Finally! A Decent Chip Reader Interface.

Yes, they have to explain it — and this arguably makes bad design. But chip cards, and the ill-considered user experience process rolled out with them, are now the law of the land in the United States. This “instructional frame added to a chip reader approach” is the best-designed workaround I’ve seen of a payment process that still often bewilders and frustrates. A little explaining might go a long way for awhile, at least until Americans are accustomed to paying with chip cards.

The question, “Have a chip card?” removes the ambiguity of whether we should still swipe if our card has a chip — many machines appear to accept chip insertion, but in fact do not. The use of simple instructions with good textual hierarchy here takes the guesswork out of paying with a chip card. I would welcome this instructional frame on chip payment terminals across the country.