After 43 years, the McDonald’s on Northeast Kresky Avenue in Chehalis has received a facelift and a load of upgrades. Following two months of construction, McDonald’s now includes multiple new
Lots of pictures of the inside. “The restaurant now has self-service kiosks, tableside service and sleek, modern decor,” said Lindsay Rainey, a spokeswoman for the company. “You definitely won’t recognize this McDonald’s.”
Nice picture of the new ‘Kids Play’ interactive game pads
Local owner and operator Shari Nixon also commented on the new kiosks, stating, “It’s a convenience for customers. If they’re in a hurry they can beat the line.”
Retail Kiosk Trends — Generation Z and the Impact on Retail
Once upon a time, it was all about the millennials.
There’s probably a terrible joke in there somewhere, considering the fact this group is often plagued with the reputation of being the “participation trophy” generation.
Kidding aside, for years, millennials have frequently stolen news headlines that highlight the powerful group’s impact on consumerism, the changing workforce, and even the shifting trends on how we communicate with each other.
But in the last few months, several industry newsletters have appeared in my inbox with surprising editorial about the upcoming generation, dubbed Gen Z. Have millennials officially passed the baton to the next up-and-comers who will be the driving force behind retail and marketing trends?
Spoiler alert, Marketers: you’ll want to get your game plan ready for this group. Quickly.
As with all generation groupings, there’s often discrepancy amongst the various sources regarding which birth years make up the classification. Most cite the oldest Gen Z’ers being born in 1996. Regardless, this group of teenagers and early 20-somethings have become a much-talked-about dynamo as people start looking to the post-millennial era.
To understand the impact this latest generation will have on retail and branding, one must first understand the collective mentality ascribed to the group.
It should come as no surprise in our digital culture that a defining feature of this generation is being continuously connected, naturally shifting between an online and offline world without friction. And while millennials are instinctively comfortable with technology due to growing up in the Internet era, Gen Z brings the term digital natives to a whole new, mobile-friendly level – the soundtrack to their lives isn’t the click of a mouse, but the tap of a thumb.
Along with boasting a natural ease navigating mobile technology, this latest generation also expects lightning-fast Internet speeds, enjoys easy access to instant information, and are often champions behind social causes.
To reach this generation of social media connoisseurs, brands will need to meet them on their turf while speaking a language that resonates. According to a white paper titled, “Uniquely Generation Z: What brands should know about today’s youngest consumers” by IBM Institute for Business Value and in association with the National Retail Federation, when asked what they do in their free time, 74 percent of Gen Z respondents listed spending time online.
This group is also savvy about tuning out ads in fast-paced newsfeeds and media, so companies should aim to pique interest using branded or socially-conscious content that aims to help, inform or entertain. Companies who team up with trusted peer influencers or encourage this generation’s feedback will additionally have a leg up against the brands employing more traditional advertising.
Appealing to the group’s mobile astuteness, companies can provide seamless shopping by offering mobile apps to complement the in-store experience. This self-reliant generation will feel comfortable in a familiar mobile environment, using it to shop, peruse reviews and communicate with customer service.
When it comes to designing store displays and kiosks that will attract this age group’s attention, brands and retailers will want to be mindful of implementing experiential components. As a generation accustomed to self-directed learning (thank you, YouTube), they’ll appreciate accessible products that can be viewed, touched and manipulated.
Self-service kiosks will also be a beacon to this crew to eliminate checkout hassles, long lines and reliance on store employees. This trend toward self-order kiosks, wayfinding stations and check-in units has already started to emerge in restaurants and stores today as the technology is embraced by this next generation.
In sum, with retail already undergoing monumental shifts in operations to stay relevant in a changing market, these same companies will need to keep their fingers on the pulse of this next generation to produce an experience that speaks their language and captures their spending dollars.
Peerless-AV® Launches New Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk
With a sleek and stylish pre-assembled design, lean frames, and small footprint the new Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk is perfect for any indoor application
Click for full size image
AURORA, Ill. – January 23, 2018 – Peerless-AV®, the award-winning designer and manufacturer of the highest quality audio and video solutions and accessories, is excited to introduce its newest kiosk, the Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk (KIPC35 Models) .
Featuring a sleek and stylish pre-assembled design with lean frames and a small footprint, Peerless-AV’s Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk serves as a digital signage solution for any indoor application, including corporate, education, transportation, retail, and more.
“Our new Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosks offer self-service configuration, or we can offer turnkey installation and hardware integration, all from one manufacturer,” said Brian McClimans, Vice President of Sales, Americas and APAC, Peerless-AV. “With these kiosks, we are able to minimize the design and build time for integrators, while still offering a completely custom solution.”
Peerless-AV can integrate an Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosk with a wide array of components such as a flat panel display, media player, touch technology, camera, and software from various digital signage partners, including NEC Display Solutions, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Philips MMD, LG, AOpen, and more.
In addition to a slimmer design, the new line of Ultra-Slim Portrait Kiosks offer a robust set of features, including:
Pre-assembled design to reduce installation/integration time
Eight-way tool-less adjustment to quickly position the display within the kiosk window for a flush alignment
Enhanced security through hinged rear doors with combination locks, allowing convenient access to just the parts requiring maintenance
Customization through a wide range of aesthetic options, including multiple colors, vinyl wraps, etc. to meet the needs of any environment or brand
For over 75 years, passion and innovation continue to drive Peerless-AV forward. We proudly design and manufacture the highest quality products, ranging from outdoor displays to complete kiosk solutions, digital signage mounts to wireless systems. Whether a full-scale global deployment or custom project, Peerless-AV develops meaningful relationships and delivers world-class service. In partnership with Peerless-AV, you are trusting an award-winning team of experts who will support your business every step of the way. For more information, visit http://www.peerless-av.com.
SlabbKiosks Expanding – Slabbkiosks will continue growing its kiosk production capabilities at a newly leased 12,065 square foot facility in Mesa, Arizona.
The move became necessary to meet an increase in customer demand while ensuring the continued production of high quality kiosk units. Operations at the new location will focus on product integration and will include highly efficient quality control processes, testing of hardware, along with both in-house and third party software, resulting in kiosk units that are fully operational
upon delivery to their customers’ locations.
“Our company has seen many changes over the past year and we realized that with the growing demand for our products we would need to expand our production facilities without losing focus of
kiosk design and quality” commented President at SlabbKiosks, Peter te Lintel Hekkert. “We believe that this new facility will assist in helping us meet both.”
Kiosks from the first production cycle were shipped and en route to customers last week and the company intends to invest over $2 million in new equipment to support the expected increase in production rates and levels. Additional personnel will also be hired for the company’s software group and call center that will be housed at the new location. These employees will assist customers with kiosk installation and help them to manage any business process changes that may occur during implementation. Slabb also has production facilities in Phoenix, Dover, Tulsa and mainland China as well as contracted warehouse and distribution centers in the US.
Kiosk Industry Group Association Quarterly News – Washington, D.C., Meeting with Access Board and Summit Research Report on Self-Checkout
PRESS RELEASEUPDATED: JAN 4, 2018 04:00 MST
EASTLAKE, Colo., January 4, 2018 (Newswire.com) – In Kiosk Industry Association news is the successful meeting with the U.S. Access Board on how best for the Association to work for the Access Board towards improving ADA accessibility guidelines. Here is the write-up with photos.
From Bruce Bailey of U.S. Access Board: “Thanks everyone for meeting with us. From our perspective, the meeting was quite informative and we very much look forward to working with you all in the future.”
From our perspective, the meeting was quite informative and we very much look forward to working with you all in the future.
BRUCE BAILEY, ACCESSIBILITY SPECIALIST, U.S. ACCESS BOARD
Some of the hallmarks of that type of organization are:
Consensus must be reached by representatives from materially affected and interested parties
Standards are required to undergo public reviews when any member of the public may submit comments
Comments from the consensus body and public review commenters must be responded to in good faith
Also in the news — Summit Research and Francie Mendelsohn present a new “shootout” report on “honest” self-checkout at Johns Hopkins and the hybrid POS checkout by Harris Tweeter.
As Francie says, “In this article we will look at two Self-Checkout kiosk deployments, illustrating one that is highly successful and one that is anything but. Because we have long seen that would-be kiosk providers and users will remember the failures far more often than the successes, we will devote the bulk of the discussion to that less-than-successful deployment.”
Francie Mendelsohn is a highly respected kiosk industry consultant with many years of experience. She has authored and compiled multiple research reports on the industry over the years.
Finally, we want to announce two new sponsors. At the Gold level is Pyramid, which provides self-order units for QSR and Fast Casual (such as McDonalds, etc.) along with new beacon location technology for customers. Pyramid currently operates in Europe and the U.K. and is expanding its operations in the U.S. At the Bronze level, we welcome Storm Interface which specializes in input devices and assistive technology (e.g., Audio Navigation Keypad).
The Kiosk Industry Group is a news and marketing association for self-service and kiosk manufacturers. It is for the benefit of kiosk manufacturers, developers, resources and client companies who are involved in self-service transaction machines (SSTM). News about the industry and by the industry is published on our website when it is relevant to companies that deploy or may deploy self-service or to companies that support those deployers with hardware, software or applications. The Kiosk Industry Group has been active since 1995. Our audience this year on the website is 50,000 (human). Visit https://kioskindustry.org/ for more information.
