Behaviour & Information Technology, 2015

Vol. 34, No. 1, 81–93, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2014.937459

Eliciting positive user experiences with self-service kiosks: pursuing possibilities

Asli Günay∗ and Çiğdem Erbuğ
Industrial Design, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
(Received 30 January 2014; accepted 12 June 2014 )

Although the prominent concept of the last decade – user experience – maintains its significance in diverse disciplines,
especially design, its focus has changed to eliciting positive user experiences by pursuing new possibilities for consumer
products rather than by solely seeking solutions to existing problems. Designers continue to aim for rich user experi-
ences with a variety of products, but have neglected self-service (interactive) kiosks. Hence, this paper, after giving a brief
overview of the positive psychology literature, demonstrates the dimensions of positive user experiences with self-service
kiosks through an empirical study conducted on coffee vending machines and automated tellers.
Keywords: self-service kiosks; user experience; positive user experiences; possibility-driven design

1. Introduction The above-noted studies share some commonalities, yet

It has been now more than a decade since the focus in
design literature shifted from product to user, and then to
the overall experience of interacting with a product (Blythe
et al. 2007; Desmet and Hekkert 2007; Schifferstein and
Hekkert 2008). It is well accepted that to elicit pleasure
during one’s interaction with a product, mere usability is
not sufficient. Rather, a holistic approach, which acknowl-
edges the significance of hedonic experiences as much as
pragmatic ones, should be pursued (Jordan 1999, 2000;
Desmet 2003; Norman 2004; Hassenzahl and Tractinsky
2006; Thüring and Mahlke 2007). Such an approach is
usually covered under the terms ‘user experience’, ‘prod-
uct experience’, or ‘experience’, although the three terms
can be used interchangeably or to refer to utterly distinct
aspects of the experience. In this paper, we use the term
‘user experience’ for this holistic approach.
The ‘user experience’ has become a topic of inter-
est in the academic and professional worlds alike, and
an immense literature has developed around the term’s
origins (Desmet and Hekkert 2007; Scapin et al. 2012),
around different frameworks of the concept (Alben 1996;
Hassenzahl 2003; Wright, McCarthy, and Meekison 2003;
Forlizzi, Mutlu, and DiSalvo 2004; Desmet and Hekkert
2007), about diverse components and facets of the user
experience (Hassenzahl and Tractinsky 2006; Thüring and
Mahlke 2007; Schifferstein and Hekkert 2008; Hekkert
and van Dijk 2011), and regarding the methods and tools
that evaluate the user experience and its components, such
as emotions and moods (Desmet 2003; Vastenburg et al.
2011).
they also differ in certain ways. Some research maintains
that the contrasting approaches towards the user experience
stem from differences between the experimental psychol-
ogy and the phenomenological and pragmatist views (Law
et al. 2007). Phenomenological methods highlight the
singleness and situatedness of the user experience
(Hassenzahl 2010), focusing on in-depth analyses and rich
insights, whereas approaches influenced by experimental
psychology divide the experience into single constituents,
such as pleasure, fun, and even hatred (Kerkow 2007),
seeking to generalise the principles and constituents, and
then bring about several sets of average experiences.
Frameworks around the user experience include
product-centred, user-centred, and interaction-centred
frameworks (Forlizzi and Battarbee 2004). Product-
centred approaches tend to elicit direct input by provid-
ing criteria to consider while designing a product (Alben
1996), and user-centred frameworks aim to understand
a product’s users (Hassenzahl 2003). Interaction-centred
frameworks deal with the product and the user, but espe-
cially with the relation between them (Wright, McCarthy,
and Meekison 2003). In brief, the differences among the
frameworks relate mainly to the foci and approaches
towards the user experience. Other differences among user
experience studies include purpose, methods, domains, and
applications (Blythe et al. 2007).
The commonalities among user experience studies
are more important to this paper. Studies that highlight
these factors primarily acknowledge the complex and
multidimensional nature of the user experience and the

