Changing the ATM Paradigm

Those of you who know me know I am a big fan of IDEO. They embody most of the characteristics in a leading edge company that I respect – innovative, deep customer centricity, and a passion for change. Now they have tackled a familiar sight for all of us- the ATM. You know, that dumb screen with the push buttons that does what you want – dispense cash – but not much more.

Financial institution Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and global technology company NCR Corp. plan to roll out a new concept for Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) called ABIL. They are not only sleek-looking, resembling an iPad or other touch panel, but they also promise to be faster, easier, and more intuitive.

The touch panels boast a revamped interface that changes the traditional look and feel of the boxy ATM. Customers select choices via a touch screen, which can rotate 90-degrees to ensure optimum privacy while conducting transactions. (No doubt the company will also look to things like privacy screen overlays that block peripheral view.) A single slot accepts cash, checks, and passbooks, as well as distributes cash and receipts.

“BBVA is constantly looking for ways to strengthen relations with its customers, and the project was not how to further automate the terminal, but how to humanize the machine,” says Vicente Amores, NCR’s Global Director for BBVA. “The result is a new self-service device based on three qualities: simple, human, and flexible.”

Twenty of the new ATMs have been rolled out across Spain, and BBVA plans to install 200 more throughout this year.

NCR plans to work with additional financial institutions around the world to deploy the machines elsewhere as well, including the Sunbelt area of the U.S., and certain locales in South America.

The project is the result of a strategic partnership among BBVA, NCR, Fujitsu and the design consultancy IDEO. Watch the video below.

The Future of Self-Service Banking from IDEO on Vimeo.

Transforming Reading – from Ideo

So you think the IPad and the Kindle are the future of reading? The innovation and design company IDEO, which has just released a short film on “The Future of the Book”, blows the binding off conventional notions of how we consume the written word. In Ideo’s telling, tomorrow’s books will let you join online discussions, fact-check, and even dictate the particulars of a plot — all in a tablet-friendly format. They’ve come up with three distinct reading concepts: Coupland, Nelson, and Alice.

Nelson
Nelson is all about expanding how we understand text. Think of it as CliffNotes on steroids. You can link to current news stories about your book, read up on debates it has sparked, and vet its accuracy through a community-run fact-checking feature. You can even look up how the discourse around it has changed over time.

Coupland
This concept is the social network of publishing. Designed to help people “keep up with the latest must-reads,” to quote the film, it suggests books based on what people in your company are reading. It also has features for creating book clubs and online reading discussions

Alice
Alice is a cross between a video game and Choose Your Own Adventure. Among other features, you can add to the narrative, talk to characters, and find keys to unlock plot twists. The idea here is to blur “the lines between reality and fiction,” as the film says

Watch the video here

IDEO and Steelcase innovate on classroom chair for the future

I am a huge fan of Ideo. I like their thinking, their philosophy, and their drive for execution.

The case that is often cited when talking of IDEO is the work they did with Shimano in developing the coasting bike. Now they have done it again. Steelcase Design Studio worked with IDEO to design a classroom chair that would provide quick and seamless transitions from one teaching mode to the next. The swivel seat allows students to easily rotate and view information being shared throughout the classroom. The open seat design enables them to change postures and positions, offering comfort in multiple settings. Its mobile base offers the ability to move back and forth from lecture mode to teambased learning, without interruption.

Steelcase research shows a variety of teaching modes occur in today’s classroom, such as group discussions, team collaboration, and lecture — all of which contribute to more effective learning and instruction. Educators are turning to multiple teaching modes to support multiple learning styles. However, while teaching methods have evolved, the classrooms themselves are not designed to support multiple activities or the transitions required to employ them efficiently.

Many traditional classrooms actually inhibit current teaching methods by creating physical and social barriers between students and teachers. They have been designed for one-way learning with tight rows of desks and chairs that inhibit movement and interaction, keeping instructors confined to the front of the room, where there are few opportunities to connect with students. Students are confined to chairs that are secured to the floor or are difficult to move, forcing them to struggle to adjust to see the instructor, fellow students or content displays.

“Students today expect a more active learning environment that supports co-learning and group discussion, similar to their everyday interactions; but the classroom has remained largely unchanged for decades,” said Sean Corcorran, director of product development and marketing for Steelcase Education Solutions. “

The node classroom chair provides key features like its swivel seat to maintain open sightlines, casters for mobility and quick mode change, backpack storage and a large adjustable worksurface that supports laptops, textbooks and notebooks.”

My only question is: if this is a chair for the classroom of the future, in the future, do we need classrooms at all?