Westpac is replacing tens of thousands of POS terminals with Android-based devices that use colour contrasts, magnification and audio to assist blind and low vision customers.
The Australian bank and its partner Verifone ran workshops involving people with vision, hearing and motor impairments to help design the new terminals, which will start to appear in the next few months, replacing 110,000 existing machines.
Customers can switch between modes, depending on their needs. The 'assistance' mode enables alternate colour contrast options, magnification and audio prompts, while 'accessibility' mode uses audio and sound to aid in orientation on a blank screen to allow privacy for PIN entry.
There is also a 'training' mode, which provides a simulated step by step audio walkthrough of the functions for the merchant staff or customers.
Among those providing feedback was Peter Greco, who says that the move in recent years to touch screens has posed problems for blind people. However, on the new terminal, he says: “Once I got the knack of how to use it, I found it really good - it became quite intuitive."
Westpac technical product manager Rachel Thewlis says that the workshops provided valuable insight and that she was shocked to learn that some retailers ask low vision or blind customers what their PIN is.
In 2018, Westpac rival CBA was hit with a lawsuit from a blind woman over its "inaccessible" touchscreen-only Albert POS terminal, which she said was so difficult to use she often needed to share her PIN with shop staff.