by causing reflections
etc. An out-door placed ATM should not be placed in full sunlight,
- the surface of the screen should not be reflective,
- high contrast is preferable: black background and lit figures,
- examples of prefered font: Helvetica, Arial or Tiresias.
- figures and characters should be "purified" e.g. digit
"0" should be a clear circle and not include any additional
flouris- hes inside the circle.
- for displays (EFT POS, electronic purse terminals, balance readers) a
minimum height of the figures of 10 mm and a clear space of minimum 2 mm
is recommended.
- standard lay-out of the screen (cash dispenser) always the same option
on the screen corresponding with the same key,
- the colour red for characters and figures should be avoided for the
benefit of colour blind people,
- touch-screen function is absolutely not accessible for visually
impaired people. A alternative should be offered there.
b. Keypads
- high contrast between keys and background and between figures or text
and the background colour of the key,
- avoid light touching keys; the keys should be actually pressed only
after a confirming "beep",
- standard lay-out: figures laid out like a telephone keypad, function
keys on the same place of the keypad, clear space between the different
keys,
- digit keys and function keys should have different colours,
- tactile dot on number 5 for orientation; preferably also a stand- ard
tactile sign on the most frequently used keys: "clear",
"enter" and "cancel",
c. Cards
- notch on the card to know how it should be inserted,
- different tactile signs to distinguish credit card, bank card etc.
- chips with additional services in a card (telephone card, electro- nic
purse, public transport chip etc.) should be recognisable by touch,
d. Biometrics
In the future, PIN systems may be superceded by biometric methods such as
iris patterns, fingerprints or facial recognition. Ideally users should be
able to choose to use a PIN instead of a biometric method if they have
problems with the biometric system ; e.g. iris recognition requires the user
to have eyes.
3.3 Special adaptations
However helpful the above mentioned features might be, they could never
solve the whole problem, even if taken into account by every equipment
manufacturer all over the world. Which problems remain? A blind or very
serious partially sighted person could use for example a cash dispenser, but
he or she first has to learn the functioning of the equipment by heart and
second will get in trouble if something unexpected happens. For example: the
cash dispenser is out of money or could just offer 50 euro notes. Without
warning, the customer will get the wrong amount of money or, even worse, his
card will be destroyed by the system. So additional information in an
alternative format is necessary to inform the customer who is not able to
reed the screen or display or may be not fast enough to react in time.
a. braille output
Braille may sound as a reasonable solution to those who are not familiar
with visually impaired people. Those who are will have noticed that the
group of braille readers is relatively small. This is because it is rather
difficult to learn braille as an adult. Besides, many people who get sight
problems at an older age, do prefer to use other methods for reading.
Another difficulty is that translation of screen information into braille
would be very expensive, it would take a lot of space on the terminal as
relatively few people would benefit from it.
b. Speech output
Speech output however could be useful to a much larger group of visually
impaired people, including elderly people.
Possible problems :
- Privacy aspect: do people want the amount of money they have to pay by
EFT POS or electronic purse to be read out loud? Ofcourse, a speech
support system reading out loud your PIN code is out of the question.
- How loud should the speech output be? (think about elderly people with
hearing difficulties)
- More than one language seems reasonable; but how many are preferable?
- Should the "voice" read the whole screen (cash dispenser) or
just read out loud the chosen option?
Vocal features :
- the voice should at least confirm the customer's transaction and, as
far as EFT POS and electronic purse terminals are concerned, read out
the amount which has to be paid.
- the speech support function should be able to warn the custo- mer if
something is wrong or out of the ordinary.
- the speech output should be repeatable,
- a special key to switch over to speech support would be preferable.
This key should be tactile marked and situated on a standard spot on the
keypad.
3.4.User requirements specified for each type of electronic money system
(This paragraph will be added after EBU's board meeting (May 2000).
The contents will be: list of user requirements, divided int o the three
different items covered by this report. Although the
"requirements" will repeat the standards and criteria mentioned
above, the WEMS considered this paragraph as a helpful tool for EBU member
organisa- tions. IT)
List of sources
(ibidem IT)
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