I took up a volunteering role at a clinic recently and was pleasantly surprised by the self-service kiosks greeting me at the entrance. After helping out at the reception for a while, I realised that the self-service kiosks were no more helpful than a computer desk without a seat.

(photo of the culprit)

As a patient with an appointment, you first have to key in or scan your identity card, and then decide between one of three icons to register yourself (even though the kiosks are in front of the entrance), answer 3 pages of 2 Y/N questions (if you click Y for any question the screen flashes UNSUCCESSFUL in big red letters and directs you to the counter), confirm your phone number twice, get a page to check whether you would like to opt for Mobile Pay (Y/N or press “next” to skip) and then be directed to the waiting area. If you do not have an appointment, you get to choose your purpose of visit (4 buttons), if you would like to do any laboratory tests, if you need to fast, and preferred date and time for your doctor’s consultation.

Besides this, there are cases where you are not able to register yourself because you have not paid for your previous consultations, or you want to see a specific doctor, or you have not brought your forms, or you simply pressed the wrong button.

When your users are old, frail, short-sighted, do not read English, unfamiliar with touch interfaces, panicking because they are almost late for their appointment, and SICK, you wonder why so many of them are hesitant at touching the screens. As a result, you get frustrated patients and shouts for help from all kiosks and not the flow you see at our immigration gates. What you see is a staff at the entrance and the security man jumping in to help press buttons for patients.

Perhaps going too fast blinds us. And the same staff with a computer and a queue may work better after all, for everyone.

– 2024-03-21