How Many Taps for a Coffee? Kiosks in Korea, the Good, the Bad and the UX
I want a coffee. Iced Americano, no extras. At the counter that takes one sentence. At the kiosk in front of me it takes a language screen, a dine in or take out screen, a category, the drink, a temperature, a size, a shot question, a syrup question, a dessert pop up, a membership prompt, a coupon prompt and a payment screen. By the end I have touched the glass more times than I will sip the drink.
That is my personal pet peeve. But kiosks are not going away, and for a lot of people they are a genuine improvement. So it is worth asking the real question: who are these machines designed for, and what would make them good?
Kiosks are everywhere now
Kiosks are now normal in Seoul. Comfort is not.
Almost everyone has used one. Many older users still struggle.
거의 모두가 써 봤지만, 고령층의 불편은 여전하다.
of Seoul adults have used a kiosk, up from 81.7% two years earlier.
서울시민 키오스크 이용 경험률 87.7%, 2년 전 81.7%.
of older Seoul residents have used one, up from 57.1%.
55세 이상 이용 경험률 71.7%, 2년 전 57.1%.
of older users say kiosks are still inconvenient. Top reasons: applying options, and pressure from the queue behind.
고령층 63.3%가 여전히 불편. 선택사항 적용(50.9%), 뒷사람 눈치(47.2%).
Source: 서울AI재단 「2025년 서울시민 디지털역량실태조사」(5,500명), 연합뉴스 2026년 4월 21일.
In Seoul, the kiosk is no longer a novelty. The Seoul AI Foundation’s 2025 survey of 5,500 residents found that 87.7% had used one. Among people aged 55 and over, use jumped from 57.1% to 71.7% in two years. Cafés, burger chains, ramen shops, cinemas, hospitals, ward offices, even some bars: if there is a queue, there is probably a screen.
Share of orders placed at the kiosk, by age
Real transactions at Lotte group cafés and fast food outlets, 2022.
롯데그룹 카페·패스트푸드 매장 실제 거래 기준 키오스크 주문 비중(2022).
Source: 롯데멤버스 키오스크 이용경험 조사(1,333명) 및 롯데 F&B 매장 거래 데이터, 뉴시스 2023년 3월 27일. Across all ages, kiosks took 70% of orders in 2022, up from 37.2% in 2019.
The shift happened fast. At Lotte group cafés and fast food outlets, kiosks took 37.2% of orders in 2019 and 70% by 2022. Among customers in their twenties the figure was 91.7%. Among those 60 and over, it was 54.4%. Same shop, same menu, two different experiences.
The good: why many people love them
Why people choose the screen, and why they choose a person
Same survey, two very different reasons.
키오스크를 고르는 이유와 직원을 고르는 이유.
Prefer the person (대면)
- I can ask questions: 26.7%
- It is what I am used to: 22.2%
- More ways to pay, like cash or vouchers: 19.9%
- Faster to choose and pay: 15.6%
직원에게 물어볼 수 있어서 26.7%, 익숙해서 22.2%
Prefer the kiosk (키오스크)
- No need to worry about staff reactions: 33.6%
- Faster to choose and pay: 24.2%
- Shorter wait: 19.5%
- Fun to order myself: 10.1%
직원 눈치를 보지 않아도 돼서 33.6%, 빨라서 24.2%
Source: 롯데멤버스 키오스크 이용경험 조사(1,333명) 및 롯데 F&B 매장 거래 데이터, 뉴시스 2023년 3월 27일. Overall preference split exactly 50 to 50.
The most common reason people give for preferring the kiosk is not speed. It is not having to worry about the person behind the counter. A third of kiosk fans in the Lotte survey said exactly that. For introverts, for people ordering in a second language, for anyone who has ever felt rushed while changing their mind about a sandwich, the screen is a relief. It never sighs.
That fits a wider pattern among younger Koreans. A 2023 survey of 1,496 young adults by the job platform 알바천국 found that 35.6% reported “call phobia”, real anxiety about phone calls, and 70.7% preferred to communicate by text (알바천국 MZ세대 1,496명 조사, YTN). Ordering at a screen is the in person version of sending a message instead of calling.
Kiosks also get some orders more right. When you build a sub, a burrito or a poke bowl with ten choices, a review screen lets you check every ingredient before you pay. In the US, Tillster found diners prefer kiosks partly because they can review orders for accuracy, and 62% discovered a customisation they had not known existed.