∗ Corresponding author. Email: agunay@metu.edu.tr


c 2014 Taylor & Francis
82 A. Günay and Ç. Erbuğ
significance of the different components of that experience,
such as characteristics of the product, user, and context. It
is commonly accepted that value for the user should not
be sought through a product’s material characteristics but
through the experience it offers as a whole. This goal is
achieved by emphasising products’ roles as creators, medi-
ators, and facilitators of meaningful experiences and by
recognising that personal needs and expectations do not
comprise pragmatic and material goals alone (Hassenzahl
2010). Thus, while dealing with the entire experience and
personally meaningful goals, the emotional experience has
become prominent, as has motivation, perception, cog-
nition, and action. Aspects such as pleasure, fun, and
enchantment have gained as much validity as usability
(Blythe et al. 2003).
Recently, the most important objective in creating the
user experience is to elicit a positive and pleasurable
experience rather than focus on preventing a bad one
(Hassenzahl and Tractinsky 2006). In what can be referred
to as ‘positive design’, possibilities rather than problems
are being considered as a starting point for creating experi-
ences that contribute to well-being and happiness (Desmet
and Hassenzahl 2012). This approach is not unique to the
design discipline. The ‘positive psychology’ or happiness
field, which focuses on what makes us happy rather than on
what makes us unhappy, began to emerge at the beginning
of the millennium; Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000)
explain that because psychologists had always focused on
life’s adverse aspects, they did not have sufficient knowl-
edge about the aspects that render life fulfilling. Similarly,
Seligman (2008) proposes a discipline of ‘positive health’,
concentrating on health rather than disease.
Many product designs have been thoroughly investi-
gated and exemplified regarding the user experience, but
they mainly focus on smart or personal consumer prod-
ucts. For instance, mobile phones are mentioned several
times as mediating a certain experience or having a certain
meaning to the user (Redström 2005; Desmet and Hekkert
2007; Hassenzahl 2010; Wright and McCarthy 2010).
Also, mobile devices are studied regarding the social set-
ting and social interactions, as private and public contexts
have different impacts on interactions regarding both phys-
ical and psychological aspects (Howell, Love, and Turner
2005). Stand-alone products such as self-service kiosks
(SSKs) or terminals (e.g. automated teller machines or cof-
fee vending machines) have attracted much interest with
regard to vandalism (Tung and Tan 1998; Maguire 1999),
user interface design (Maguire 1999), and accessibility and
universal design (Thatcher, Mahlangu, and Zimmerman
2006; Hagen and Sandnes 2010), but studies are lacking on
the SSK user experience as a whole. SSKs deserve special
attention because their design focuses heavily on usability
and functionality; most SSKs are still far from provid-
ing novel, attractive, and pleasant interactions. (To clarify,
‘novel interactions’ now implies positive experiences; it no
longer refers to products or systems with new instrumental
or technological characteristics, such as functionality,
usability, or usefulness.) In accordance with technologi-
cal advances, and thus a shift in the nature of consumer
services, self-service technologies will continue to expand
(Davis, Spohrer, and Maglio 2011), and hence, contemplat-
ing user needs and expectations around SSKs cannot be
confined to pragmatic aspects. Furthermore, it is important
to consider not only current designs, but also the trajectory
of such products and systems and how they will be situ-
ated in the future. By detecting and deconstructing present
trends, it may be possible to design products and sys-
tems according to future users’ needs and desires (Chavan
2011).
Recently, several attempts have been made to provide
novel and engaging experiences around public infor-
mation displays for streets and tourist areas (Russell,
Drews, and Sue 2002; Pous and Ceccaroni 2010). The
range of SSKs, however, is much broader, encompass-
ing automated teller machines (ATMs), snack vending
machines, ticket vending machines, supermarket self-
service checkouts, health-care kiosks (e.g. automated
blood pressure machines, appointment booking machines,
and patient self-check-in machines), and so on. Further-
more, any improvements to SSKs mainly focus on the
products’ interfaces, that is, material rather than emotional
experiences.
In most cases, the research focuses on multimodal-
ity (Lamel et al. 2002; Mäkinen, Patomäki, and Raisamo
2002; Johnston and Bangalore 2004) and distributed
interfaces (Cozzolongo, De Carolis, and Pizzutilo 2004;
Bergweiler, Deru, and Porta 2010; Hosio et al. 2010),
which can increase SSK functionality and decrease their
limitations, such as the inability to fulfil users’ diver-
gent expectations. Multimodal information displays take
advantage of diverse types of input and output during inter-
