kiosk keyboards
A custom ticketing kiosk
created & built by Olea Kiosks
for a California theme park
offers a physical keyboard and
EZ Access panels for hearing and
visually impaired clientele.
"One size does not fit all, and
only you can decide which
keyboard option to employ
for your kiosk project"
Advantage of virtual
keyboards
A benefit of virtual
keyboards is the ability to
customise the look and feel
of the keyboard to emulate
and reflect the desired brand.
Virtual keyboards can be
further customised and locked down
by removing the keys and keystroke
combinations that are not desired.
For example, showing only a numeric
keyboard for entering a phone number.
Multiple language virtual keyboards
are also available, and easily selected
by users and deployers of kiosks. This
availability is instant and incurs no
additional cost to the kiosk deployer.
32 KIOSK solutions
Advantage of physical
keyboards
Physical keyboards take
up no screen space,
allowing for full screen
view of the kiosk application
or website. Virtual keyboards block
part of the kiosk screen when they're
actively available.
Some on-screen applications are
optimal with large screen displays and
virtual keyboards obscure that view, so
physical keyboards have the advantage.
Differently abled kiosk users may
benefit from physical keyboards with
alternative keys, trackball accessories,
raised lettering, and/or modifiable height.
Physical keyboards can be customised
for various languages or combined
languages, with raised fonts to improve
tactile recognition of lettering.
Industrial physical keyboards currently
hold up better than electronic sensors
and wires in extreme weather conditions
such as outdoor heat or cold.
Sometimes it makes the most sense
for kiosk deployers to provide both a
virtual keyboard and a physical keyboard
option. Users may then select the method
that is the most usable for their own
particular needs and situation. According
to Gregory von Schiller from keyboard
manufacturer Zupera, “although a user
can adequately input texts with a virtual
keyboard, even awkwardly on a large
display, one can comfortably enter