Editors Note: We think this integration was “backed out” and replaced since the announcement.
MADISON, WI – United Airlines has incorporated EZ Access® technologies into their new self-service kiosks to better ensure that the kiosks are accessible to all travelers.
According to Jaymes Todero, United’s eCommerce Product Manager, “United strives to be an industry leader and a big part of our product and core values is focused on accommodating our customers. So, with our new self-service kiosks, United’s goal was to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible given today’s current technology.”
“We chose to implement EZ Access into our kiosks because it’s not limited to a single disability,” added Todero. “We found it to be the best solution available that can accommodate customers with a broad range of disabilities including those with sensory and mobility impairments.”
As part of United’s investigations into available technologies, Todero went on to share that his project team, which included Sherry Shen, United’s Senior Manager of IT Development Applications, first traveled to Madison, WI over a year ago and visited the Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where EZ Access was developed. Wanting to better learn about the benefits of a full EZ Access implementation, his team met with the two EZ Access inventors, Gregg Vanderheiden and Bern Jordan, along with Bruce Winkler of Assistra Technologies. They were given a demonstration about the various features EZ Access provided, and his team was shown how flexible and easy EZ Access is to implement.
“The new kiosks are truly the result of a multi-team effort that spanned months of research and testing,” said Todero “Along with Assistra Technologies, we attained the counsel of Ray Campbell, Accessibility Analyst at United Airlines, who imparted his expertise and feedback regarding accessibility for the blind community, and we also partnered with Tech for All who did an excellent job creating user interface patterns and concepts that United’s development team implemented. In addition, TFA’s team worked with United throughout the development process to evaluate the experience for users with disabilities. Assistra was later brought in to enhance the kiosks functionality and implement EZ Access. What’s more, Assistra’s EZ Access Certification Inspection report was very detailed and easy to understand. It provided concise explanations of issues that would prevent our kiosk from being cross-disability accessible and clearly explained the techniques required to fix them. Assistra was an additional set of expert eyes that provided a keen and judicious overview, adding unique techniques and technologies to our arsenal.”
Todero went on to compliment Shen, along with her team of developers, saying she did a fantastic job ensuring that EZ Access could be implemented using their existing kiosks to make the project both practical and economical. He also noted that Assistra was flexible and responsive when working with his team and that the new Trace designed linear keybar was perfect for United’s application. “With the linear keybar we could use our existing kiosks without the need for special milling or changing our kiosk’s real estate. All we needed was a new front face. Other keypads would have required us to locate them off to the side which is awkward and not as ergonomically desirable,” said Todero.
According to Bruce Winkler, Assistra Technologies’ Managing Partner, “We are really excited United instituted a full EZ Access implementation and was certified. In many situations, people with disabilities are finding themselves in the position of needing to educate themselves about a kiosk’s technology every time they approach a new self-service kiosk. One of our goals with the suite of EZ Access® technologies is to strive towards consistency and simplicity, and thereby achieve maximum accessibility by those with sensory, mobility or cognitive impairment. We’re confident that United’s EZ Access implementation will ensure that their new kiosks are not only ADA and Section 508 compliant, but that they are at the forefront of their industry when it comes to accessibility.”
The new self-service kiosks that incorporate EZ Access® technologies have been initially installed at United’s Orlando, FL and Hartford, CT terminals, with additional kiosks to be rolled-out as United renovates lobbies and as existing kiosks are retired.
Assistra Technologies LLC is a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that has been formed to operate as the official licensor of EZ Access® branded products and services, including design certifications for self-service device manufacturers and their clients to help them meet or exceed ADA guidelines and Section 508 requirements.
EZ Access® is a cross disability solution set for self-service devices including kiosks, ATMs, vending machines, voting machines, and restaurant ordering devices. Whereas, solutions may exist that are helpful to the visually impaired, they do not meet the needs of the physically or cognitively disabled. Other solutions may work for disabled people who are technically adept, but not for those who may be uncomfortable with technology or who have become disabled later in life (i.e., the elderly). EZ Access® was developed to help solve this problem. For more information, visit www.assistratech.com.
About United Airlines
United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,500 flights a day to 338 airports across five continents. In 2016, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 143 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 748 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 475 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to more than 190 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit www.united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “UAL.”
About The Trace Research & Development Center
The Trace R&D Center has been at the forefront of technology and disability since it was formed in 1971 at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. It’s work can be found in every computer operating system today as well as public information terminals country wide, and accessibility standard both in the US and internationally. The EZ Access techniques were developed by the University of Wisconsin’s Trace R&D Center under funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), now part of the Administration for Community Living, and from the US Postal Service. No endorsement from the funding agencies should be inferred. The Trace Center recently relocated to the University of Maryland. For more information, visit http://trace.umd.edu.
EZ® and EZ Access® are registered trademarks of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
There’s a saying in the business world along the lines of “The pioneers get the arrows.” Nowhere is that more applicable than in the world of kiosk software.
But before we get head down that road let’s remind ourselves of some of the current dedicated software companies.
KioWare – kiosk lockdown & secure browser with monitoring
Nanonation – custom kiosk software & digital signage
With kiosks now becoming an integral part of society, and poised to take an even more dominant position in the marketplace this year, it might be interesting to take a few minutes to pay homage to the pioneers of kiosk software.
And while it’s impossible to name every player who made their mark in the early days of the kiosk, there are a few whose impact still resonates throughout the industry.
The beginnings
Of course, one of the key drivers behind the development of kiosk software was the explosion of computer industry, beginning in the late 1970s. While computers had been around for decades, products such as the MITS Altair 8800, the IMSAI 8080 and the Apple 1 not only made computers more affordable than their predecessors, they gave birth to the concept of desktop computers.
And with the subsequent release of the spreadsheet program VisiCalc and the word processing program WordMaster, later WordStar, by 1980 computers had taken their place as a critical business tool.
As the computer industry grew, companies such as IBM, NCR and other hardware manufacturers began looking for applications for their products beyond the desktop. One of those applications was self-service.
But making those applications practical required the development of software to make their use worthwhile, giving birth to the kiosk software industry.
Alex in his younger days…
“Back then the biggest player was a company called Lexitech, founded by Alex Richardson in 1983,” said Ron Bowers, senior vice president of business development with kiosk and store merchandising provider Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc.
“Alex initiated the beginning stages of that through his work in the basement of a building at Yale University during his attendance there,” Bowers said. “He was behind the effort to help self-service technology grow from a curiosity to practical applications.”
What an old Lexitech hat looks like.
At the time, IBM was holding large symposiums on college campuses, and they were looking for ways to provide information to attendees about seminars and conferences that were happening in various buildings, so the company approached Richardson to begin working the initial concepts for a solution. Richardson then brought in merchandiser Frank Mayer and Associates to help bring the concept to fruition.
“So the first program we did with them was this university solution,” Bowers said. “It resided on a huge IBM desktop computer that had very limited capabilities, but it was extremely cutting edge; way ahead of its time.”
That proto-kiosk was keyboard-controlled and offered little in the way of user experience, but it was able to access and provide information, giving a hint of what was possible with a self-service device. A subsequent effort involved creating a program for the city of New York for applicants to access information about job availability and submit an application.
Expanding from there
The kiosk industry, like many other technology-based industries that depend on interactions with customers, is like a two-sided coin.
On the one side is the technology component, where a piece of hardware performs a specific function. On the other is the customer behavior component, or knowing what the customer is seeking and the motivation behind their decisions. Companies don’t always bring the two sides together.
Lexitech recognized that dichotomy, Bowers said.
“Most of the other software companies that came out of that university connection were more interested in database management,” Bowers said. “Lexitech was the first to really get the idea that as an enterprise solution (the kiosk) was going to have to fulfill expectations and meet a need arising out of the consumer’s ability to shop in multiple layers and what motivates them to purchase.”
Lexitech brought a different direction to software development. It was no longer simply just the number crunching for which computers had traditionally been used; it was data crunching for an enterprise solution that involved both the retailer and the consumer, offering insights about products, features, benefits, specs and so forth to inform and educate the consumer.
“That is bringing the consumer and the product and the retailer together, and then being able to access that information through some type of a device,” Bowers said. “Back then the device was a freestanding kiosk. “
Lexitech eventually became Netkey and then sometime later NCR purchased them. Here is an Netkey_Solutions_Brochure.
Taking it to the masses
In the early days of the industry, kiosks were typically boxy affairs that were custom-built for each application, with the software written specifically for that particular application. The software component alone could cost a deployer $100,000 or more.
Much of that changed with the entry of St. Clair Videotex Design into the software arena. The company was founded in 1982 by Doug Peter, whose background was in advertising, brand marketing and public relations.
Chris back on old project for KIS and St. Clair
“St. Clair evolved and grew out of a design/graphics support for a larger marketing company,” said Chris Peter.
“(My father) Doug Peter was tired of doing endless ad buys (billboards, tv spots, etc.) and was looking for a way to measurably market and interact with consumers/public,” he said. “He wanted a system that was not only not intimidating but appealing to use, with real measurable results on the interaction that could be actioned on.”
St. Clair Videotex Design eventually evolved into St. Clair Interactive. At the time, kiosks were beginning to gain traction in the marketplace and seeing wider deployments, though the infrastructure, software and hardware solutions were painfully limited.
“Doug offered another perspective very similar to what Alex did at Lexitech,” Bowers said.
