New card reader to help elderly customers with sight issues

Barclays new talking card reader, right, aims to help people with sight and dexterity issues. Picture: PA

Some customers, particularly older ones, told Barclays they found a card reader difficult to see and use because of its size so now it has developed a talking card reader with bigger buttons and a larger screen.

Small handheld card readers are used by customers logging into their online banking from home, to provide an extra layer of security. Barclays has also revamped its existing range of high-visibility debit cards.

In addition to having high contrast and brightly-coloured designs, the three-digit security numbers on the reverse of the cards are now being made bigger, after customers told Barclays they were struggling to see them.

The bank said over five million people across the UK experience some level of sight loss or issues with dexterity.

Ashok Vaswani, chief executive of Barclays UK, said: “Often it’s when you think about how to meet specific needs that you find solutions that help the widest range of people and customers.”

Nigel Lewis, chief executive of the charity AbilityNet, which helped develop the product, said: “As a leading advocate of accessible digital design, we know that putting the user at the centre of the design process delivers better products and services to every customer, not just people with disabilities. Barclays’ commitment to accessibility, shown most recently by the launch of the large card reader and improved high-visibility debit card, will have a positive impact on the lives of the millions of people who use their services every day.” Barclays launched “high vis” brightly-coloured debit cards in 2013, making them easier to find in wallets and also featuring a tactile notch so that customers could tell which way to insert them.

In 2015, it started to offer instant access to sign language interpreters in-branch, via an app on branch iPads.

Other recent initiatives from Barclays include voice security technology for customers from 2016, meaning they no longer need to use a password to access its telephone banking services.

It has also added fingerprint security verification within its mobile banking app.

Earlier in 2017, it started to give customers the ability to instantly turn their cards on and off and set their own ATM withdrawal limits, helping customers to protect themselves from fraud.