Let me be fair to the machines, because I do get it. Finding reliable staff for a small café or restaurant is hard, especially for early mornings, late nights and weekends. Labour costs keep climbing: the minimum wage is 10,320 won an hour in 2026 and rises to 10,700 won from January 2027 (최저임금위원회, July 2026). For a shop on thin margins, a kiosk covering the counter at peak hours is not greed. It is how the doors stay open.
And when the UX is good, I am more than happy to use one. Fast, obvious, a clear path to what I want, no traps. I have no nostalgia for queues. My problem is not the kiosk. It is what gets bolted onto it.
The bad: frustration, friction and the queue behind you
What frustrates people at the kiosk
Multiple answers allowed. And 36.3% have given up partway through an order.
키오스크 이용 불편 사항(중복응답). 응답자의 36.3%는 주문 도중 포기한 경험이 있다.
Source: 롯데멤버스 키오스크 이용경험 조사(1,333명) 및 롯데 F&B 매장 거래 데이터, 뉴시스 2023년 3월 27일.
The top complaint is not the technology. It is the social pressure of the people waiting behind you, cited by 44.9% of Lotte respondents. Among older Seoul residents it is 47.2%. A screen that takes too many steps does not just waste time; it puts you on public display while you struggle.
직원이 고령 고객의 키오스크 주문을 돕고 있다. 붐비는 시간대 곁에 선 한 사람이 가장 저렴한 해결책이다.
The next complaints are about everything a person handles easily: cash and vouchers, points, a question about what is in the sauce. And 36.3% of people said they had given up on a kiosk order partway through. That figure was similar for every age group from 20s to 60s, which suggests the problem is design, not age.
How many taps for a coffee?
What a “simple” coffee looks like at the kiosk
One iced Americano, no extras. Every red number is a tap.
아이스 아메리카노 한 잔, 추가 옵션 없음. 빨간 숫자가 터치 횟수입니다.
Where will you enjoy it?
어디에서 드시나요?
Start. Language, then eat in or take out.
Find it. Past the promotion banner, into a category, then the drink.
Americano
Configure. Temperature and size are required. Defaults would save two taps.
Cart · 1 item
Add a cookie for ₩2,000?
쿠키를 함께 드시겠어요?
Upsell. The “yes” button is the big blue one. “No” is a small grey one.
Cart · 1 item
Earn points? 포인트 적립
Loyalty. Points, then coupons. Typing a phone number with a queue behind you is its own stress.
How will you pay? 결제 수단
Receipt? 영수증
Pay. Then insert the card and wait for your number.
taps at this kiosk, before you insert your card. 키오스크 터치 13회.
sentence at the counter: “Iced Americano, to go.” 카운터에서는 한 문장.
Welcome back 다시 오셨네요
My usual · 늘 먹던 것Iced Americano · Regular · Take out · ₩4,500The same coffee in two taps
- Remember the regular. “My usual” from the app or a QR scan.
- Defaults, not questions. Show options only when someone asks to change them.
- Points without typing. Linked to the card or app, added after payment.
- One upsell, easy to ignore. Never a pop up that blocks the order.
- A human option on screen. A help button that actually brings someone.
A CareerComms illustration of a typical Korean café kiosk flow. “Corner Coffee” is fictional; the screens are a composite, not any real brand. Tap counts vary by store.
Thirteen taps for one plain coffee. Every extra screen exists for a reason that makes sense to someone in head office: the upsell, the loyalty data, the coupon redemption. Each one is reasonable on its own. Together, they turn a ten second request into a minute of tapping. Most of the taps serve the business, not the customer.
Points, memberships, stamps, the app, the coupon, the phone number. This is my real pet peeve. As a marketer, I understand exactly why each one is there: data, repeat visits, a reason to come back. I know the place for them. But choose one. A business that tries to collect all of them at the kiosk turns a coffee into a sign up process, and every extra prompt quietly tells the customer that the screen is working for the company, not for them.
Pick the single loyalty mechanism that matters most to your business, make it effortless, ideally automatic when someone pays with a linked card or app, and drop the rest. One good programme people actually use beats four that everyone skips.
There is a simple test for this. Would a good barista ask you all of those questions, in that order, every time? No. A good barista asks one or two, remembers your usual, and lets you add something if you want to. The best kiosks borrow that logic: sensible defaults, a “my usual” button, and upsells you can ignore without an extra tap.
Kiosks do sell more
Which is exactly why operators keep adding screens.
