Article

Attractive by design

It's the design of a kiosk that first catches a user's eye and determines whether that user will want to approach the unit. Businesses considering kiosks as a self-service tool for their employees or customers must think about the goal of the enclosure before picking up the sketch pad.

February 24, 2004

Contrary to age-old advice, looks just might be everything; at least where kiosk enclosures are concerned.

It's the design of a kiosk that first catches a user's eye and determines whether that user will want to not only approach the unit, but give it a try. That's why businesses considering kiosks as a self-service tool for their employees or customers must think long and hard about the goal of the enclosure before picking up the sketch pad.

"You want the kiosk to change the way people do things. So you have to entice them first," said Jonathan Arfin, president of SeePoint Technology, a kiosk-enclosure vendor.

Enclosure vendors in the kiosk industry work their clients through the design process, asking such questions as:

--What are budget limitations?

--Is branding important, necessitating a custom kiosk; or will an off-the-shelf model do?

--Will the units need peripherals such as card readers, currency accepters, printers or track balls that have to be designed in?

--Where will the units be placed? Is the planned location a retail outlet, a hotel lobby or a factory floor?

--Who will the users be and what is important to them?

--What materials or finishes are preferred?

Ben Wheeler, sales manager of the kiosk division at Metalfx, said, "Design is the ultimate functionality. [Users] will never get the kiosk to work properly if it has not been properly designed."

He said, for example, that if a customer wants a kiosk to look like a palm tree and sway in the wind, then that had better be the design up front. "You don't' want to realize mid-way through that you need a bill validator, that then has to added as a square box sticking out of the side of the palm tree."

Wheeler said the CAD or computer-aided drawing software his company uses can take customers into a drawing "right down to the threads on the screws."

To ensure that a project is understood, Metalfx assigns an engineer to each customer. The company has six engineers on staff. "They ask the customer's vision, and tweak the aesthetics from there." He said many customers have an idea of what they want because they've been online shopping.

Carl Lundgren, a design engineer at Metalfx, said, "Each customer has a long learning curve. That's typical in a young industry." He said everyone wants a Mercedes design at a Yugo price.

"We ask the customer about his target market and where the kiosk is going to go. Is it for retail? Is it for an industrial application? Then we identify the components." That entails finding out what the end user, or consumer, will be able to do on the unit. Do they need a touchscreen? Will they make payments? Then a swipe reader or bill validator may be needed.

Lundgren said there are usually three or four "back and forths" between Metalfx and the client before a kiosk is developed.

Frank Olea, vice president of sales and marketing for Olea Exhibits, agreed. "We start with a pencil sketch from our head architect and go through about three phases before we go to a three-dimensional rendering." He explained that this allows the customer to look at the kiosk from all sides. "The design stage can be long."

An Olea kiosk, generally a standard unit that has been modified in some way, can cost up to $5,000, he said.

One important design consideration, the vendors said, is a compact footprint.

Arfin said, "People are carrying around powerful technology miniatures in their pockets. They would be disappointed if a simple gift registry kiosk was a 4-foot by 4-foot piece of furniture."

He said no place is a slim profile more important than in retail. "Space is money to retailers. If you are going to take up a lot of space, you'd better have a higher ROI."

Arfin said kiosks can still pack a powerful message in a small space. That's why SeePoint uses clear acrylic on its units so customers can add their own, changeable signage.

This SeePoint kiosk for Neutrogena skincare products illustrates branding. Neutrogena soap is clear and amber-colored, like this unit.

Making a name

Allen Buchholz, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Frank Mayer and Associates, said the first thing customers have to answer is whether the brand of their product or service is important. "The major brands usually make a statement. And the kiosk design should bring out the essence of the brand. In this case, a stock kiosk won't work."

A kiosk for BMW, for example, will use particular materials and have a certain look to represent the value of the product.

"If it's not apparent what the brand is, a consumer will get confused and walk away," said Buchholz. "There are consumers who will see what they think is a computer in a cabinet, and believe that is only for store personnel to use."

He said Frank Mayer assigns a team to each customer. The team comprises an account executive, a project manager, a designer and a technology manager that offers consultation on the project.

Buchholz said a good kiosk design is unusual, out of the ordinary, and can draw consumers with pure looks. It also points out brand immediately, through its design or with signage, graphics or a track loop.

Buchholz said clients usually offer their objectives, budget constraints and brand strategies up front. Frank Mayer does not have stock units, so every design begins from scratch.

He said if there is one place designs get complicated, it's with factoring a printer. "It's a complicated infrastructure that holds a printer up. If the client hasn't decided on a printer, we can only do a rough sketch."

Frank Mayer, like most enclosure companies, partners with other hardware and software vendors, and can oversee the complete project. The company also works with peripherals clients already own.

Wheeler said the major factors affecting price include materials, yield, customization and finishes.

Lundgren explained that there is a challenge in designing an eye-appealing kiosk under restrictive budgets.

He said the "really amazing thing" is the cost of components. "We have to work around the components. The software people drive what can be used. Our job is the packaging."

Frank Mayer's Buchholz said his company strongly suggests that clients test market their kiosks. But they often balk at the price of one custom kiosk.

"My point, if they want to test market using an off-the-shelf product, is what are they testing? They are only testing the software. They aren't considering the kiosk's ability to attract users." He agreed that producing five to 10 kiosks can be a costly venture, but said that if customers are serious about the project, the cost is justified.

[Editor's note: Info Touch Technologies became Tio Networks in April 2006.]