Article

Self Service Expo awards

Vital-Signz has captured the minds and eyes of users in California.

May 28, 2007 by Tracy Kitten — Editor, AMC

The stage for interactive media is changing — and rapidly. As self-service terminals come head to head with digital signage, an industry convergence is taking place, and that's a good thing, says Richard Corwin. 

 

Corwin, the founder of Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Vital-Signz, likes sleek designs and engaging content, as long as the two meet a real consumer demand. And it's with that demand in mind that his company is rolling out interactive digital displays throughout Santa Barbara as part of a deal inked last year with the Museums and Cultural Attractions Group of Santa Barbara.

 

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Corwin's company, a new kiosk-market entrant, took home this year's Industry Supplier of the Year award — an annual honor bestowed by Self Service Expo — for the work it has done with the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.

 

Winning the honor came as a surprise to Corwin, who refers to his company as a media and technology specialist, careful not to limit his definition to either the kiosk or digital-signage medium.

 

"We were very surprised, because we didn't really know where we fit," he said. "I think there are so many elements in the marketplace, and there are so many people out there who are focusing on one unique element. But I think the marketplace needs to offer more of a complete solution for the client. It all needs to be more cohesive. And I think that's where we shine."

 

Richard Malone of KIOSK Information Systems, a well-known kiosk manufacturer, took home last year's award for his overall contribution to the industry. His company also took home an award for a human-resources kiosk it developed for Swift Transportation.

 

This year, the supplier award went to a company with a markedly different solution, further reflection of the changing face of self-service technology, Corwin said.

 

"We don't care about the technology, although we are very technology savvy," he said. "It's more about creating a vehicle for delivering content in a way that feels right and runs right."

 

With the user in mind, the six-person Vital-Signz team has deployed four 42-inch plasma touchscreens, one of which was placed at the Maritime Museum in July 2006, in and around Santa Barbara. The museum is the site of Vital-Signz' first Virtual Visitor Center, the coined name for Vital-Signz' interactive deployment.

 

Driven by content, the Virtual Visitor Center employs touchscreens that allow users to easily browse through screens for information about the museum as well as other Santa Barbara attractions.

 

Corwin hopes to use his Virtual Visitor Centers to connect the community.

 

"It's all about connection," he said. "You've got a high-definition network that connects the resources in Santa Barbara."

 

William Cochran, the Maritime Museum's facility and events manager, said visitors have taken well to the interactive signage, and the signage has allowed the museum to maintain its role as an information hub for Santa Barbara's goings on.

 

"The kiosk brings people in to the museum in the first place, but it also gives them information about other things going on in the area," Cochran said. "And people kind of get a kick out of it. They are impressed with the video and how easy it is to use."

 

Users typically spend between 10 and 12 minutes at the interactive sign. Ensuring that users enjoy the experience, Corwin said, is key.

 

"They stay because they are engaged, and it's fun to use," Corwin said. "People who are using it have to enjoy what they're seeing. You don't want to bombard them with advertising. We subtlely integrate the advertising, and you have to help clients understand that they can't bombard users, but that they have to present the information in a user-friendly way."

 

Going back to the driving force of content, Cochran said Corwin's company stands out because of the emphasis it places on the detail of its photography, its video and its message.

 

"The way that he presents the artifacts and the exhibits, the care he's taken in the composition of the shots, it's obviously done by a pro," he said. "It's not a couple of computer guys taking a few shots and putting them on a kiosk. And since our museum is all about interactive exhibits, we liked the fact that his content is presented in an artistically sound way."