About

In Taiwan, various channels are available for hospital appointments, including in-person, telephone, web, app, and kiosk. However, the kiosk's usage rate is only 3%, whilst the counter usage rate is 19%, nearly six times higher than that of kiosks. The individuals queuing in crowds are typically aged 50 or older. During interviews with people in this age group, it was found that they feel more comfortable making appointments at the counter rather than using a machine, such as a kiosk. This study aims to encourage users aged 50 and above to use kiosks more willingly and confidently for making hospital appointments.

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Challenges with Hospital Self-Registration Kiosks in Taiwan

• Lack of User-Friendliness
  These kiosks often pose usability challenges, making the registration process less intuitive for users.
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• Overwhelming Options
  Users may encounter an abundance of choices on the kiosk interface, potentially causing confusion and decision fatigue.
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• Complex Procedures
  The registration process can involve numerous steps, potentially leading to delays and frustration for users.

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The image shows the UI of current Hospital Self-Registration Kiosks. Improving the UI is vital for enhancing the user experience of hospital self-registration kiosks.

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Public Service System

The kiosk's complexity arises from its design as a public service system. It employs a wizard interface, which is task-oriented and treats every user as a first-time user. This approach aims to prevent errors for those using it for the first time.

However, experienced users may find this approach cumbersome and potentially frustrating due to the excessive number of steps. Balancing the needs of both first-time and experienced users presents a challenge in improving the kiosk's usability.

Based on our research findings, this study presents universal design solutions to address the unique needs of users with differing levels of experience. Group Recommending Options' for first-time users and 'Personal Shortcut Options' for those who are more experienced. These tailored approaches aim to enhance the overall user experience and usability of the system.

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Design

Improving the hospital self-registration kiosk experience involves two distinct designs: 'Group Recommending Options' and 'Personal Shortcut Options.'

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Group Recommending Options

• Collect data from all the users
• Locate the popular options in the eye-catching region
• Good for a first-time user

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Based on our analysis of group experience data, it was evident that 'payment' emerged as the most frequently chosen option among users. To enhance user experience, we took specific actions such as modifying the button size and slightly isolating it from other options. These adjustments were made to ensure that even a minority of users could benefit from the grouping effect, making the 'payment' option more accessible and user-friendly.

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Personal Shortcut Options

• Data-driven by Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) Smart IC card
• Record users' individual registration history - Implant user experience from the counter
• Good for experienced users

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Personal Shortcut Options significantly improve the efficiency of hospitals' self-service registration user interface, as you can see from the diagram below.

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The Appointment Process with Personal Shortcut Options

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Usability Evaluation

The Usability Evaluation section involved two stages: an interface comprehension test and a learnability test.

In the first stage, participants performed three tasks in the interface comprehension test using the prototype interface. These tasks included Task A: Group Recommending Options, Task B: Personal Shortcut Options, and Task C: involve using the "revise option" instead of confirming Personal Shortcut Options.

In the second stage, an interface learnability test was conducted. Participants were assigned two tasks, one involving Personal Shortcut Options and the other involving the "revise option." Each participant completed these tasks six times with at least a 2-hour interval between repetitions.

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Interface Efficiency and Comprehension Key Findings

• Shortcut Design Enhanced Operation Efficiency (2 times faster)
  The introduction of Personal Shortcut Options significantly improved the operation efficiency of users. Task B, which included Personal Shortcut Options, had an average operation time of 15.14 seconds, representing only 45.3% of the time taken for Task A without Personal Shortcut Options.
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• Complexity in Handling Multiple Variables
  Users experienced difficulty when required to assess two variables simultaneously on the "Date and Doctor" page during Task A. This led to three error operations out of 15 participants, indicating a design issue. Additionally, some users took considerably longer (average of 10.93 seconds) to understand the information on this page, suggesting a need for design improvements to simplify the process of inspecting multiple variables at once.
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• Reducing Comprehension Time on Shortcut Pages
  There was a noticeable delay (average time 7.18 seconds) for users on the "Confirm or Revise" page of Task B, which featured Personal Shortcut Options. This delay was attributed to participants not reading the title instructions properly. It was recommended that a learnability test be conducted to assess and improve how users familiarise themselves with the Shortcut Options page to prevent such delays.

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Interface Learnability Key Findings

• Rapid Mastery of Shortcuts
  Participants generally mastered the Personal Shortcut Option by the second attempt, with middle-aged users learning the fastest due to their experience with similar systems. Youth, whilst inexperienced with the technology, showed quick learnability.
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• Age Influence on Learnability
  The age of the participants influenced how quickly they adapted to the system. Middle-aged users had a head start and maintained the lead, whilst younger users quickly caught up. Older participants were slower initially but displayed a consistent improvement, reaching a plateau in efficiency by the fourth try (the data below the image).
  

• ‍Unfamiliar Task Adaptation
  In an unfamiliar task (revising the default date), all user groups showed an acceptable level of learnability, with performance stabilising after the fourth repetition. The youth group adapted most efficiently to this new task, whilst middle-aged users' previous experience slightly delayed their adaptation. The older group, despite some initial reluctance, managed to reach a steady performance level, demonstrating good learnability even with unfamiliar tasks.
  

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Key Takeaway

1. Personalised Interface Enhancements
   Introducing Personalised Shortcut Options in hospital self-service registration kiosks drastically reduced operation times and improved user satisfaction. This personalisation anticipates user needs by automatically offering relevant options, leading to a more intuitive and expedient registration process.
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2. Rapid Adaptability & Learnability
   The study's learnability tests demonstrated that users could quickly become familiar with new interface features. By the third interaction, users had typically reached a plateau in efficiency, showcasing the interface's ease of learning and the user's ability to adapt to system changes effectively.
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3. Targeted Efficiency Improvements
   By incorporating Group Recommending Options, the system tailored the user experience for different user groups, optimising operational efficiency. Experienced users benefited from streamlined options while less frequent users were aided by simplified choices, balancing the needs of diverse user demographics.
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4. Navigational Ease with Responsive Disclosure
   Employing Responsive Disclosure principles, where information is revealed progressively as needed, users were guided through complex interfaces without becoming overwhelmed. This approach validated the importance of strategic information presentation for improved user interface navigation and overall operation speed.