KIOSK OVERVIEW This section of the course contains the following: What is a Kiosk? Pre-Micro Computer Kiosks Initial Micro Computer Kiosks Micro Computer Kiosks Today Chip-Based Kiosks Are Internet Kiosks "The Answer" ?

"WHAT IS A KIOSK?" According to Webster, a kiosks is: An open summerhouse or pavilion a small structure with one or more open sides that is used to vend merchandise or services The word kiosk actually has a lot of other meanings besides a touch-screen information center. For grins, try searching on "kiosk" via http://www.infoseek.com and see what you come up with - you’ll be surprised. For this class, we shall refer to a kiosk as "a self-contained information center" that contains at least a computer, monitor, and a pointing device. PRE MICRO COMPUTER KIOSKS Before the days of computers, the "self-contained information centers" (kiosks) looked something like what you see to your right. These kiosks were non-interactive information posts that contained about as much tape as they did information. In a way, you could even define a telephone pole as a kiosk - assuming a "lost pet" flyer (or similar) was adhered to the post. These kiosks are actually still in use around the world and are quite effective. What's the best part about the non-interactive kiosk such as this? Maintenance! Courtesy of Summit Research Associates INITIAL MICRO COMPUTER KIOSKS With the introduction of the PC (back in the old days of the 80’s), it was natural to see the transition from the old post-and-type type kiosks to the exciting interactive multimedia kiosks. However, "way back then" a multimedia PC cost an arm and a leg, and the development tools to produce such beasts were practically non-existent. The result: a very costly device that usually failed (due to either PC crashes, bad design, ROI, or a combo thereof). MICRO COMPUTER KIOSKS TODAY Oh happy day! Today the kiosk industry is booming due to the following reasons: the price of multimedia computers dropping like a rock multimedia software is relatively inexpensive software maturity has "arrived" or is at least showing it’s face hardware components such as touch screens are also affordable the public is less PC-Phobic than 20 years ago CHIP-BASED KIOSKS As a side note, remember that a kiosk doesn’t need to be a full-blown multimedia computer-driven device. The next time you visit your neighborhood Wal-Mart, check out how many mini-kiosks you can find around the store. They usually consist of a chip-based program and small LED screen that provides both interaction and information via touch, and cost less than $100 to make. ARE INTERNET KIOSKS "THE ANSWER" ? One of the biggest issues facing information-based kiosks in-the-field is "fresh" information. Prior to the introduction of browsers and the World Wide Web, it was a huge maintenance task to keep a series of kiosks up-to-date. All Internet-based kiosk display a web sites via a browser. Therefore, all the maintenance "comes home" to the server: just change the web site on the server and bingo! - instantly kiosks in-the-field are updated. Not only that, but web pages are relatively easy to design (no programming & relatively inexpensive development). The update problem is solved, right? Right! But what new problems are introduced? No kiosk developer - not a one - would tell you that an Internet-based kiosk is more reliable, prettier, easier to use, or more effective. Just because you have a web site doesn’t mean you have a successful kiosk. Let’s find out why, and what we can do to make it successful...