There are many different kind of kiosks. Our goal here is to connect you with your ideal kiosk strategy in the fastest way possible. That goal is the same whether you have a large IT department that wants to “do it themselves”, or whether you’d like assistance from Kionetics, so you can focus on your core strengths. In both situations the following information will provide the foundation for the ideal kiosk implementation for your organization.
This Quick Start Guide is broken up into 4 parts:
You should select the right configuration based on your intended usage. To help we’ve put together this simple table which shows the PROS and CONS for the 4 main Kiosk Categories:
| Interactive |
Web Portal |
Stand-alone |
Networked |
| PROS: Amazing price point. Excellent for training and information distribution. Ultra portable. Very robust. Simple to setup. Smooth video. Low maintenance. Low power. Doesn’t require a network connection. |
PROS: Also known as "Internet Kiosks". These can pull vital information from the internet. Can also store user input remotely and be remotely administered. |
PROS: Very versatile. Can process user input from a variety of sources and provide intelligent responses. Can store user input for later use and analysis. Peripherals increase usability. Doesn’t require a network connection. |
PROS: This solution combines the strengths of the web portal and stand-alone kiosk, including things like remote administration of local content. Local caching of information can also provide quick responses for most tasks. |
| CONS: No internal data collection. No data processing. |
CONS: It’s performance depends on the quality of the network connection. |
CONS: User input must be collected manually. Kiosk content must also be updated manually. |
CONS: Partially dependent on a network connection. |
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Available Peripherals:
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Available Peripherals:
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Available Peripherals:
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Available Peripherals:
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* Peripherals for the last two columns are described below:
Although peripherals always increase the functionality of a kiosk it is important to consider both the pros and cons for each peripheral to determine which are ideal for your use.
Keyboard
PROS: Good if each user must input lots of text. Can otherwise be replaced with an on-screen keyboard.
CONS: Many people associate keyboards with complicated computers or with work. Provides a potential point of failure. May require additional measures to insure that it doesn’t pose a security risk. We recommend replacing with a pop-up onscreen keyboard if possible.
Touch-screen
PROS: The most inviting and intuitive way for users to interact. Provides a clean appliance-like look. Can utilize an on-screen keyboard to simplify the kiosk design.
CONS: None.
Mouse
PROS: Good for navigating existing websites that weren’t designed for touch-screen navigation (i.e. – websites with small links). In fact, a mouse is strongly recommended for internet kiosks that access websites not designed for touchscreens.
CONS: Not as intuitive as using touch-screen navigation. Provides a potential point of failure. Avoid it if possible (unless accessing content not designed for touchscreens - i.e. tiny buttons or text links).
Brochure Holder
PROS: Provide the user with literature that they can reference or annotate while using the kiosk, and after they leave the kiosk.
CONS: Need to keep the holder stocked with brochures.
Overhead Video Screen
PROS: Good attention grabber – for example if looping a video or flash-based presentation. Can also interact with waist-height touch-screen to show selected video, which is ideal for media-rich applications.
CONS: Additional setup required.
Printer
PROS: Provide the user with a hardcopy of custom information.
CONS: Must keep the printer full of paper. Printer maintenance required. Provides a potential point of failure. Printouts are rarely as attractive as pre-printed brochures.
Card Reader:
PROS: Facilitates online financial transactions.
CONS: Higher card processing fees may apply. Additional setup is required. Kiosk must be entirely enclosed and physically secured and should be monitored.
Headphones or Directed Sound:
PROS: User can hear the kiosk presentation better. Others aren’t disturbed by nor are they privy to the audio.
CONS: Headphones are a potential point of failure. Directed Sound (like Audio-spotlight) requires additional setup.
Privacy Screens:
PROS: Allow customers to access information privately.
CONS: Somewhat diminished screen brightness.
A) CREATE CONTENT:
- Most applications can be created through web-based technologies (HTML, DHTML, Macromedia Flash, etc.)
- Long (2 min+), Full-Screen Movies along with interactive menues should be done either by DVD authoring, or Macromedia Director. However smaller movies can be done within Flash. It should also be noted that depending on the application many users will not continue using the kiosk unless they interact with it at least every couple minutes.
B) GETTING THE CONTENT ONTO THE liveInterface™ KIOSK:
With the liveInterface™ Operating System that comes free with every www.pnpkiosk.com order, kiosk setup is a breeze because it's 100% thumbdrive configurable:
C) PLUG IT IN. PLUG IT IN.
Plug the Kiosk into a wall outlet and network connection, if needed. Ouila! You're done. It will self-detect your internet settings and configure itself as you specified. To reconfigure it, simply plug the thumbdrive back into the computer and rerun config.exe. If you setup a form to collect data the data will be contained on this thumbdrive and can be imported into a database or spreadsheet program.