그래서 매장은 화면을 계속 늘린다.
of US kiosk users have, on occasion, bought more than they intended.
키오스크 이용자 76%가 의도보다 더 많이 산 경험.
were surprised by a menu item or customisation they did not know about.
62%가 몰랐던 메뉴·옵션을 발견.
of users want more kiosks, up from 36% in 2023.
61%가 키오스크 확대를 원함(2023년 36%).
Source: Tillster 2025 Phygital Index (1,500 US diners), via Restaurant Dive.
Operators keep the extra screens because they work. Tillster found that 76% of US kiosk users had at some point bought more than they intended. That is good for the average bill and bad for trust if it feels like a trap.
Subs, burritos and the personalisation problem
Build your own food is where kiosks are most loved and most hated at the same time. Some customers want to see the ingredients, point at the peppers and say “a bit more of that”. Others want to tap through twelve options in peace without a queue watching them decide between two cheeses.
Both groups are right, which is why the best answer is rarely kiosk only or counter only. A hybrid works: a kiosk or app for people who want control and privacy, a person on the line for people who want to see, ask and adjust. The mistake is removing the second option entirely and calling it efficiency.
The rules are catching up
Korea has started to treat kiosk access as a right, not a courtesy. Under the amended Framework Act on Intelligent Informatisation, operators that install kiosks must provide at least one of five measures: staff who can help, real time voice guidance, a certified accessible kiosk, compatible assistive software, or an app or website that does the same job (과학기술정보통신부, 지능정보화 기본법 시행령, 뉴시스 2025년 3월 26일). Separate disability discrimination rules extended accessibility duties to older kiosks from January 2026. The direction is clear: if you replace a person with a screen, everyone still has to be able to use it.
What good looks like: for businesses
- A three tap path for your five best sellers, with sensible defaults.
- “My usual” or “repeat last order” on the first screen, linked to the app.
- One upsell, once, with a skip button as large as the accept button.
- Easy mode: large text, fewer screens, voice guidance, reachable from the start.
- Pictures of real ingredients for build your own items, and a clear review screen.
- A visible human option: a call button, a counter, or someone nearby at busy hours.
- One loyalty scheme, not four. Choose points or membership or stamps, link it to the card or app, and stop asking at every order.
A kiosk scorecard for operators
If you run a café or restaurant, measure the experience, not just the labour saved.
인건비 절감만이 아니라 주문 경험을 측정하라.
Swipe for more columns · 옆으로 밀어 보기
| Metric 지표 | How to measure 측정 방법 | Target to aim for 목표 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taps to a top order 인기 메뉴 탭 수 | Count taps for your five best sellers, default options | Three to five taps, including payment | |
| Time to order 주문 소요 시간 | Seconds from first touch to payment, from the kiosk log | Faster than the counter for regulars | |
| Abandonment 주문 포기율 | Sessions started but not paid | Well under the 36.3% of people who say they have quit an order | |
| Help requests 도움 요청 | How often staff are called over, by hour and age group | Falling month on month | |
| Average order value 객단가 | Kiosk vs counter, same items | Up, without complaints about pushy pop ups | |
| Satisfaction 만족도 | One question on the receipt or app | Equal across age groups |
A CareerComms framework.
If you are deciding whether to install kiosks at all, the same logic as any automation project applies: measure the baseline, pilot one store, bring staff in early and track people metrics as well as cost. We cover that step by step in an upcoming AI at Work post, When to Automate, How to Introduce It, and How to Know It Worked.
The short version
Kiosks are now how most young Koreans order, and many introverts, second language speakers and build your own fans prefer them. They also frustrate a large share of users, especially older customers and anyone with a queue behind them, and too many of them are designed around upsells and data capture rather than the order. The fix is not removing them. It is designing them like a good barista: fewer questions, smart defaults, and a person nearby when you need one.
If your business is introducing self service and wants to explain it well to customers and staff, work with us.
Sources: 서울AI재단, 2025 Seoul Digital Competency Survey (reported April 2026); 롯데멤버스 kiosk survey and Lotte F&B transaction data (March 2023); 알바천국 call phobia survey; Tillster 2025 Phygital Index; 과학기술정보통신부, amended Framework Act on Intelligent Informatisation (March 2025).
CareerComms. “How Many Taps for a Coffee? Kiosks in Korea, the Good, the Bad and the UX.” CareerComms, 2026, https://careercomms.com/kiosks-korea-ux-good-bad/.
Quotation with attribution and a link is welcome. Republication without permission is not.
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