“He brought in the disciplines of advertising marketing and marketing strategy to the software,” he said. “I don’t use this term lightly, but I believe Alex was a genius for his time and place and what he brought into the mainstream because it did not exist before he did it. The same thing was true with Doug and his team.”
Peter brought in a different way of thinking, a different way of developing and a different way of presenting fact-based services to GUI and self-service merchandising, Bowers said, and that accomplished a number of goals. It helped build a brand for the retailer, and from a consumer standpoint, it began to offer them new and exciting ways to shop.
“It was growing by leaps and bounds because now it was bringing into the fold new strategies of inventory management, new strategies for introducing loyalty programs and managing and measuring sales promotions,” Bowers said.
In addition to bringing that advertising sensibility into kiosk software, Peter accomplished something equally important, developing a solution that would help reshape the industry.
“What allowed us to flourish and grow was that we didn’t just provide one niche solution (which was the general approach then, build out your solution, then sell it),” Chris Peter said.
“After we’d done our seventh Gift Registry solution, we realized that we could ‘template’ solutions,” he said. “Even the niche players had extensive professional service and customization costs associated with deployments, so we built out the base solution for solutions like Gift Registry, Catalog Shopping and so forth as well as Operations and Content Management tools that could control all of the base templates. This allowed our sales approach to become ‘what would you like to do’ instead of ‘here’s what it can do’, and I believe this was very successful for St. Clair.”
The corporate shift
Lexitech and St. Clair interactive weren’t the only software companies in the early days of the kiosk industry, although they were certainly two of the most influential. KioWare, PROVISIO (Sitekiosk) and others were also early entrants into the world of kiosk software.
“There was another company called Rocky Mountain Multimedia run by Dave Heyliger and Degasoft/Kudos,” said Nigel Seed, who served as the CEO of NetShift Software. “So those were some of the key competitors in that era.”
RMM was the first and only software application (Kiosk in a Box) that shipped as bonus software with every Elotouch touchscreen monitor. RMM still sells and ships its Pro Version.
Excerpt from Frost and Sullivan 1998 report
Several of the largest companies to start the industry were companies like ATCOM/Info which ruled with their internet access pyramid, North Communications, Marcole Gift Registry, King Product, NeoProducts and more. Here is a list of companies by Frost and Sullivan n late 90s. Old Companies PDF and worth noting that several are current members of the Kiosk Industry Assocation (Gibco, TouchSource, Elotouch, USA Tech, KIOSK Information Systems and DynaTouch.
And following in the footsteps of Apple’s iconic “1984” Super Bowl commercial, many of those companies were small, scrappy players on the forefront of technological development.
“Going down memory lane, a company that comes to my mind as one of the first and main players for kiosk software was KioskLogix and their Netstop software,” said Heinz Horstmann, CEO of PROVISIO, the company behind SiteKiosk.
“When others were still in the beginning stages of kiosk development they had developed a software product for pay-per-use and other kiosks and public Windows computers that was available as canned download software which was easy to install and configure,” Horstmann said. “Netstop was one of the first kiosk software products that was successful on a national and international level.”
But as often happens in any emerging industry, large corporate concerns began looking at what those small players were doing and made decisions that would ultimately end up killing off many of the early entrants.
“I think all of us thought our customers would want to license a robust piece of commercial software,” Seed said. “To my horror I found a lot of the companies I was dealing with trying to license my software took a look at what we did and decided they could do it themselves.”
In addition, in the late 1990s Lexitech secured a patent on aspects of its kiosk software and began aggressively seeking to assert its rights under the patent. Some companies ended up folding, while others agreed to pay Lexitech a licensing fee. [You can still buy software today which bears the Netkey patent].
“Because of that, there was this poisonous aspect to the early start of the business that really didn’t help anyone in the end,” Seed said.
So as the industry began to take shape, it went through its ups and downs and some of the smaller players couldn’t hang on through the droughts. Others depended on specific hardware, some wanted control of the content, and some solutions didn’t integrate with other store systems, and so forth.
“As it has always been, the kiosk market was very feast or famine,” said Chris Peter. “Attending Kiosk Com and other shows, it was always a surprise to see who was new this year, and who wasn’t here from the year before.”
And in the eyes of many experts, the golden years for kiosk software developers were over after pay-per-use kiosks and public PCs became obsolete in North America and Europe, Horstmann said.
Many of those early players are gone, although some, such as KioWare and PROVISO, still survive and even thrive. Lexitech, which Alex Richardson renamed Netkey in 2000, was acquired by NCR in 2009. St. Clair Interactive, which won “Best Kiosk Software” awards for several years throughout its existence, is still operating, although in a much smaller form.
The widespread adoption of smartphones and the prevalence of their accompanying apps has certainly changed the direction of the kiosk industry, although kiosks continue to have a key role in the marketplace.
“If you ride the train every day you’re going to you’re going to use your mobile application to purchase the ticket,” said Bryan Fairfield, CEO of kiosk and digital signage software provider Nanonation.
“If you only ride it once a month, you’re probably not going to download their app,” Fairfield said. “In those cases, you might use an interactive (kiosk).”
Today, software has changed from the custom monolith model of companies such as St. Clair and Lexitech to more vertically and niche-oriented software, with many applications now based in the cloud. Devices that once were problematic, such as cash recyclers and kiosk printers, are now addressable via the network. Connected devices.
With the emergence of Chrome OS, the large base of windows legacy devices running on the Intel platform are finding new life. And many of the kiosks being deployed today are tablet-based, making mobile device management increasingly important.
Subscription-based cloud services are becoming increasingly popular to get set up and running fast and to avoid high IT infrastructure costs for self-service and interactive digital signage deployments.
And now we audibly and verbally talk to a cloud-based AI to hear the latest weather and find out “where’s my stuff” orders. Amazon Alexa and Google Home are becoming the interface.
“The focus continues to be on the cloud and how well kiosk software developers will be able to remotely deliver a tailored user experience for different industries,” Horstmann said. “Kiosk software solutions have to provide more than just security features and peripheral device support but also advanced remote management, monitoring and cloud-based content management solutions for a growing number of devices like tablets and interactive displays. “
Customers also have higher expectations for kiosk software in terms of scalability and ease-of-use, Horstmann said. Many companies are not willing to go through a lengthy setup and configuration process.
And today rather than having to write to some closed-door standards from the IBMs and NCRs of the world via NRF committees, we utilize the cloud with Html5 and JSON tying devices together on the Internet. The old giants just try to keep up. POS and self-order application development cycles are measured in days and months, not years anymore.
Hardware is no longer restricted to the stock Dell corporate PC with a 4:3 touchscreen. Kiosks now offer widescreen displays, tablets, content management, remote management and power over ethernet (POE) and the cloud. Forget big computers and requirements for USB always. Even Windows is becoming less important. All types of traffic analysis methods, authentication and beacons for realt time location. And then there is speech.
Jim Kruper of KioWare notes, “As far as software direction goes we see it heading in the direction of IOT which is really saying that kiosks will be connecting to a much more broader universe of devices. In addition, we see security features using biometrics finally becoming more mainstream as well as video technology that uses emotion detection and AI to drive user interaction.”
“Technology is changing every quarter,” Bowers said.
“New capabilities are becoming available and integrating with devices such as touch screens kiosks,” he said. “The important factor is it’s no longer the devices; it’s no longer kiosks or touch screens or digital signs. It’s the experience that comes out of the utilization of hardware; this retail marketing strategy which is much more effective much more insightful and much easier to respond to the changing interests and habits of today’s connected consumer.”
Kiosk History – going back pretty far is annotated history of kiosk industry we have been keeping for many years.
COMMENTS
Hi Craig – thanks for the trip down memory lane! The industry certainly has morphed and expanded over the years, it’s fascinating to see who is still viable as a provider, and who has fallen by the wayside.
In some ways, what we used to think of as “kiosk software” providing services to the public became “apps” on a smart phone giving access to an individual. Same workflow, just very different form factors. Yet, there are certain use cases where public access kiosk remains the best option for delivering information or automated service to the widest possible audience.
Hope things are well, keep up the good work! – Bob Ventresca (OG kiosk software dinosaur)
In our companion piece Richard Slawsky takes a look at one of the very first examples of technology developed.
Insider Note: The beginnings of the kiosk industry periodically come up for debate. The writers of the world seems to all have the same preoccupation with “who’s first”. This is the argument for Plato, which was a school project basically and never “rolled out” to the public. Back then technology often started in the universities but the bigger question was how much of that actually was commercialized. In the kiosk world with kiosk people you are talking Florsheim or really Minitel and the French. We’ve always shortchanged the French (except their cooking…).
Although touchscreen kiosks are nearly ubiquitous today, it wasn’t that long ago that the technology was virtually unheard of. And while it may be difficult to pin the title of “Father of the Interactive Kiosk” on any one person, there is someone who can lay legitimate claim to the title.
In 1973, before he was a doctor, entrepreneur and pioneer in the field of workplace drug testing, Murray Lappe was a pre-med student at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Science fiction fans will recognize UIUC as the birthplace of HAL, the emotionally disturbed computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the 1970s, Illinois was a hotbed of computing, with companies including Netscape and game maker subLOGIC having their roots in the university.
