Gas Station Usability Problems

I go to various gas stations to fill up a thirsy car. The one in my neighborhood takes longer to use because of its strange set up. Most gas stations have the screen and buttons next to each other.
Not this one. The buttons appear near the nozzle and the credit card slot. The screen sits in the middle like most gas station screens. It’s tough to notice the buttons because the panel is slightly covered (indented area) like porches with a roof cover.
To make it more difficult to use, four arrow buttons appear on both sides of the screen. You use these mainly for yes/no questions. But you enter your zip code, other information, and press “Enter” on the other panel.
It feels like a “left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing” situation. I’m sure the designer moved the buttons and credit card slot to its location as protection from weather. But really. The screen and panel should be together, which is what most gas stations do.
Moral: Ensure your content and interactive parts — especially a shopping cart — of your site work together and intuitively. Quick and cheap (free really) way to do this is to have friends and family test the site.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.