actions, such as touch, speech, sign language, and physiog-
nomy, and hence these systems can provide rather flexible,
compelling, and advanced pragmatic experiences, but they
still fall short in providing a positive emotional experience.
Studies regarding distributed interfaces show how tech-
nological advances can combine the strongest aspects of
SSKs and mobile devices to enable data exchange, collab-
oration, and access to various services in public places, but
overall, SSKs fail to provide a positive holistic experience.
It can be said that although SSKs are becoming pervasive
and ubiquitous with these technological advances (Hagen
and Sandnes 2010), disregarding such a holistic experience
can hinder this progression.
The aforementioned studies are valuable for their infor-
mation about SSKs’ diverse functionalities and relatively
new interaction styles, but there is a gap in the literature
around positive user experiences with such products. We
thus conducted an empirical study with two types of SSKs:
the ATM and the coffee vending machine. We present
the details below after exploring the positive psychology
approach and giving a brief review of the related literature.
 Behaviour & Information Technology
2. Towards more positive experiences
For decades, psychologists, doctors, and researchers have
focused heavily on the negative conditions and aspects of
human health, such as distressing experiences and physi-
cal and mental illnesses. While this approach has yielded
an extensive knowledge about pathology, healing, and
ameliorating and curing diversified diseases, it has hin-
dered the understanding of the significance of the positive
aspects of the human condition: happiness, well-being,
and other factors making life worth living (Seligman and
Csikszentmihalyi 2000; Wallis 2004). Until the 1950s,
two of the three major objectives of psychology were
neglected: enabling better lives and fostering genius,
because psychologists focused mainly on curing (Seligman
and Csikszentmihalyi 2000). We have now come to under-
stand that averting the bad does not guarantee acquiring or
developing the good. In other words, preventing bad con-
ditions or diseases does not necessarily bring happiness
or a healthy outlook; but building on certain virtues and
human strengths, such as optimism and flow capacity (full
absorption in an activity and experience; Nakamura and
Csikszentmihalyi 2009) can not only play a role in preven-
tion, but also in achieving a happier and more satisfactory
life (Wallis 2004).
This shift paved the way for the emergence of pos-
itive psychology. Another shift has also been observed:
from who to why and when. Subjective well-being (SWB)
research, which is a specific realm in positive psychol-
ogy about how individuals assess their lives, has begun to
explore why and when people are happy and what affects
their SWB, rather than concentrating on who is considered
to be happy (Diener 2000).
Positive psychology deals with positive institutions,
conditions, emotions, and characteristics (Seligman et al.
2005). Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) divide posi-
tive psychology studies into three categories, according to
their focus: positive experiences, positive personality, and
social context. The authors then group the categories into
those exploring evolutionary perspectives, personal traits,
mental and physical health implications, and excellence
fostering.
Several studies explore understanding and fostering
daily positive experiences (Adams et al. 2000; Diener
2000; Csikszentmihalyi and Hunter 2003; Kahneman et al.
2004; Seligman et al. 2005) and discuss methods to assess
SWB. Such methods include the Experience Sampling
Method (Diener 2000; Csikszentmihalyi and Hunter 2003;
Wallis 2004), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al.
1985), and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Watson,
Clark, and Tellegen 1988), as well as other memory and
reaction-time assessments, informant reports, and physio-
logical evaluations (Diener 2000). While informative for
other disciplines, these methods are not usually tailored to
the design discipline or to design research; they mostly pro-
vide quantitative and shallow insights about users’ expe-
riences. Designers need an in-depth understanding about
83
users’ experiences, and these are better retrieved by hear-
ing people’s stories about a product. Because stories might
also include experiences that users wish to achieve, such
accounts can provide valuable information about possibil-
ities for a design in addition to problems with a design
(Wright and McCarthy 2010). By studying stories and
their underlying values and meanings, designers can better
empathise with users.
The negative-to-positive shift can also be observed in
the industrial design, human–computer interaction (HCI),
and interaction design disciplines (Desmet and Hassenzahl
2012). To elicit more satisfactory, pleasurable, and novel
design solutions, possibility-driven design, which empha-
sises a product’s potential merits, has been presented as
an alternative to the problem-driven perspective. However,
such an approach in the design and HCI disciplines is