As a junior high and high school student in the Evanston School District in the suburbs of Chicago in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lappe had taken classes in Fortran, writing programs using the punch cards that were the building blocks of coding in those days. So as a college student, it was an easy transition to the Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations, or PLATO, computer-assisted instruction system. PLATO operated on the university’s ILLIAC I computer, providing computer-based learning via thousands of graphics terminals around the campus and around the world.
“My freshman year probably more than half of my classes were on PLATO,” Lappe said during a conversation in early February.
“Chemistry, biology and physics were all PLATO learning classes,” he said. “We would go in to a classroom of terminals and pick up on our assignments wherever we left off. There might be a teaching assistant or someone, sitting in the front of the room if you had questions, but they were mostly self-guided.”
Although as a double major in math and life sciences Lappe was swamped in schoolwork, his advisor recommended he participate in some sort of extracurricular activity to enhance his chances of being accepted into medical school. His solution was to form the campus pre-med club, an organization for students like himself who also needed to participate in some form of activity. The pre-med club was one of about 3,000 or so organizations on the Illinois campus at the time.
The group limped along doing the occasional community service project, but in the summer before his senior year Lappe was invited by the Dean of Students to participate in a three-day retreat where attendees would brainstorm ways to improve extracurricular activities on campus.
During that retreat, Lappe found himself participating in a roundtable discussion on ways students could promote their organizations other than buying an ad in the school newspaper. Among the suggestions were a bulletin board where groups could post fliers promoting their group.
Lappe took the concept a step further, suggesting putting a list of those organizations into the PLATO system and developing a user interface to allow students to search out organizations based on their interests.
“We kicked the idea around, and it got some interest,” Lappe said. “After the session, the Dean suggested I apply for a grant to see if we could make it happen.”
Two weeks later, Lappe had a $2,500 check to develop the project. He spent the next few months sketching out ideas for an interface and developing the algorithm that would guide the search process. Once he’d hammered out the basic concept, he hired a computer science student, Mark Nudelman, to write the software.
“Murray started the design of the front page and sort of sketched out bits of the rest of the user interface,” Nudelman said during a mid-February interview. “I then fleshed it out and did all the coding.”
Over the course of the next six months they developed the PLATO Hotline, incorporating the ability to look up schedules for movies and other events around campus along with student organizations.
The final piece of the puzzle was the interface by which users would interact with the system. Donald Blitzer, then a professor of electrical engineering at the university, had developed a plasma touchscreen display in the early 1970s. Those displays were already being used on campus for the PLATO classes.
“I wanted to make it as simple as possible for people who had never used a computer before,” Lappe said. “I didn’t want it to look or feel like a computer.”
Lappe scrapped the idea of incorporating a keyboard, working with Nudelman to incorporate as much functionality as possible with the touchscreen alone. The end result was a simple interface with a “touch to begin” button launching the search process.
The PLATO Hotline debuted just a few weeks before Lappe’s graduation, set up in the middle of the student union building.
“It became a fascination,” Lappe said. “In the first 30 days 50,000 people had used it. There would be 50 people at any one time, 24 hours a day, waiting in line to try it out.”
For Lappe, two things happened just a few days after the launch. One, he was accepted into medical school. And two, he received a call from Control Data Corp., offering him a job. CDC was the hardware manufacturer on whose mainframe computers the PLATO system was built. The company had recently purchased the rights to market PLATO as a commercial product.
Although Lappe desperately wanted to go to work for CDC, he realized this might be his only shot at attending medical school, and opted instead to attend Northwestern University and prepare for a career as a doctor.
Lappe left the University of Illinois just weeks after the launch of the PLATO Hotline, but the interactive kiosk remained a fixture of the student union for several years. Although the original kiosk featured a printer, that was soon dropped. A keyboard was added not long after launch, enabling users to enter their personal information for followup contact.
Nudelman moved to California immediately after college, spending the bulk of his time in Silicon Valley. Most of his time these days is spent consulting for technology companies, primarily for Roku. As for Lappe, the next thing he knew it was 1984 and the Macintosh was paving the way for the computer revolution. He ended up practicing medicine for several years, but the computer bug eventually caught up with him.
“That Macintosh was staring at me every day, and I was just waiting for the opportunity to find a computer problem that would let me quit medicine and go back to computing,” he said.
“And about eight years into my career the federal government passed a mandate that all transportation workers had to be tested for drugs,” he said. “And in that regulation there was a role for a physician to process the results from the laboratories that would do these drug tests. And it became immediately obvious to me that there was an opportunity to write software for a new industry.”
In 1998, Lappe founded eScreen, which provides drug screening management and automated hiring program solutions for companies around the country. In essence, his career has come full circle, putting him back in the center of the computer industry.
Still, he does wonder how things might have worked out if he had taken that offer from CDC. And he still feels a twinge of pride when encountering a touchscreen kiosk, which happens more and more every day.
“I’ve been telling my kids since they were little every time we go to an airport and walk up to one those board pass kiosks, that it all started with the PLATO Hotline,” Lappe said.
“I’m sure it was going to happen one way or another,” he said. “It wasn’t particularly novel. All the pieces were there; it was just a matter of putting them together.”
Kiosk History Extended
Elographics was founded in 1971. Now known as ELO.
The PLATO system was designed in 1977. Florsheim ran their store deployment in 1984 which was 600 stores and was first “endless aisle” kiosk.
1980 Alcatel Minitel terminal
Minitel rolled out in 1982 and experimentally in 1978. This was Videotext service over phone lines. It was an electronic phone book for the French public.
1982 was first opportunity for the US public to use a touchscreen at the 1982 World’s Fair (Elographics).
1983 Lexitech was founded by Alex Richardson
1985 touchscreens begin to proliferate thanks to Microtouch and Elographics (now Raychem).
In 1991, the first commercial kiosk with internet connection was displayed at Comdex. The application was for locating missing children.[1]The first true documentation of a kiosk was the 1995 report by Los Alamos National Laboratory which detailed what the interactive kiosk consisted of. This was first announced on comp.infosystems.kiosks by Arthur the original usenet moderator.
And for reference in 1955 Seeburg and Emerson release their “telejuke” which is sold to bars and includes a TV and a jukebox in a single enclosure. Link.
ADA News – EZ Access® trademark Licensed by Assistra Technologies
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) has executed an exclusive license agreement with Assistra Technologies, LLC, covering a portfolio of patents and trademarks relating to disability access systems for self-service kiosks, touch screen systems, and similar devices. The patents included in the license cover a variety of aspects of such systems and devices, such as novel methods for touch screen access for the vision impaired, tactile interfaces, and keypad designs. The license also includes the well-known “EZ®” and “EZ Access®” trademarks, which have been in use in the market to designate systems and certifications for providing disability access to electronic device interfaces.
The licensed technology was developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Trace Research and Development Center. The researchers recognized that public self-service kiosks in the United States should be accessible for everyone, including individuals with disabilities such as reduced vision or other physical limitations. Assistra’s implementation of this technology, pursuant to its license with WARF, will further the Trace team’s goals by helping to improve the cross disability access of self-service kiosks, including a kiosk’s accessibility to people with vision, hearing, mobility and minor cognitive impairments.
EZ Access® approved hardware and technologies are currently being used by several government and public institutions, including the Department of Homeland Security for border passport kiosks; and also by Amtrak and the U.S. Post Office for self-service kiosks. Assistra plans to expand the use of EZ Access® technology to include several major airlines.
Assistra will help ensure the quality of all EZ Access® implementations by creating a more formal certification program and by providing consulting services that will make EZ Access® technologies easier to integrate into both new and existing self-service kiosks and other public electronic devices such as voting machines.
“In many situations, people with disabilities are finding themselves in the position of needing to educate themselves about a kiosk’s technology every time they approach a new self-service kiosk.” says Bruce Winkler, Assistra Technologies’ Managing Partner. “One of our goals with the suite of EZ Access® technologies is to strive towards consistency and simplicity, and thereby achieve maximum accessibility by those with sensory, mobility or cognitive impairment.”
Winkler added, “Our implementation of the EZ Access® technologies developed by the University of Wisconsin Trace Center provides cross-disability access by combining a tactile keypad along with simple interactive techniques in ways that work together robustly and flexibly to accommodate users. This allows more people to use the product according to their own ability, preference or circumstance. What’s more, Assistra will work with its customers to ensure that their implementations of our EZ Access® technology will be ADA and Section 508 compliant.”
In addition, Assistra plans to enhance the existing EZ Access® product and service offerings by working with kiosk manufacturers to develop all-in-one self service kiosks that already implement the licensed technology, as well as software toolkits that will allow more companies and institutions to easily incorporate the licensed technology into their kiosk designs. According to Mr. Winkler, “markets and institutions that can benefit from the licensed technology include airport and transportation kiosks, accessible voting machines for polling places, ordering kiosks at fast food chains, and wayfinding kiosks in government buildings, federal parks, and hospitals to name a few.”
About WARF
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) helps steward the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Founded in 1925 as an independent, nonprofit foundation, WARF manages more than 1,700 patents and an investment portfolio of $2.6 billion as it funds university research, obtains patents for campus discoveries and licenses inventions to industry. For more information, visit www.warf.org.
The Trace R&D Center was formed in 1971 at the University of Wisconsin – Madison to address the communication needs of people who are nonspeaking and have severe disabilities. The Center was an early leader and innovator in the field that came to be known as “augmentative communication” and has recently relocated to the University of Maryland. For more information, visit http://trace.umd.edu.
