Article
The three vital features of every great kiosk system
Truly exceptional kiosk deployments always have three key features, according to a kiosk product expert.
July 28, 2014
By JP Ishaq
Product Manager, Logic Supply
Over the years we've helped clients source hardware for a huge range of kiosks designed for everything from grocery store self-service shopping and car wash automation, to informational stations in airports and in-vehicle taxi cab point-of-sale systems. In our attempt to fully understand the scope of a project before recommending the appropriate hardware, we've learned a lot about solutions built from the ground up as well as projects that simply combine off-the-shelf components to achieve the desired finished kiosk.
While every kiosk installation has its own unique set of requirements and expectations, we've found that the truly exceptional examples always have three key features in common.
1. A truly great aesthetic
There are countless theories and articles about how to design the ideal kiosk (this piece by Frank Olea is a good example). The topic gets so much attention because there's little argument that one of the most important aspects of building a successful self-service kiosk is capturing attention and motivating interaction, and both of those goals rely on conceptualizing and constructing the right design.
Truly great kiosks combine an eye catching enclosure with clear messaging while offering users an effective and efficient experience. From size and shape to colors, screen positioning and height, the physical form and appearance of a kiosk is the first thing that potential users encounter and has the most influence over their decision to interact.
2. An intuitive user interface
Once you've attracted your audience, the next step is ensuring that they can easily access the merchandise, service or information they need. Designing and implementing an intuitive UI can be a challenge, but an interface that's difficult to navigate will inevitably result in frustrated users and lost or abandoned transactions.
Forest Bond from Custom Kiosk Software sees the evolution of consumer technology having a major impact on the importance of strong kiosk interface design, "Tablets have really raised the bar for what people expect from a touchscreen user interface. Kiosk apps need to offer the high level of usability and rich interactivity you get from an iPad app if they’re going to be usable by today’s consumers. This is absolutely essential to keep users engaged and avoid losing transactions to a frustrating user experience."
When choosing the way customers will interact with a kiosk it's important to keep things simple, the messaging and calls to action clear and to understand how users will navigate through each screen. Images should be clearly displayed and buttons easy to identify. While the layout and appearance of the interface is key, the way it reacts to user input may be even more vital, which leads nicely into the final key component of a winning kiosk.
3. A low-maintenance design
Many of our clients are designing state-of-the-art kiosks and installing them in locations and environments that require high performance standards.
Logic Supply kiosk sales specialist James Floyd points out, "For kiosk operators, CPU failures mean downtime and lost revenue. For kiosk users, a frozen or unresponsive system reflects negatively on the kiosk provider and the business it's hosted by, so having proven, dependable hardware with a long life-cycle is paramount for kiosk clients."
In many instances, hardware problems can be caused by clogged ventilation holes, fan failures or component shorts as a result of dirt and debris that find its way into the system. More and more kiosk manufacturers are moving away from traditional hardware and toward fanless, ventless computer enclosures engineered to keep components cool while preventing contaminants from infiltrating the case and causing damage. The lower maintenance costs and reduced downtime make fanless PCs an attractive option for remote and outdoor installations, and their small size opens up a wealth of additional design possibilities. Most modern fanless PCs are a fraction of the size of traditional towers and, especially when equipped with solid state storage, can be mounted virtually anywhere.
There are a huge range of factors that can influence the effectiveness of a kiosk installation, but by focusing attention on the three features above you'll be setting yourself up for success.
JP Ishaq is the product manager for Logic Supply Inc., which is an industrial and embedded computing company that provides hardware for a wide range of applications including kiosks, digital signage, surveillance, manufacturing and other challenging environments.