new and needs further exploration. For this reason, and
because SSKs require special attention given their distinct
method of interaction in the public context, we conducted
a story-based empirical study to understand positive user
experiences with and potential for improvement in these
products.
3. The study
Aiming at unveiling positive user experiences with SSKs,
we conducted a qualitative inquiry comprising semi-
structured interviews with the purpose of eliciting stories
about the self-service coffee experience and the self-service
banking experience and related user needs and expec-
tations. We focused on gathering information about the
possibilities for SSK interaction rather than the problems,
because the latter would elicit limited information about
expected needs and values.
3.1. Sample
We interviewed 30 participants (16 female, 14 male) rang-
ing in age between 22 and 36 years (M = 26.67, SD =
3.25). The participants were chosen from undergraduate
students, graduate students, and employees of different uni-
versities and institutes in Ankara, Turkey according to
availability sampling – either by approaching people at a
kiosk or asking them whether they were using the selected
kiosks. All participants were experienced users of public
coffee vending machines and ATMs because such people
were more likely to be able to provide detailed infor-
mation about these products. As a token of appreciation,
participants received a cup of coffee.
3.2. Method
We chose the semi-structured interview method because of
its flexibility in gathering details of the user experience. As
users told their stories about their experiences with SSKs,
we could focus on certain aspects, raise new questions,
84 A. Günay and Ç. Erbuğ
and/or exclude existing questions, thus better eliciting the
possibilities inherent in these products.
To gather diverse perspectives on the SSK user expe-
rience, we chose kiosks offering two different services,
and we chose ATM and coffee vending kiosks because the
natures of these experiences are entirely different from each
other. For instance, the coffee experience can be viewed
as leisure oriented, whereas the ATM experience can be
viewed as task/work oriented; these contrasting concepts
may affect how a user perceives the experience. Thus,
related user needs and interactions are also distinct. For
instance, a user may want a serious and trustful interac-
tion from an ATM; whereas, pleasure and socialisation can
be more important regarding a coffee vending kiosk.
After a brief introduction, the interviews incorporated
two parts, each involving four stages: general, pre-use, use,
and post-use experiences. To clarify, we did not want par-
ticipants to use the products; rather we asked questions
about all different stages related to the interaction. Ask-
ing people directly at the kiosks and asking them to recall
interactions would yield different results. So, we preferred
the latter one as the focus was not merely on few problems
and dimensions that would be specific to the fresh expe-
riences, but on entire insights and possibilities. We used
the laddering technique (Reynolds and Gutman 1988) dur-
ing these stages to explore experiences, personal values,
and the meanings attached to them. Figure 1 depicts the
structure of the study.
The language of the interviews was Turkish. For con-
veying information through an international platform, the
Figure 1. The main structure of the study.
structure of the study, involved questions, and received
answers were translated into English.
We began the interviews by asking about participants’
general experiences around one of the SSKs. In this stage,
the focus was not on the kiosk itself, but on the broader
experience to understand the general physical and non-
physical interactions. Next, we narrowed the focus to a
specific kiosk. We first showed the participants a poster
containing diverse images and contexts of the related SSK
to provoke memories and call forth previous experiences
(Sleeswijk Visser et al. 2005). Then, for each of the pre-
use, use, and post-use stages for each type of kiosk, we
queried participants’ expectations of the experience con-
sidering happiness and pleasure, answers to which would
help us separate problems from possibilities, and so, pos-
itive user experiences from the negative ones. After con-
cluding the interview for one experience, we repeated the
process for the second experience. We changed the sub-
ject order of the interviews (first coffee, then banking, and
vice versa) for half of the participants to eliminate the
unintended impact of order of asking. Each session (two
experiences with one participant) lasted approximately
45 min. The entire interview was audio recorded, with the
participant’s consent.
After the interview process was completed, all inter-
views were transcribed. Then, we performed content anal-
ysis (see Jupp and Norris 1993) by identifying recurring
patterns, converting meaningful segments into keyword
levels (codes), and then grouping them into several cate-
gories (themes), such as participants’ expectations, related
 Behaviour & Information Technology 85