EZ® and EZ Access® are registered trademarks of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
Other restaurant groups—including Irvine-based Yogurtland—have looked at the meal segment as well, as a way to get more customers through the door while morning-intensive chains such as Starbucks Corp. made a mirror-image bid to bring customers back for lunch.
Bendel also told analysts the burger house will develop a mobile app to “allow our customers to skip the line and place their order from their mobile phones or tablets,” in a move that also brings Habit in-line with other chains.
Although kiosk technology is becoming commonplace in a variety of verticals, areas where it has had a particular impact include both human resources and health care.
On the human resources side, many companies are placing job application kiosks in retail stores or other highly trafficked areas, allowing them to recruit workers around the clock without having to staff a hiring booth. In addition, a kiosk in the break room or other employee area allows workers to check schedules and payroll information, request days off or make changes to their personnel file.
For health care providers, a waiting room kiosk allows patients to fill out forms or make payments on their account, taking some of the burden off the front desk staff. A kiosk in a pharmacy can perform functions ranging from blood pressure checks to telehealth consultations, while a kiosk in a hospital setting lets doctors easily check patient record, submit prescriptions for medications or schedule tests.
With the advent of tablet computers, the kiosk arena is becoming populated with units that feature a tablet at their core as well as units built from the ground up. When considering the addition of a kiosk network to supplement the HR department or modernize a health care facility, which is the better option? A full-fledged kiosk, or a tablet-based model?
Determining the need
Of course, like many things in the business world (and life in general) the answer is “it all depends.” Both have their advantages and drawbacks.
Factors to consider when choosing between a full-fledged kiosk and a tablet-based model is the function the unit is expected to perform, the space available and the number of people expected to use the device. One of the biggest factors to consider is the deployer’s budget.
tablet kiosk enclosure
“Tablets can be portable, very small, and placed nearly anywhere,” said Frank Olea, CEO of Olea Kiosks.
“The cost is low so placing multiple units becomes very easy,” Olea said. “Tablets can have one device hardwire-powered, and their built-in cameras can be coaxed into performing functions such as reading ID cards or barcodes.”
Click for full size
Olea Kiosks offers a complete line of tablet and full-size kiosks. Its tablet line can be mounted on a tabletop, a wall or on a freestanding mount, and units come with a card reader. On the full-size kiosk side, Olea offers several models specifically designed for the HR and health care spaces; its Verona model is the only pushbutton height-adjustable kiosk on the market. The units can be raised or lowered by 10 inches at the push of a button, making them easily accessible by a person of any height or ability.
The relative simplicity of a tablet can keep maintenance costs to a minimum. The ability to detach a tablet from its mount opens up additional opportunities, allowing a job applicant to take the device to their seat to fill out forms or giving doctors the ability to sit with patients and map out treatment plans.
On the down side, though, the ability to detach a tablet from its mount does create a greater risk of damage or theft. Some tablet management software systems leverage the unit’s GPS functionality to send an alert text or email if the device is taken outside a predefined area.
Full size kiosks, on the other hand, will cost more than a tablet kiosk but can do everything a tablet-based kiosk can do and more. Additional processing power can make it easier to implement advanced features such as telehealth services or one-on-one conferencing with the corporate HR department.
Although kiosks are certainly larger and take up a bit more space, the footprint of a freestanding tablet kiosk is only slightly smaller than a traditional kiosk, making space considerations a relatively minor concern.
“If you want to create more of a presence for your check-in area, a few full-sized kiosks lined up is often all that is required,” Olea said. “Also, a full-size kiosk can come equipped with more devices if needed like card scanners, barcode readers, printers and keyboards.”
Protecting privacy
One area of concern that can influence the choice of kiosk is compliance with privacy regulations in handling personal information. This can be particularly relevant in a health care facility, where running afoul of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can result in fines running into the hundreds or thousands of dollars.
An advantage that a kiosk has over a tablet is that things like privacy filters can be embedded between the touch glass and the LCD screen, Olea said.
“On a tablet, anything you do would have to be on the screen surface itself and is very easily damaged and picked off,” he said. “Also, kiosks can feature printers with a retract function so if a patient does not take their print out the printer and retract the print and deposit it inside of the kiosk for safe disposal later.”
Still, there are privacy screens that can be incorporated into tablet kiosks to help protect user privacy.
Whichever route a deployer chooses, of critical importance will be compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s in that area that full-size kiosks may have an edge. Full size kiosks can include headphone jacks with volume control and easily connect with external devices such as Braille keyboards or the Nav-Pad, a device that allows someone with impaired vision, restricted mobility or limited fine motor skills to use the kiosk through a series of highly tactile buttons and audio prompts.
“ADA is becoming a major concern here in California and we suspect will become much more of an issue in other states as kiosks become more commonplace in the healthcare and HR fields,” Olea said.
“No longer can you get away with a kiosk just being ‘reachable’,” he said. “Most companies will say their product is ADA compliant, but they fail to mention they’ve only covered a very small spectrum of individuals with disabilities.Sure, someone in a wheelchair can reach the screen, but serving people with disabilities goes far beyond that.”
At the end of the day, the best way to provide a self-service solution that is accessible by all types of users, is compliant with privacy rules and helps improve operations for the deployer is to work with an experienced kiosk vendor who is well-versed in the ever-changing regulatory environment. Olea Kiosks stands ready to help.
Kiosk Industry is the news engine for the Kiosk Manufacturer Association or KMA which is a global organization focused on better self-service for customers and employees through kiosks and interactive displays. The Kiosk Manufacturer Association leads the efforts to optimize self-service engagements and outcomes using information technology such as kiosks.
The Kiosk Industry Group acts as the professional news and marketing website for the kiosk and self-service industry. We are funded by those companies for the benefit of developers, resources and client companies interested in self-service, kiosks, thin or internet terminals and POS systems. News about the industry and by the industry that is relevant to companies looking to utilize self-service, and companies that assist in doing just that (hardware, software and application).
The Kiosk Industry Group is which is part of the larger “The Industry Group” which covers not only kiosks, but solutions for digital signage, menu boards, patient check-in, retail automation, thin clients and smart city to name some.
From Olea Kiosks TheLab. Written by Richard Slawsky.
Telehealth Kiosk Improving Access
By delivering services where consumers live and work, telehealth providers eye a new, more efficient channel for medical care.
No matter what a person’s political persuasion may be, there’s one thing on which nearly everyone can agree: Healthcare costs continue to rise despite efforts to rein them in. Fortunately, telehealth and self-service kiosks can offer relief.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expected healthcare expenditures to top $3.35 trillion in 2016. That’s about $10,345 for every man, woman and child in the country. In addition, a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCooper’s Health Research Institute reports that costs won’t drop anytime soon. It predicts spending on health services will increase 6 percent in 2017 and 6.5 percent in 2018.
The pace of increase is unsustainable, and the demand for relief has motivated officials, academics and entrepreneurs alike to examine every aspect of our healthcare system. The goals: increase efficiency, lower costs and extend healthcare options to more people.
Self-Service Kiosk Manufacturer Association Board of Directors 2018
Kiosk example. Click for full size – Austin image courtesy Olea Kiosk, Inc.
The Kiosk Manufacturer Association for Self-Service leads efforts to optimize self-service engagements & outcomes with retail technology such as self-serve order kiosks. PR Newswire link.
EASTLAKE, Colo., Feb. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The Kiosk Industry Association announces its Board of Directors for 2018. 17 companies serve in this capacity and help lead efforts to promote best practices, regulatory compliance in areas such as ADA and EMV in the self-order markets.
Helped create pure self-order financing model and sources for franchisees so that they can capitalize on new technologies incorporating facial recognition and artificial intelligence.
Established a Speakers Bureau to provide speakers for trade shows and seminars composed of industry veterans, deployers and providers both. Coinstar, Redbox, SoloHealth example given.
Examples of units – These are Pyramid units.
