Article

Entertaining, practical kiosk designs

Kiosk enclosure manufacturers are finding that customers seek kiosk designs that are entertaining, yet functional.

March 11, 2002

For several thousands years until they were unearthed in 1974, the terra cotta warriors remained buried in China in the mausoleum of Emperor Qin. The life-size clay sculptures were entombed with the Chinese emperor to serve as his eternal guard.

Soon, patrons at Grumman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif., will get a first-hand look at the terra cotta warriors-in kiosk form. Grumman's, working with Toronto-based kiosk manufacturer The Kiosk Factory, have developed a terra cotta warrior kiosk which will sell and dispense tickets for the theater. The kiosk will debut before year's end.

"There were 7,000 terra cotta warriors buried along with the emperor to aid in his afterlife support," said Julian Bowron, The Kiosk Factory president. "We were wondering what would be a distinctive presentation for Grumman's and thought this was perfect."

The Kiosk Factory's Ming kiosk dispenses tickets for the Famous Players theater chain.

The terra cotta warriors are an example of a major trend in kiosk enclosure design-an emphasis on distinctiveness. From Yahoo's purple cow Internet kiosk, designed by Netkey for Yahoo at the 2000 Cow Parade in New York City (see story, Holy Cow, It's a Kiosk), to Grumman's terra cotta warriors, kiosk enclosure designs are becoming known as much for being distinctive as being functional.

"I figure 60 to 65 percent of our business is actually custom enclosures," said Robert Gallner, acting president and chief executive officer of kiosk manufacturer Cybertotems. "Someone comes to us and says `We like your Saturn model. Let's do this and this and this to it, and suddenly you're looking at a custom model.' "

But functionality is every bit as important as distinctiveness, according to several kiosk industry executives. Once a kiosk design grabs the user's attention, it must get of the way while its components go to work.

"There is a greater emphasis to design an enclosure that complements the environment where it is being placed," said Mike Mayer, president of kiosk manufacturer Frank Mayer & Associates Inc. "The screen and software content is the primary focus of the kiosk. The enclosure needs to attract consumers to the unit, but then must quietly fall into the background once a consumer is engaged in some type of interaction with the screen."

Know your audience

Understanding what the customer wants remains crucial to successful kiosk enclosure design. A purple cow worked for Yahoo in New York, but it could cause red faces for other companies.

"A power generating company in a facility where they're washing everything down because of the coal dust is going to want a water-tight kiosk, that's all," Bowron said.

But Bowron said entertainment kiosks are currently the most popular. For the Famous Players theater chain, The Kiosk Factory designed a series of fiberglass and steel kiosks shaped as waiters, ancient Egyptian warriors, and space aliens (see story, More than just a pretty face, Part I of III). They are also used as ticket dispensers.

"Ten years ago if you put a computer in a public place, especially a touch screen, that was enough to ensure it would get used," he said. "But now everybody relates computers to tedium work. So now you have to find attractive, distinctive ways to get people interested in using them."

Gallner agreed that distinctiveness is important-his company designed a dual-sided kiosk that looks like a totem pole for use in several North American Indian casinos. But he said it was just as crucial to make sure the kiosk blended into its environment.

"The big shift I've seen several manufacturers go to is diminishing the space," he said. "In retail, you need flexibility. Retailers look for something that can co-exist with their brands."

Technology up, costs down

Creating distinctive kiosks is becoming easier thanks to advances in technology. Flat touch screens and wireless Internet access have shrunk the space manufacturers need to encase components, giving them more space for design options.

The end result is that companies can be more creative. Smaller kiosks blend in better with surroundings, while offering a range of functions to match larger, older units.

"The reduction in size of hardware components allows for the design and manufacture of enclosures with smaller footprints," Mayer said. "It also provides the opportunity for counter or wall hung enclosures. Wireless ability allows for ease of placement or mobility of an enclosure. The opportunity to introduce different materials and processes has allowed manufacturers to become creative in their designs."

The technology is also becoming less expensive, making it cost effective to bring kiosks with smaller footprints into the marketplace.

"It used to be that if you were buying a flat desktop LCD it would run $1,500, $2,000," Gallner said. "Now it's less than $1,000. Costs have come down. To put a PC in one of these things used to cost $2,000. Now you can do it for less than $700 to $800."

Production costs for a custom-designed kiosk can vary, depending on the equipment housed in the kiosk, design costs, and the size of the order.

"Custom enclosures may be more or less expensive than standard units," Bowron said. "The biggest factor influencing custom cost is volume. If production volumes are large, costs can be quite low, since development costs can be amortized over a large run."

"If you remove development, the biggest factors influencing unit costs are quality and materials to be sure," he added. "We are aware of particle-core (plastic veneer wood) kiosk housings that have cost as little as $400. At the other end of the spectrum, we have supplied architectural feature kiosks with $12,000 housings made of stainless steel and glass. So-called production browser type kiosks sell for between $4,000 and $7,000, complete. When you leave out the components, the housing is between $600 and $3,000."

Gallner said a prototype of a custom-designed kiosk can cost around $10,000 and $12,000, depending upon equipment and size.

What's next?

From purple cows to terra cotta warriors to dual-sided totem poles, kiosk designers are creating products that are distinctive as eye candy. But functionality is still crucial to the success of any kiosk.

Mayer said he expects functionality will be the key to future design trends, as manufacturers and clients work out how to be unobtrusive before worrying about entertaining kiosk users.

"The trend appears to be toward smaller footprint enclosures," he said. "Environment will dictate size parameters."