Table 1. A coding example.

Participant’s Experience/ Main Sub

statement order categories categories Element

It can give a coffee cup holders which can eliminate the Coffee Emotional Service Given product
ready and cheap coffee image. Of course it might be experience contentment conformity (coffee cup
less environmentally-friendly then, but it can be (2) holder) –
applied in a way to ensure recyling. This holder’s presentation
colours can be suitable to the coffee type I will buy
and can be changed after certain periods. Cup holders
give me a warm feeling and coffee feeling. It can also
offer diverse patterns
As coffee machines moved the people away from the Coffee Trust Visual Product (coffee
coffee pleasure, they should eliminate the quick, experience conformity machine) –
ready, and low-quality coffee feeling. Instead of the (2) appearance
feeling of buying coffee from a vague box, it can give
a feeling of buying coffee from a specific place with
the help of visuals and more detailed explanations. I
can choose my coffee accordingly.

Table 2. Main categories of expectations regarding a positive user experience around coffee
vending machines and ATMs.

requirements, and factors affecting these aspects. From
the keywords that emerged we can map and comprehend
diverse dimensions in and relationships with positive expe-
riences around SSKs. To achieve inter-coder reliability,
each author coded and thematised the data (Krippendorff
2004).
3.3. Results
We gathered 268 statements about the coffee experience
and 243 statements about the banking experience. Hereby,
a statement refers to each comment of a participant.
Regarding a positive user experience around coffee vend-
ing machines and ATMs, five main categories (themes)
of expectations emerged: emotional contentment, usabil-
ity, usefulness, trust, and privacy. Each of these categories
embodies diverse sub-categories (codes) that elaborate
on the requirements for realising the main categories:
personalisation, taste conformity, service conformity,
visual conformity, clarity of information, attractiveness,
convenience, sociability, functionality, hygiene, visibility
of the process, guidance, and technical issues. A coding
example is given in Table 1 and these main categories and
sub-categories are explained in Tables 2 and 3.
Due to differences between the products and services
provided by the kiosks, some expectations and require-
ments did not apply to both types of experiences. For
example, privacy was not as much of a concern with
the coffee kiosk, and taste conformity, sociability, and
visibility of the process did not apply to the banking kiosk.
All categories, whether hedonic or pragmatic, are desir-
able properties through which to ensure positive user expe-
riences with SSKs. In the subsequent parts of the paper,
we explore all properties to provide a general picture
about positive user experiences. Then, we shift the focus
to our main category of emotional contentment, which
includes participants’ diverse stories of their experiences
with SSKs through which we can determine different possi-
bilities for these products. Stories facilitate comprehending
and communicating user experiences in general (Wright
86 A. Günay and Ç. Erbuğ
Table 3. Aspects affecting positive user experiences with coffee vending machines and ATMs.
and McCarthy 2010), hence, they are valuable means to
understand positive user experiences with SSKs.
We ascertained the main determinants of positive user
experiences and their relationships to each other from the
results of the content analysis (see Table 1) and by util-
ising the Node XL open source network analysis and
demonstration tool (Smith et al. 2010). In order to clar-
ify, Node XL is an add-in tool to Microsoft Excel, which
appears as a template and which does not require any spe-
cific skills, such as programming language. Themes and
related codes, i.e. main categories and sub-categories, were
entered into the worksheet in two different columns as
much as they had been stated. Then, the Node XL con-
verted the entered data into a graph in which the frequency
and strength of the data and the relationships between
them were shown by different sizes and thicknesses of cir-
cles and lines. Figures 2 and 3 demonstrate participants’
expectations for each SSK and the relationships between
them. It is crucial to note that the categories in the fig-
ures are not entirely separate from each other. As Desmet
and Hassenzahl (2012) state, one aspect alone is not suf-
ficient to make a person happy in an interaction. Rather,
all aspects of the main and sub-categories are interrelated,
representing a multidimensional structure. Pink represents
the main categories and blue represents the sub-categories.
The lines represent the relationships; the thick lines indi-
cate that the corresponding relation was mentioned more
frequently. The dashed lines show relationships that were
mentioned indirectly by participants or that we determined
after analysing all the statements. The circle size correlates
with the frequency of statements in related categories, that
is, circle sizes reflect relative/comparative relationships.
Comparing the two figures reveals commonalities and
differences, which we discuss below.
• With both types of kiosks, the main categories of
emotional contentment, usability, usefulness, and
trust were deemed important for a positive user
experience. Privacy was noted as important only in
the banking experience, which could be accepted
because of the security issues involved with money.
The dominance of emotional contentment in the
coffee experience could also make sense, given its
associations with leisure time, the coffee-drinking
routine, and sociability. Yet, the difference between
the emotional contentment aspect and aspects such
 Behaviour & Information Technology 87

