Public touch displays, such as ticket machines and self-checkouts, have become ubiquitous but pose increased risks of smear infections due to frequent physical interactions. To address this, we explore dynamically adapting the layout of user interfaces between interactions, spatially distributing touchpoints to reduce infection risk. Guided by expert interviews, we developed a self-checkout prototype with adaptive layouts and evaluated it in a within-subjects, mixed-methods lab study (N=26). Our evaluation compared Vertical and Horizontal GUI Layout Rearrangements against a non-adaptive baseline and assessed the impact of visualizing previous users’ touch traces. Although baseline conditions performed better regarding usability and task completion times, qualitative feedback highlighted the perceived benefits of adaptive layouts, especially related to hygiene and privacy. This work contributes to public display design by exploring intelligent interface adaptations and examining the trade-off between ease of use through consistency and enhanced hygienic safety via touch distribution.      «

Public touch displays, such as ticket machines and self-checkouts, have become ubiquitous but pose increased risks of smear infections due to frequent physical interactions. To address this, we explore dynamically adapting the layout of user interfaces between interactions, spatially distributing touchpoints to reduce infection risk. Guided by expert interviews, we developed a self-checkout prototype with adaptive layouts and evaluated it in a within-subjects, mixed-methods lab study (N=26). Our...     »