Newest Members of Kiosk Manufacturer Association for Self-Service Advisory Board
Kiosk Manufacturer Board of Directors for 2018 include:
Olea Kiosks – “Better kiosks through intelligent design.” A simple philosophy is our driving force. Building better kiosks starts with employing some of the most talented designers, engineers, and metal craftsmen in the American kiosk industry. After 3 generations of innovation, we remain a family-owned and operated company, with an unparalleled commitment to quality and service. https://olea.com
KioWare Olea Kiosks – We strongly believe that our success in the marketplace is due to our high commitment to customer service, which means many things to us. We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and turning their product requests into new features. Our efforts will always focus on improving the product and providing excellent customer care. https://kioware.com
iPadKiosks – Providing complete tablet kiosk systems from high-quality, ADA-compliant enclosures & stands to easy-to-use kiosk software. Backed by a full 3 year warranty! With over 30 years in designing interactive kiosks, we know what works. We’ve developed both hardware and software for hundreds of interpretive exhibits, transactional kiosks, sales exhibits, and training programs. https://www.ipadkiosks.com
Pyramid – building it – polytouch ® is the ultimate interactive kiosk solution for various industries and application areas for product presentation, independent processing of purchase processes and as an information terminal. Its individual and flexible application possibilities make the system a competitive advantage thanks to its first-class touch technology. Also, the ultrasound-based localization system PLS. With a precision of 15 cm, it is 10 times better than systems based on WLAN, Bluetooth or RFID technologies. In addition, PLS works with any standard smartphone. For users without a smartphone, low-cost mobile ultrasound transmitters – so-called pucks – are available as an alternative. https://www.pyramid-computer.com/home.html
KIOSK Information Systems – KIOSK leads the self-service industry in a full complement of vertical markets, providing niche expertise in both platform creation and volume deployment support. OEM and end customer projects range from traditional applications in retail; bill payment, and HR to highly custom multi-function banking, vending, smart locker and border security solutions. With over 200,000 units successfully deployed and 20-plus years entirely dedicated to the art of self-service, KIOSK has the passion, expertise, and resources to greatly simplify your path to market. https://www.kiosk.com
SlabbKiosks – leading international manufacturer of self-service, interactive kiosks, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their acquisition of Phoenix Kiosk and RedDotNet has allowed the company to not only expand their product offering, but also enhance their manufacturing capabilities. The company is able to complete over 250 projects per year, delivering thousands of kiosks from single prototypes to rollouts with a focus on innovation and affordability. Slabb’s experienced and responsive staff has over 100 years of combined industry experience allowing them to provide their clients with high quality, reliable, state-of-the-art products, support and services. Additional information can be found at www.slabbkiosks.com | www.usakiosks.com. https://www.slabbkiosks.com
Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. –Frank Mayer and Associates is an industry leader in the creative design and manufacturing of branded in-store merchandising displays, interactive kiosks and store fixtures for leading consumer product companies and retailers. https://www.olea.com
Impresa Financial – Impresa is an alternative lender exclusively focused on providing financing for digital kiosks and automated retail technology. https://www.impresafinancial.com
Source Technologies – Source Technologies’ award-winning self-service kiosks are designed from the ground-up to manage secure financial transactions such as bill payments and retail banking transactions with a focus on user experience, reliability and serviceability. Our Self-Service BillPay and Personal Teller Machines automate customer transactions, increase sales, cut labor costs and maximize customer loyalty and satisfaction. https://www.sourcetech.com
Nanonation – Offering world-class solutions in interactive, digital signage, and transactional kiosks. Nanonation leverages 18 years of experience and an award-winning creative team to produce reliable and compelling public space solutions for multi-national corporations and small businesses alike. https://www.nanonation.net
PROVISIO – Over 10,000 companies trust PROVISIO, the #1 secure kiosk browser. Software for safeguarding public access computers – secure kiosk browser protects the operating system from manipulation – included start screen templates & designs – optional digital-signage and remote management. https://www.provisio.com
OptConnect – is North America’s leading provider of managed service wireless connectivity for ATMs, Kiosks, Digital Signage and other custom applications. OptConnect revolutionizes the way machines communicate, providing for fast and secure connectivity, cost savings, and greater reliability. OptConnect offers end-to-end managed service providing customers with the greatest level of service and uptime. https://www.optconnect.com
ARCA – We provide technology and services to help people control cash in bank branches, retail stores and self-service kiosks. Cash recycling solutions. Learn more About Us. https://www.arca.com
Storm Interface – Storm Interface manufacture heavy-duty keypads, keyboards and custom computer interface devices. All products are built to withstand rough use and abuse in unattended public and industrial applications. Storm also specializes in assistive technology for ADA. https://www.storm-interface.com
Peerless-AV – Professional – We proudly design and manufacture the highest quality products, ranging from outdoor displays to complete kiosk solutions, digital signage mounts to wireless systems. https://www.peerless-av.com/en-us/professional
CSA Self-Service – Kiosks & Digital Signage Solutions – CSA Self-Service Solutions is a premier self-service solutions provider focused on providing professional solutions that lower the total cost of ownership throughout the lifecycle. Our service operations expertise and professional nationwide workforce combined with our design & manufacturing capabilities provide our clients with the most complete self-service solutions in the industry. https://www.csakiosk.com
About the Kiosk Manufacturer Association for Self-Service (aka Kiosk Industry Group)
The Kiosk Industry Group is a news and marketing association for self-service and kiosk manufacturers. It is for the benefit of kiosk manufacturers, developers, resources and client companies who are involved in self-service transaction machines (SSTM). News about the industry and by the industry is published on our website when it is relevant to companies that deploy or may deploy self-service or to companies that support those deployers with hardware, software or applications. The Kiosk Industry Group has been active since 1995. Our audience this year on the website is 50,000 (human). Visit https://kioskindustry.org/ for more information.
Media Contact for Kiosk Manufacturer Association for Self-Service:
How in-store merchandising displays can help brands deliver a clear message through the noise
Last month, a common theme ran through both the International Consumer Electronics Show and the National Retail Federation’s annual event – technology is in the driver’s seat.
We’re the culture of the connected. A whopping 77% of Americans now own a smartphone(1), while 79% own a smart home device(2). This means the majority of us have grown accustomed to a full-time personal assistant who not only reorders the paper towels, but can also provide good references when we’re contemplating the space-time continuum.
This societal shift toward expecting instant information and ease from our brands has been well-documented lately, and those businesses and retailers who have embraced this way of connecting have shown success in the new retail landscape. Look around, and you’ll find more companies offering Instagram-able shopping experiences, hyper-personalized product suggestions, and frictionless checkout capabilities.
But with this new clarity of how shoppers want to receive information comes a new question – is our valued consumer undergoing information overload?
With the speed of new electronics and smart home products hitting the market, it’s easy to assume these advances are causing confusion for customers who are busy deciphering how something works and why it’s needed to enhance their lives.
It’s been argued that the average person is exposed to nearly 5,000 brand messages a day. It’s no wonder this abundance of communication has caused tunnel vision in our weary shopper who has reached the point of saturation as his retail aisles have become cluttered with marketing.
So how do brands cut through the commotion and deliver an easily navigable message about their products? Smart in-store merchandising is your answer.
Like those same businesses and retailers shifting their marketing tactics to keep ahead of the technological curve, the industry of in-store merchandising has experienced its own progression.
Static displays are being reimagined to include video loops, audio features and interactive functions. Interactive kiosks have revolutionized the definition of service. More and more, these “Display 2.0s” not only sell your product, but communicate in this new language of which connected customers are now fluent.
A merchandising display company’s ultimate responsibility is to help a client educate the consumer and cultivate brand familiarity by creating an environment that leads the shopper through the desired path of awareness, trial, purchase and loyalty.
Correct merchandising needs to separate itself from the excess messaging bombarding that fatigued shopper we profiled, and a skilled point of purchase display provider can offer the strategies to instill this clarity and allow the merchandise to be a beacon to the target buyer.
In short, by using effective merchandising, your brand can disrupt a shopper’s path and deliver a concise message about your product in a way that resonates with the modern consumer. And with the rapid pace of smart products available to the public, it’s vital to ensure your communication is heard above the rest.
NEXTEP SYSTEMS, OLEA, Netshift, and other kiosk companies represented in 2017 Kiosk Hall of Fame inductions
EASTLAKE, Colo., June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Kiosk Industry Association is proud to announce the 2017 Hall of Fame inductees. This year our inductees are Tommy Woycik of NEXTEP SYSTEMS, Traci Martin of Olea Kiosks, Ben Wheeler, Nigel Seed (UK) and James Vande Castle is the media inductee.
Posthumous inductees are Tommy Wincent of Swecoin (Sweden) and Eric Dumouchel of Ultimedia (France).
The leading vote-getter for the 2017 edition is Tommy Woycik, Founder and President of NEXTEP SYSTEMS, which specializes in self-order for QSRs, Restaurants and Fast Casual and counts SUBWAY, Wow Bao, and Which Wich among its clients. NEXTEP self-order includes indoor, outdoor, drive-thru, and mobile solutions.
“In much the same way that mobile ordering began with pizza and spread throughout restaurants of every category, self-order has started with QSR and fast casual pilots, but will soon become standard industry-wide, both inside and at the drive-thru.”
“Consumers will come to expect a consistently elevated experience, regardless of location or brand. As standardization builds momentum, we’re looking forward to the opportunity to help restaurants weave self-order technology into their business models and brands.
The Kiosk Industry Association and Advisory Board congratulate all the inductees and thank them for their dedication to the kiosk industry over the many years. Their success is our success.
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, the Association gave out two Special Recognition awards posthumously to Eckhard Reinmann of Germany and James Bickers, editor. See the Hall of Fame page for more details.
The Association thanks KioWare for sponsoring the Hall of Fame for 2017. Thank you. The complete Kiosk Hall of Fame list is located here.
2017 SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Along with our Hall of Fame inductees in 2017 we also have some special recognition posthumous awards for people instrumental in the industry which might not otherwise be noted.
James Bickers — Nice In Memoriam on Digital Signage Today. From LinkedIn — Senior editor of the web news portal Retail Customer Experience, Bickers was founding editor for Digital Signage Today portal which launched digital signage into prominence. “James was one the most creative, talented people I’ve ever worked with,” said Joseph Grove, the former executive editor of Networld Media Group, who hired Bickers in 2005 after being impressed with his freelance work.
The Kiosk Industry Association is a professional “not for profit” news and marketing association for kiosk and self-service manufacturers. It is for the benefit of kiosk manufacturers, component vendors, service vendors, developers, resources and client companies who are involved in self-service and kiosk systems. News about the industry and by the industry is published on our website when it is relevant to companies that deploy or may deploy self-service, or illuminating companies that support those deployers with hardware, software or applications. It is part of the Kiosk Industry Group which was begun in 1995. Visit //kioskindustry.org/ for more information.