Figure 2. Dimensions of positive user experiences with coffee vending machines.

Figure 3. Dimensions of positive user experiences with ATMs.

as usability, usefulness, and trust, is noteworthy. From these results it can be inferred that emotional
Interestingly, the importance of emotional content- contentment is one of the users’ highest expecta-
ment in the banking experience was mentioned tions for SSKs, regardless of the type of task being
almost as frequently as usefulness and usability. performed.
88 A. Günay and Ç. Erbuğ
Figure 4. Importance of different categories in the coffee and banking experiences.
• In the sub-categories, personalisation, such as pre-
senting a specific menu on the interface for different
users or recognising users’ previous choices, is also
prominent in both figures. This category is related to
all the main categories, but it was noted consider-
ably more often in the banking experience (also see
Figure 4). Hence, it seems that personalisation would
contribute to positive user experiences for both types
of kiosks, but it appears most desirable in the more
serious, task-oriented kiosk (ATM).
• Service conformity is the second most important
sub-category in both experiences (Figure 4). It is
related to usability and emotional contentment for
coffee vending machines, and to privacy, trust, and
emotional contentment for ATMs. Participants indi-
cated that being given a lid, tray, and spoon during
the process would make them happier. They also
wanted additional space on or around the machine to
place items such as a bag or the coffee cup while at
the kiosk. For the ATM, participants wanted appro-
priate – unscattered – presentation of the money
so they could put it in their wallet or purse more
quickly, thus reducing insecurity and increasing trust
in the product. In both experiences, participants
wanted ‘kinder’ product presentations. For exam-
ple, they would have preferred the coffee machine to
present the coffee gently, as if it was offering some-
thing, rather than having the cup drop roughly from
the dispenser. They wanted the ATM to release the
money softly, rather than noisily thrusting it at them.
From such comments, it can be concluded that users
look for ‘respectful’ SSKs, and service conformity is
an important way to realise this demand.
• Functionality, guidance, and technical issues
received almost similar emphasis in both experi-
ences (Figure 4). However, it can be seen from
Figures 2 and 3 that these aspects are not as impor-
tant as service conformity. This result implies that
functionality, appropriate guidance, and lack of tech-
nical problems are considered by users of both SSKs,
but are somewhat taken for granted; these mostly
pragmatic properties are not a priority for achieving
a positive user experience.
• Visual conformity, attraction, hygiene, clarity of
information, and convenience (Figure 4) had dif-
ferent weights in a positive user experience. The
first three were mentioned more frequently with the
coffee vending machine, and the last two were men-
tioned more frequently with the ATM. Because the
coffee vending machine is related more to leisure
time, attraction and visual conformity may be more
important. Further, because the machine serves a
beverage, it could be understood that hygiene be
critical. Because an ATM is less related to leisure
time, it makes sense that convenience and clarity of
information would be more crucial.
 Behaviour & Information Technology
Figure 5. Underlying needs and related features.
Sociability, visibility of the process, and taste confor-
mity were important only for the coffee vending machine
(Figure 4). Therefore, to increase the number of self-
service coffee kiosk users, designers should focus on
improving these aspects rather than focusing on the most
efficient way to provide the user with a cup of coffee.
Examining the broader picture of positive experiences
around coffee vending machines and ATMs (see Figures 2
and 3) provides insight into the general patterns and dimen-
sions of these experiences with SSKs. However, for this
study, we focus on emotional contentment rather than
explaining each main and sub-category individually.
3.3.1. Emotional contentment leads to positive
experiences
Emotional contentment with SSKs is achieved through
realising certain needs. When participants mentioned about
their needs and corresponding product and service fea-
tures, these were categorised as underlying needs. Figure 5
presents the needs apparent in participants’ experiences
with SSKs and incorporates the specific features that play
a role in meeting them. These features are related to the
space around the kiosk (spatial features), the kiosk itself
(the product), additional products that the kiosk may inter-
act with (e.g. an on-body product such as a smart phone),
and the products/services provided by the kiosk (given
product).
Figure 5 shows that users of coffee vending machines
