More seriously, I think that a peaceful, predictable experience helps users notice things which are out of the ordinary. The goal of advertising is to attract attention, and that attention is taken away from other things.

I’ll offer a prediction: ATMs with ‘funky advertising’ will have higher error and fraud rates.

OK, I’ll bite

To reiterate my two distinct points:

1. Make it difficult to attach/install/hide any sort of extra/unintended/malicious or otherwise equipment on and
around the ATM. Doing this by making the ATM’s design “simpler.” Simpler = one flat slot and a touchscreen monitor (of course, with allowance for use by people with disabilities.) If someone can explain to me why this is counter-productive, insecure or “uniformly awful” (eye-candy is a valid argument, but falls under the “personal taste” category, so let’s leave that out)
to the function of ATMs dispensing cash, I’d appreciate it. There is no reason to make anything more “user-friendly” than it needs to be; feature creep is most often the reason why systems fail or become unmanageable/inefficient.

2. Eliminate receipts since their value is outweighed by the fact that people throw them at the nearest bin, providing account information to dumpster divers. (Sure, with the added value of keeping “my” ATM design simpler, but that is secondary.)

From a real-world threat perspective, maybe that assertion
is not accurate, although the threat is still there. I’ll also agree that an option (default = off) for receipts would be/is “nice” for people who actually keep track of them. Some do, I recognize; I don’t.

However, I’d like to address the two functions receipts have that were brought up in the comments above.

Deposits (in the US, not sure of the UK): The receipt one gets for deposits is useless as *proof* since the depositor decides the value that is printed on it. One can “deposit” a blank envelope and claim it contained a check for $10,000 and receive a receipt to that effect. The banks will not accept that as evidence and will request the depositor to have the check issuer write a new one. The receipts here are of no real value as a dispute mechanism.

Withdrawals: In John Holmes’ case, the ATM did not fail… it produced the right records. What failed were the mechanisms supporting the ATM. As such, receipt or not, it would have been just as easy for the bank to examine the ATM’s records (which I think they did anyway, regardless of the show of receipt.) In this case, sure, the receipt had some further value, perhaps in convincing a feisty teller, although the same outcome could have been had without it, IMO.

Given time, every system will fail, including ATMs. I could not find (google) statistics of ATM failure rate but my guess is that it is very very low (really, it has to be.) If anyone has ATM MTBF numbers, please share.

Hehe, sorry to continue heckling, but as per my own point, a flat ATM design would not preclue receipts. On the economics of brochure holders, are you sure Tyler? I guess the question is economical for whom? I dare say the uptake of extra savings accounts/mortages/pet insurance etc. versus the extra risk of phantom withdrawal cameras falls firmly in favour of having the brochure holders, from the point of view of the bank.

That said, a flat ATM with a full TV screen could do some funky advertising.

Question: What other modifications will ATMs of the future have? If ATM designers can think of a way to make sound part of the authentication system (maybe via a bluetooth headset which by then are permanently glued to people’s heads) then they can blast people with full sound and video adverts while they wait for authorisation…

I guess ATMs sit on some uncomfortable middle ground between face to face banking (v. expensive but great for sales) and internet banking (v. cheap but probably crap for sales).

Basically, there is a substantial benefit to providing the option for receipts when compared to the very minor increase in design clutter. The same may not be said for brochure holders.

Tyler