First Ever Border Control Kiosks Installed on Passenger Cruise Ship
Richmond, B.C., January 26, 2018: Today, Vancouver International Airport’s (YVR) Innovative Travel Solutions (ITS) and Ferries del Caribe celebrated the installation of two BorderXpress kiosks onboard its cruise ship, the MV Kydon. This marks a milestone for the industry as Ferries del Caribe becomes the first-ever cruise operator in the world to install border control kiosks onboard a cruise ship or ferry.
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Today’s announcement follows a five-month pilot program using two BorderXpress Automated Passport Control (APC) enabled kiosks. The pilot program illustrated the effectiveness of BorderXpress kiosks in expediting passenger processing, while also improving the overall passenger experience by streamlining and simplifying the border clearance process without compromising safety.
“Today marks a momentous occasion for the cruise ship industry, and we are proud that our line of BorderXpress self-serve kiosks were chosen as part of this industry first,” said Chris Gilliland, Director of ITS, Vancouver Airport Authority. “No matter where they are implemented, BorderXpress kiosks enable immigration officers to process more passengers per hour, reduce passenger wait times and overall operating costs, and free up border officers to focus on security, intelligence and enforcement activities.”
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Ferries del Caribe’s MV Kydon offers services from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The BorderXpress kiosks can be utilized by U.S. citizens, U.S. legal permanent residents, Canadian citizens, travelers utilizing ESTA (Visa Waiver Program), and travelers entering with a B1/B2 or D visa.
“This is a celebratory day for Ferries del Caribe as we become the first in the world to install border control kiosks onboard a passenger ship,” said Néstor González García, President of Ferries del Caribe. “We’re delighted to partner with Innovative Travel Solutions to implement the BorderXpress kiosks, which allow us to modernize our border clearance process and ensure our passengers have an enjoyable and seamless experience on their trip with us.”
A major differentiator between border control kiosks installed at airports and onboard passenger ships is that the cruise ship kiosks can connect via satellite with secured segregated VLAN for kiosk communication. Passengers using BorderXpress complete their customs declaration onscreen and scan their passport at the kiosk which then sends their encrypted information to a border control agency that returns a government response in seconds. A receipt is then printed from the kiosk which the traveller takes to a border services agent who verifies the document and makes the final approval to allow a traveller into the country.
“At YVR, innovation is key to our success. We continue to bring our technology innovations to market to help improve the overall passenger experience, whether it is for air travel or sea travel,” said Gilliland.
More than 1,300 BorderXpress kiosks are currently in use at 39 airport and seaport locations. As of December 2017, BorderXpress kiosks have processed over 160 million passengers in 36 languages.
-YVR-
Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that manages Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Canada’s second busiest airport, YVR served 24.1 million passengers in 2017. Fifty-six airlines serve YVR, connecting people and businesses to more than 127 non-stop destinations worldwide. In 2016, YVR received CAPA Centre for Aviation’s prestigious Airport of the Year Award and was voted Best Airport in North America for the eighth consecutive year in the Skytrax World Airport Awards in 2017. Vancouver Airport Authority is a dedicated community partner and in 2017 donated more than $1,000,000 to local organizations. We are committed to creating an airport that British Columbia can be proud of: a premier global gateway, local economic generator and community contributor.
Lots of tools out there. This one sorts of puts the wrap on Windows XP (and 7 to extent).Complete how-to from Defcon 16 and Paul Craig (who has since moved onto ATMs).
If you lock yourself out of your home or car, you typically have only one option — call a locksmith and hope they can get to you quickly. But you’ll pay
KeyMe is a technology company founded in 2012 by Greg Marsh, with the mission to revolutionize the locksmith industry. Here’s an overview of KeyMe’s services and innovations:
Key Features and Services
Key Duplication: KeyMe uses robotic kiosks to copy a wide range of keys, including residential, commercial, RFID keys, and car keys with transponders. These kiosks are located in thousands of retail locations across the U.S., such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and hardware stores123.
Digital Key Storage: Users can scan their keys and store digital copies in the cloud, allowing them to order new keys if they are lost or misplaced15.
Locksmith Services: KeyMe offers a marketplace for urgent residential and vehicle lockout services, connecting customers with local locksmiths24.
Payment and Technology: KeyMe partners with Stripe to provide a seamless payment experience, allowing customers to easily save card details for future purchases3.
Innovation and Expansion
Technology: KeyMe’s kiosks utilize advanced robotics, computer vision, and machine learning to accurately copy keys, often at a lower cost than traditional locksmiths45.
Retail Placement: By strategically placing kiosks in frequently visited retail environments, KeyMe has made key duplication more accessible and convenient for consumers2.
Advertising Platform: KeyMe is also developing an advertising platform, leveraging its kiosks to provide targeted advertising opportunities in retail settings2.
Funding and Growth
Funding Rounds: KeyMe has secured significant funding through various rounds, including angel, seed, Series A, B, C, and D rounds, as well as additional investments in 2019 and 20201.
Expansion: The company has expanded rapidly, with over 7,000 kiosks across the U.S. by 2025, serving millions of customers annually14.
Overall, KeyMe has transformed the locksmith industry by combining innovative technology with convenient retail locations and a focus on customer experience.
About MinuteKey
MinuteKey is a pioneering company in the locksmith industry, known for its innovative self-service key duplication kiosks. Here’s an overview of MinuteKey’s history, technology, services, and impact:
History and Founding
Founders: MinuteKey was founded in 2008 by two brothers, Ari and Dani Freeman, who aimed to solve the inefficiencies and inaccuracies in traditional key duplication services45.
Headquarters: The company is based in Boulder, Colorado25.
Technology and Services
Robotic Kiosks: MinuteKey developed the world’s first patented self-service key duplication kiosks, which combine robotics, electronics, and software engineering to provide accurate and reliable key copies57.
Key Duplication: The kiosks offer fast and personalized key duplication for residential, commercial, and automotive keys, including fob replacements18.
24/7 Locksmith Services: MinuteKey also provides access to a network of 24-hour emergency locksmiths for lockouts and other urgent needs36.
Market Presence and Expansion
Retail Partnerships: MinuteKey kiosks are located in thousands of high-traffic retail locations across the U.S. and Canada, including Walmart, Lowe’s, and Menards45.
Revenue and Funding: The company has achieved significant revenue, with $38.8 million reported, and has secured substantial funding totaling $147.7 million25.
Innovation and Impact
Industry Innovation: MinuteKey’s technology has revolutionized the key duplication industry by reducing errors and increasing convenience for consumers47.
Awards and Recognition: The company was ranked 11th on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. for 2014
San Antonio, Texas. – March 24, 2017 – Goodwill Industries® of the Valleys has a strategic priority to be a “remarkable place to work”. Enhancing internal communications is a key component of this initiative. With two thirds of its workforce in the field, with no access to email, the organization had to come up with a new solution.
Goodwill reached out to DynaTouch to contract a pilot for 10 employee self-service kiosks, to be located in employee break rooms in 10 stores. Installed in February 2017, these kiosks now allow employees to easily obtain and update benefits information, receive company-wide information, apply for internal job postings, and complete online training.
“The training time alone will be improved dramatically”, says William Long, Goodwill Learning and Development Manager, “as employees will no longer have to complete this training in the Store Manager’s office. Placing the kiosks in a common area, like the breakroom, will make training easier to access and more efficient to complete.”
The kiosks provide employee self-service functions using TIPS™ Kiosk Management Software as the platform to lock down the browser, secure the system and track usage data, and TIPS Cloud™ allows Goodwill to remotely monitor kiosk performance, review usage reports, and manage certain display content. “It was the TIPS software that made DynaTouch stand out, along with their total solutions approach,” said William Long. “So far we are hearing positive results from employees who have used the kiosks,” stated Long. A successful pilot may lead to the deployment of addition kiosks in stores throughout the Roanoke, New River, and Shenandoah Valleys of Virginia.
DynaTouch CEO Terri McClelland said, “We applaud Goodwill’s commitment to serving their employees in a way that is befitting a world-class service group. The kiosks are making a difference.”
About DynaTouch Interactive Technologies
Established in 1988, DynaTouch is an IT solutions company specializing in interactive, self-service systems that deliver information and assistance in unattended public settings. As a pioneering developer of customer-facing kiosk applications for multiple U.S. Government Agencies, DynaTouch focuses on ease of use, data security and ADA/508/HIPAA-compliance. The company offers OneSource Solutions™ packages which include hardware, kiosk management software, interactive application software, software development, multimedia content design and production, pre-shipment system integration and testing, worldwide deployment, Internet setup and support, network management, content management, and ongoing support – in any combination to match customer requirements.
DynaTouch kiosk, mobile and digital signage solutions work around the clock to enhance customer/patient/visitor services. At the same time, they cut administrative costs by taking advantage of proven technologies in multimedia, touch screen simplicity and global information exchange via the Internet. DynaTouch truly offers a one-stop Self-Service Kiosk solution.
Learn more at: www.dynatouch.com
Contact:
Vince Brown [email protected]
www.dynatouch.com
Ph: (210) 828-8343
one of these days these offshore research firms will get it right maybe.
