PocketATM: understanding and improving ATM accessibility in India

Visually impaired people (VIPs) face significant usability and privacy challenges using digital finance technologies. In this paper, we focus on investigating these challenges in the context of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in India. To find out the accessibility status of ATMs across India, we first reach out to public banks, and then conduct in-person field surveys and an online crowd sourcing survey of 107 ATM machines across 4 cities in India. We find that less than 18% of surveyed machines are accessible, and follow up with 22 interviews with VIPs regarding challenges using ATMs. Based on insights, we design PocketATM: a system that enables VIPs to use ATMs using their own smartphones - a user can pre-authorize a cash withdrawal using a phone application, then go to any nearby ATM to receive the pre-authorized amount. Our usability evaluation with 19 VIPs demonstrates that PocketATM is usable, practical, and could be embraced by VIPs in India.