want to feel connected to others in addition to feel-
ing engaged and feeling special. Engagement can be
achieved by tangible rewards (e.g. a free cup of cof-
fee after the 10th visit) and by appealing to the senses
through smells, sounds, and visuals pertaining to the given
products/services. Engagement can also be achieved by
context, for example, by designing the space around the
89
kiosk to make the user feel included or considered. Mak-
ing users feel special and connected to others can be
achieved via personalised communication with their on-
body products.
Automated teller machine users indicated that engage-
ment and feeling special would make them feel more
positive about the ATM experience. Engagement could
be attained through information or advertisements pre-
sented in the space (either on a screen or in the form
of posters) and through a more personalised interface on
the kiosks. As with the coffee experience, on-body prod-
ucts can assist with making users feel special through
personalised communication and demonstrations.
Participants’ suggestions and examples can inform
design; thus, when they suggested certain experiences and
made suggestions, these were categorised during analysis,
as well. We organised them into a chart (see Figure 6)
divided by feature (spatial, on product, on-body product,
given product).
Spatial features were mentioned mostly by coffee vend-
ing machines users. A suitable atmosphere (e.g. deco-
rations, floor coverings, climate, other people) was also
noted as desirable. Below we present some user comments
(translated into English and edited for clarity).
A warm atmosphere would make it special. Or a fitted carpet
would be good. Also, bistro tables where I can put my coffee
would create a café feeling and eventually make me happy. (P2)
The place where a coffee vending machine stands and the area
surrounding the machine are important. To illustrate, the context
can be bad, but that might also make it good because it would
provide a reason to chat. This is the important thing; I do not like
to drink my coffee alone. (P17)
Seating areas were considered highly desirable in the coffee
experience.
A seating place, which would be special to the related coffee brand
and the coffee vending machine, could be created near the cof-
fee vending machine. It would not need to be a large area, yet
90 A. Günay and Ç. Erbuğ
Figure 6. Features and related suggestions.
it should reflect the warmth of the coffee vending machine. . . It
would provide me a context within which to enjoy my coffee
experience. (P8)
Spatial features were also mentioned regarding the ATMs.
Especially while waiting in a queue, participants wanted to
watch demonstrations, videos, or films and receive benefi-
cial or enjoyable information from different media (rather
than solely the ATM) in the environment.
If there is a queue, there could be entertaining things. On pay-
days there are usually long queues. Especially on those days, there
could be short films and advertisements. (P3)
A number of on-product features were also mentioned as
desirable. Participants wanted to see personalised informa-
tion on the ATM while using it.
ATMs can be standard, but I should be able to determine what I
want to see on the screen. So, basically all ATMs could be used in
the same way, but I would organize the content. (P30)
That a coffee machine is appealing to diverse senses
was important, for example, through visuals, colour, form,
smell, and/or sound (music).
If I smell the coffee during preparation or see the preparation
process, I will desire the coffee and feel pleasure. (P6)
Definitely, the appearance of the coffee vending machine regard-
ing its colors and design should be appropriate to the coffee con-
cept. Since coffee is related to pleasure, it should reflect the café
atmosphere by the machine’s appearance rather than reflecting a
fast and hurried experience. (P2)
If there were different coffee cup options, I could choose the most
appropriate cup type for my coffee. It would be enjoyable. (P13)
Comments regarding on-body product features were
mainly about personalised communication. For the coffee
experience, participants wanted the opportunity to inter-
act with the vending machines via on-body products. For
example, a user would input coffee type, sweetener, and/or
milk choices before going to the vending machine; on
arrival he or she would only need to press one button to
receive the beverage.
If I always used the same coffee vending machine, my settings
would be recognized. This could be achieved by my mobile phone.
I could pre-order my coffee before going to the machine and my
coffee would be ready when I got there. (P1)
On-body products would also provide the opportunity to
communicate with other people who use coffee vending
machines.
If I see from my mobile phone that my friend is going to buy a
coffee from the machine, I would go as well, despite my plan to
go ten minutes later. I love socializing while drinking coffee. (P7)
