Self-Order Terminals and Accessibility now go hand in hand. Self-ordering is convenient – but only for people who understand the ordering process, can recognise the content, operate touchscreens reliably and have enough time to make decisions.
In restaurants, bakeries, cafés and particularly in quick-service concepts, self-order terminals have long since become part of everyday life. They can reduce waiting times, relieve pressure on staff, standardise ordering processes and support additional sales.
However, the increasing digitalisation of ordering also has another side: People who struggle to use the terminal may no longer be able to place their order independently or, in the worst case, may be excluded from the digital ordering process altogether.
Accessibility does not begin with wheelchair access
When people think about accessibility, physical disabilities are often the first thing that comes to mind. Yet the potential barriers of a self-order terminal are far more diverse.
Barriers can arise when text is unnecessarily complicated, menus contain too many levels, contrast is insufficient or controls are too small. Short time limits, unclear error messages or information provided exclusively in visual form can also make a terminal considerably more difficult to use.
For people with cognitive impairments, extensive choices and deeply nested menu structures can quickly become overwhelming. What may simply mean a few additional steps for an experienced user can cause someone else to abandon the entire ordering process.
People with visual impairments need sufficient contrast, easily readable font sizes and clearly identifiable controls. Information conveyed through colour alone or very small buttons can quickly become a barrier.
Blind people can also use digital touchscreens – provided the system offers suitable alternative ways of operating the terminal and accessing information. These may include speech output, audio guidance, tactile orientation points or support for assistive technologies (see https://dr-rainer-eckert.de/en/touchscreen-for-blind-users/).
For people with motor impairments, other factors become particularly important: reachability, operating height, the size and spacing of touch targets, and sufficient response and input times.
Good accessibility is good usability
Many of these requirements are by no means relevant only to people with disabilities.
A clear menu structure also helps people using the terminal for the first time. Large controls make operation easier when customers are under time pressure. Good contrast helps in difficult lighting conditions. Clear and understandable language is particularly valuable for an international customer base. And sufficient response times also benefit older people and those who are less confident with digital technology.
Accessibility therefore does not mean developing special solutions for individual user groups. Ideally, it means creating a system that can be used intuitively, safely and independently by as many people as possible.
That is the principle behind inclusive design.
Self-Order Terminals and Accessibility: Even more relevant since June 2025
The European Accessibility Act (EAA), formally Directive (EU) 2019/882, establishes common accessibility requirements for certain products and services across the European Union. EU Member States were required to transpose the Directive into national law by 28 June 2022, with the corresponding national requirements applying from 28 June 2025.
This means that accessibility is no longer a topic that can be considered solely from a national perspective. Across the EU, companies need to take the applicable national legislation implementing the EAA into account when products and services fall within its scope. For a first overview, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Accessibility_Act.
Whether and to what extent a specific self-order terminal, or the service provided through it, falls directly within the scope of these legal requirements must still be assessed for the individual application.
Regardless of the precise legal classification, however, the benchmark for digital customer interfaces is changing significantly. Accessibility should be considered from the design stage onwards rather than only when an existing system has to be adapted retrospectively.
What makes an accessible self-order terminal?
Self-Order Terminals and Accessibility should therefore be considered together from the very beginning of a project. What matters is not only technical functionality, transaction speed and sales promotion, but also how different people experience the entire ordering process.
Important aspects include:
- clear and preferably shallow menu structures,
- simple and understandable language together with suitable language options,
- sufficient contrast and easily readable font sizes,
- clear and understandable symbols,
- sufficiently large and well-separated touch targets,
- avoidable or extendable time limits,
- alternative information channels such as audio output,
- appropriate operating heights and reachable controls,
- understandable instructions and error messages,
- a consistent process throughout ordering and payment, and
- trained staff as a supportive fallback option.
It is not enough simply to tick off individual requirements in isolation. What ultimately matters is the interaction between hardware, user interface, information architecture, physical integration and the overall service process.
With Self-Order Terminals and Accessibility, the “average customer” must not be the benchmark
Self-order terminals can be a highly effective part of modern service concepts. Their quality, however, should not be measured simply by how quickly a digitally confident customer can place an order.
A far more meaningful benchmark is how many different people can use the system independently and without unnecessary barriers.
In reality, there is hardly any such thing as the supposed “average customer”. People differ in age, physical abilities, vision, language skills, digital experience and cognitive abilities.
Anyone who takes this diversity into account from the design stage does not merely create more accessible systems. In most cases, they also create better self-order terminals.
Because self-ordering is only truly convenient when every user is considered.