Vending machine’s provide us with an assortment of enticing but unhealthy snacks.
The colorful arrangement of snacks can be described as betwitching.
They are especially useful for someone who is occupied but in desperate need of a quick relief
of either their cravings, hunger, or stress achieved. Vending machine’s
biggest selling point apart from their snacks has to be their convenience. All an user needs to do to eat to their
heart's content is to either insert coins,bills, or swipe a debit/credit card and when then press buttons on the keypad
to indicate which snack they want. Afterwards, the user would need to bend down to get the snack from the flap found
towards the bottom of the vending machine. The ideal vending machine experience would be one where it takes longer to
choose a snack than to actually buy the snack.
Observations
• Some users bought multiple items while others bought one
• Some users just stared at the vending machine and then left
• Users bend down to get items
• Some users take some time to choose an item
• Uses payed with Brown ID
• Some users swipe their card multiple times in different directions
• Some users check the price of items before buying while others don't
• Some users brought their snack to where they are sitting
Questions
1. Do you use the vending machine?
2. Could you describe the process you take to use vending machines.
3. How many items do you usually buy from the vending machine?
4. What is your impression of the vending machines?
5. How does the vending machine’s at Brown U compare to the vending machines you are used to back home?
6. What do you think can be done to improve vending machines interface?
Answers
• Some of the reasons why users use vending machines is due to proximity and convenience
• Some users expressed confusion as to whether some vending machines around campus would accept payment
through their Brown ID
• Some users felt confused as to whether they should pay first and then input snack number or vice-versa
• Some users at first were confused as to what direction they should swipe their Brown ID
• Some users had experience moments where their snack would get stuck and they would have to either bang
on the screen to make it fall or purchase another snack. Likewise, some users had experience moments where it would be
diffucult to open the flap to get a snack since it would cause the snack to be on top of the flap rendering it unreacheable. Finnaly,
Some users mind that when the item fell, it fell not within reach and they had to stratch their arms to get it from what was described as
"the back"
• Some users appreciate that the font on vending machines is big and that it contrast snicely with the
green background on the screen because those details makes the vending machine easier to read when compared to other
vending machine models they have encountered.