opinion
"If your kiosk doesn’t help
people in some way they’ll go
elsewhere. Clearly defining the
purpose for a kiosk project
and the audience those kiosks
will serve is instrumental in
achieving project success"
24 KIOSK solutions
What functions will the kiosk serve?
The functionality of a kiosk is generally
one of the first things to decide when
considering a new kiosk project, and it’s
one that’s often overlooked. If the plan is
to use the kiosk for patient check-in for
a clinic or other healthcare facility, how
will the unit integrate with existing back-
office software? What about compliance
with the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act? If they’ll be located
in a retail store, will customers be able
to pay for their selections at the kiosk? If
so, peripherals such as card readers and
keyboards will need to be included.
It’s also one part of the process where
almost everyone has an opinion. Different
team members or departments often
have very different priorities when it
comes to adding functions to this sort of
project. It’s easy to say, “Let’s make a kiosk
that does it all!” But it’s often best to keep
things simple. Remember that in most
cases, each visitor to your kiosk is a new
user – you don’t want to overwhelm them
with options. Carefully considering the
additional complexity added by each task,
and possibly some simple user testing
can help you decide whether a function
improves the visitor’s overall experience
or satisfies a critical requirement.
The number of options and type of
information and/or tasks presented will
vary based on the location and turnover
required at the kiosk. A kiosk at a busy
trade show would likely have more
streamlined functionality, and a faster
average turnover, than an informational
display in a gallery or museum.
If most people already own a
smartphone, wouldn’t it be easier to just
develop a mobile app? In 2010, the CEO
of a retail technology company predicted
the demise of the self-service kiosk, with
mobile apps delivering the deathblow.
Today, both mobile apps and kiosks
are experiencing tremendous growth.
A recent Research and Markets report
predicts the market for interactive kiosks
will see a compound annual growth rate