ATMs typically have two sets of buttons, the ones where you type in your PIN, and the ones which are arrows either side of the screen. If you're anything other than average height (i.e. most people) the text displayed on the screen and the arrows on each side don't line up, which is very annoying.

My idea is that ATMs have one of those height detectors and move the display up and down to match the perspective from the height of you, the customer.
-- neilp, Dec 07 2005

Alternatively, the parallax optimization could favor the guy behind you in the parking lot with the binoculars.
-- bristolz, Dec 07 2005


I think it would be more practical to solve the problem at source and have less gap between the display and the pushbutton, so that everything lines up at any angle.

But then I remembered this is the HB...

So then it could be a solution to have the floor in front of the ATM in the form of a mini elevator, and have the ATM at about 2m up. Adjust to suit.
-- Ling, Dec 07 2005


//anything other than average height (i.e. most people)// hah!
-- po, Dec 07 2005


Tell me about it... I'm 6'7 and I live in Indonesia...

That's pretty far from average height here.
-- Mr_John, Dec 07 2005


Just store user's height in the account information, and have the machine adjust itself right after you insert your card.
-- JakePatterson, Dec 11 2005


I want a flip up scope thingy that lights your face up blue, like Spock uses.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 12 2005


Half the time you're in a car, though, so there's distance as well as height for the ATM to take in account.
-- Sparty, Dec 12 2005


ohh. drive-through-ATM - I've never seen one.
-- neilp, Dec 12 2005


Well, that certainly would make bank robbing a breeze.

Couldn't all the fuss be saved if the bank just implemented a touchscreen?
-- Honduras, Dec 12 2005


I've seen ATMs with LCD displays, and there's very little gap.

Simpler, however, would be to just have the damn arrows drawn on the screen, even for the blank spots. That way you don't have to guesstimate that #3 is what you want, you can just see that it's the third mark, thus the third button. This would also be much cheaper than replacing all the ATMs; you'd just have to replace a chip.

(The only time I've seen parallax as a problem is on machines where it's asking between fewer options than there are buttons, and it centers them, so you have to guess how many blank spots there are above and below.)
-- Souse Mouse, Dec 12 2005


This would be useful for me being that I drive a van and the buttons in my local drive-thru ATM NEVER line up. Once I thought the ATM gave me $200 extra not realizing that I pressed the wrong button.
-- Jscotty, Dec 12 2005


All ATMs should have those stools you find in photo-booths. Then, everybody can spend ten minutes spinning it to the right height. Hours of fun!
-- moomintroll, Dec 12 2005



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