Design of a kiosk
Although the case study presented here is strictly hypothetical, it draws on our experiences in the design of a number of kiosks for Royal Mail.
Royal Mail Group consists of a number of businesses, but of particular interest here is Post Office Ltd, which is responsible for the operational management of and services provided by all major UK post offices.
As with all large UK companies, Royal Mail is expected to meet the requirements of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act (DDA, 1995). The DDA stipulates that large companies must maintain a 3% minimum proportion of employees with functional impairments, through positive discrimination if necessary, and that the work place must not present unnecessary obstacles to employment opportunities. It also stipulates that all companies offering services to the public should not bar use of those services on the grounds of end-user disability.
The development of product and service interfaces that offer 'universal access' is clearly an essential component in facilitating a genuinely inclusive environment in all post offices.
Royal Mail is very interested in introducing automated customer information kiosks into their post offices to augment their current range of services and also to help implement the e-Government initiative (to provide electronic access to all governmental information). Royal Mail is also very keen to ensure that the product is as usable and accessible as possible, not simply for DDA compliance, but also to engender customer satisfaction.