On-body products could also be a crucial aspect of the
banking experience, with people receiving personalised
information and feedback about their accounts.
I would receive messages about my transaction summary or things
I forgot to do. (P2)
 Behaviour & Information Technology
Transmitting relevant news and recent opportunities would
also be beneficial.
It might present opportunities or investment strategies from which
I can profit. (P7)
Given product features were only applied to the coffee
experience. Participants wanted to receive free coffees or
other incentives as a reward for using a specific brand’s
machine. Novice users and frequent users would benefit
from this opportunity.
There could be pleasant surprises. It could be a small present such
as chocolate stick. Or if I am a frequent user of the machine,
it could give a different coffee cup instead of the classic plastic
cup. (P17)
I want to test different tastes in small amounts. It can be pleasing
to have a coffee shot before deciding on the coffee. (P7)
Personalised equipment, more specifically, personal mugs,
could increase enjoyment of the coffee vending experience.
I prefer my own mug instead of disgusting plastic coffee cups. (P4)
4. Conclusion
Because of the different tasks conducted with different
types of SSKs, variations occur in users’ expectations and
related requirements. Nonetheless, emotional contentment
is a prominent expectation for all tasks. Pragmatic aspects
are also important, but they are mentioned in conjunc-
tion with added values (see Figures 2 and 3) to achieve
emotional contentment overall. Because emotional con-
tentment is so important to a positive user experience,
designers must seriously consider this aspect of the SSK
experience regardless of the task being conducted.
Certain user needs must be fulfilled to achieve emo-
tional contentment. Engagement and feeling special are
significant desires for users of ATMs and coffee vending
machines. Feeling connected to others is also important
during coffee vending machine experiences. Diverse SSK-
related features must be considered to satisfy the aforemen-
tioned needs. In other words, focusing only on kiosk design
itself is not sufficient to elicit the most fulfilling user expe-
riences. The context within which SSKs are situated, the
products/services received from them, and other techno-
logical products that could be used to interact with them
should also be considered (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Necessary considerations while designing SSKs.
91
From the results of this study, it is apparent that
although users of SSKs want social and ‘gentle’ experi-
ences, existing kiosks are still far from providing these
encounters. Designers should acknowledge that focusing
merely on the kiosk itself and/or the problems it may have
will hinder achieving positive user experiences. Because
SSKs do not belong to users and are situated in public
places, they are not like private and mobile consumer prod-
ucts; hence, treating them individually and isolating them
from their contexts limits creating fulfilling user experi-
ences. Only when possibilities are explored through users’
stories can one gather information from diverse dimensions
about how to make SSK experiences more positive. This
approach would also yield more diversified, pervasive, and
ubiquitous SSK solutions, encompassing kiosks and their
contexts, services, and mediated interactions. Continuing
with the problem-focused approach will only propagate
static and indifferent products. As evident from our results,
our story-based findings are fruitful; they demonstrate
the possibilities for designing kinder, gentler, more novel
SSKs, and ultimately a more positive SSK experience.
5. Discussion
Although the findings of the study point out and assure the
significance of pursuing a novel approach for the design of
SSKs, it had certain limitations besides the strengths.
As aforementioned, the study was exploratory and
aimed at understanding the possibilities rather than the
problems; thus, a qualitative inquiry was appropriate. Par-
ticularly, user stories were advantageous for providing
detailed insights and exploration. Moreover, during the
analysis phase, the coding process did not drift apart from
these user stories. Great attention was paid to maintaining
links between the user stories and the results, making sense
of data, and so creating meaningful relationships among
the data.
Nevertheless, the study sample consisted mostly of
young people from the university environment, which was
not representative of all people using SSKs and which was
the limitation of the study. So, it can be said that though
various expectations and possibilities were retrieved, a
further study with a more diversified sample would pro-
vide a clearer and more general picture of positive user
experiences with SSKs.
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