The Kiosk Manufacturer Association (KMA) released an updated U.S. Kiosk Market Research Report for 2024, which includes detailed insights into the self-service kiosk market. The report covers the market’s history, trends, and future outlook, highlighting the impact of COVID-19, regulatory impacts, market drivers, and restraints. It provides an analysis of the market by application and end-user industry, including hospitality, financial services, medical/healthcare, retail, restaurants, travel, government, and education. The report also includes profiles of major companies in the industry and their recent developments. The U.S. self-service kiosk market is projected to grow significantly, driven by the demand for contactless payment solutions and the proliferation of smart city kiosks.
Touchscreen-based self-service technology is changing the way we do business, but one of the key challenges to widespread adoption is finding a way to make that technology useable by everyone.
Interactive touchscreens are quickly becoming a key player in the kiosk world. Businesses ranging from fast-casual restaurants to health care facilities and mall makeup stores are finding uses for touchscreen-based kiosks, offering services ranging from food ordering to patient check-in to complexion matching.
Combination of several reports (including Frost & Sullivan, Gartner, and IHL) + our own KI analysis. Hybrid POS checkouts and ATMs are not included unlike most reports..
The latest of the many reports forecasting the growth of the kiosk industry predicts the market will increase at a 9.7 percent compound annual growth rate, reaching $88.3 billion by 2022 from $46.1 billion in 2015. Drivers of that growth include increased customer’s interest towards self service, development in the retail and entertainment industries and innovations in touchscreen display and glass technology. The retail industry holds the lion’s share of the market, with about 40 percent of the overall revenue.
The growth of touchscreen-based self service hasn’t been without its challenges, though. Foremost among them has been the issue of making that technology available to all users, including those with disabilities. Another has been the expanded form factors such as tablets on the low end and large 85-inch touchscreens on the high side. That’s a shift from the mostly 17-inch and 19-inch screens that dominate the ATM, airline and POS self-checkout precursor worlds.
The ADA Kiosk compliance conundrum
Example of navbar on outdoor ticketing kiosk. Click for full size image. Courtesy Olea Kiosks
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that about 19 percent of the country’s population, or about 57 million people, have some form of disability. Those include 8.1 million people who have difficulty seeing, including 2 million who were blind or unable to see. In addition, about 7.6 million people have impaired hearing. Roughly 30.6 million have problems walking or climbing stairs, or use a wheelchair, cane, crutches or walker, and 19.9 million people had challenges lifting and grasping. This includes difficulty lifting an object or grasping a pencil (or pressing buttons on a touchscreen interface).
To ensure those with disabilities can enjoy the same rights as everyone, in 1990 Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The law was designed to afford protections against discrimination similar to those of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government programs and services.
For a business that incorporates kiosks into its operations, that generally means that a kiosk needs to be useable by all of its customers, no matter what their physical challenges may be. In many cases meeting that standard is easier said than done.
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“ADA concerns are pretty much the same concerns that one would have for any type of a consumer self-service interactive solution,” said Ron Bowers, senior vice president of business development at Grafton, Wisconsin-based kiosk vendor Frank Mayer & Associates. “Some individual deployments are only adhering to the accessibility-by-wheelchair aspect.”. “Some individual deployments are only adhering to the accessibility-by-wheelchair aspect.”
Unfortunately, those basic accommodations can result in a business overlooking more than 35 million potential customers.
It’s worth noting that a large percentage of customers in wheelchairs also suffer from physical impairment.
Some of the biggest challenges kiosk deployers face is the degree of interpretation that must be applied to some of the regulations. How many accessible units and what level of accessibility constitutes acceptable access? Another is new regulations and retrofitting existing units can be problematic, said Craig Keefner, manager for Olea Kiosks.
“Complicating retrofits can be the issue of recertifying for UL,” Keefner said. “One change to the overall machine can require the new configuration to be recertified. If Walmart has to change all of its self-checkouts, that’s a big change.”
To help add clarity to exactly what kiosk deployers must do to be ADA compliant, in mid-September the Architectural and Transportation Barriers and Compliance Board released a final rule for electronic and information technologies used by federal agencies as well as guidelines for customer premises equipment and telecommunications equipment, including kiosks. The Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.
In general, devices with a display screen shall be speech-output enabled for full and independent use by individuals with vision impairments.
Speech output shall be provided for all information displayed on-screen.
Where speech output is required, braille instructions for initiating the speech mode of operation shall be provided.
Devices that deliver sound, including required speech output, shall provide volume control and output amplification.
At least one mode of operation shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable parts shall be 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum.
The final rule is listed in the Federal Register. Covered organizations must meet compliance standards by Jan. 18, 2018.
Although much of the language in the final rule will likely keep lawyers busy for years to come, there are some guidelines that are easy to interpret. In general, the rules say that the technology with a display screen shall be speech-output enabled for full and independent use by individuals with vision impairments. Input controls shall be operable by touch and tactilely discernible without activation.
Running the risk
Missing out on revenue from millions of customers with disabilities is just one of the pitfalls of not complying with ADA regulations, or at least making every effort to make sense of the standards.
For violations that occurred after April 28, 2014, the maximum civil penalty for a first violation of ADA regulations is $75,000. For a subsequent violation, the maximum civil penalty is $150,000.
In addition, self-service kiosks are increasingly a target for ADA lawsuits. In March 2017, for example, the American Council of the Blind filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against fast casual restaurant chain Eatsa on behalf of a blind customer. Under Eatsa’s business model, customers order from tablet-based kiosks and pick up their food from a cubicle when it’s ready.
Customer Michael Godino claims he was unable to use a self-order kiosk in an Eatsa to place an order because the kiosks weren’t accessible for blind customers.
“Because the self-service mobile applications, touchscreen tablets, and visually-marked cubbies Eatsa utilizes rely on exclusively visual displays and do not provide any form of audio output or tactile input, Eatsa’s design is entirely inaccessible to blind customers,” according to the lawsuit.
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Restaurants aren’t the only businesses open to ADA lawsuits. A proposed class action suit against mall operator Simon Property Group claims a Proactiv skincare products kiosk, located in the Simon-run Miami Mall in Florida, discriminates against blind and visually impaired individuals. The lawsuit argues the Proactiv automated retail kiosk, which uses a touchscreen display, doesn’t offer a way for blind consumers to purchase its products.
“Sighted customers can independently browse, select, and pay for Proactiv brand skincare products at the Miami Mall Proactiv kiosk. However, blind customers are denied the opportunity to participate in this retail service,” the complaint reads. “Moreover, [the defendant] has failed to provide an alternative channel for blind customers to enjoy the retail service provided through the Proactiv kiosk, such as the training of qualified readers to assist visually impaired and blind customers.”
There are about 1,000 Proactiv kiosks in malls in the United States, Canada and Japan.
And just in case a business operator thinks having a staff member on hand to assist disabled customers with using self-service technology, chances are that’s not enough to keep from running afoul of the ADA.
More: consider for wall mount units the ADA requirement for blind & partially sighted to be able to detect protuberances from walls with their canes. Click for full size
“It depends on the application and if the assistant is as available as the kiosk to provide services,” said Adam Aronson, CEO of San Rafael, Calif.-based Lilitab Tablet Kiosks. Lilitab designs, engineers and markets a range of tablet kiosk products. “If the cashier typically has longer lines than the kiosk, that’s not the same service level,” Aronson said.
While lawsuits against kiosk deployers related to ADA compliance are always a concern, other dangers include the negative publicity from being perceived as a business that is insensitive to the needs of disabled customers. Just a few months ago cable news was filled images of U.S. Capital Police forcibly removing disabled demonstrators from a protest over the Senate’s now-defunct health care bill. Nobody wants their business to be featured in similar reporting.
Of course, things are rarely simple when it comes to government regulations and the ADA is no different. Complicating the landscape is HR 620, the “ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017,” currently making its way through Congress. According to the Center for American Progress the bill, sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), would require anyone seeking to file a lawsuit against a business for ADA violations to first provide written notice to that business, outlining the provisions of the law that apply to the violation. Business owners would then have 60 days to acknowledge the violation and another 120 days to at least make “substantial progress” towards rectifying it.
Opponents of the bill claim it would gut enforcement of the ADA by allowing businesses to stall the correction of violation for months or years, while those in favor say it would prevent the “drive-by lawsuits” that end up forcing business owners to pay settlements to lawyers who make a career out of filing ADA suits. The ADA bars the awarding of monetary damages in successful lawsuits, but does allow the awarding of “a reasonable attorney’s fee.”
Meeting the challenge
In an effort to sort through the confusion over ADA guidelines, kiosk deployers are taking their own steps to accommodate disabled users.
The easiest steps to take are those that offer access to individuals in wheelchairs or who are otherwise vertically challenged. That includes offering at least one kiosk with an adjustable height or a lower point of access.
VFO project by KioWare and URway. Click for full story.
“Swiveling mounts or adjustable height mounts may assist in accessibility – but they don’t solve the problem just by being available,” said Laura Miller, director of marketing with York, Pa.-based KioWare Kiosk Software.
“The physical placement of the kiosk is just as important as the presence of accessibility features and testing is needed even with the purchase of an accessible kiosk,” she said. “If the path to the kiosk is too narrow to approach head on, for instance, it becomes moot that the kiosk itself is accessible because getting to the kiosk is too challenging or the space too constricted. Vertical and horizontal reach must be considered.”
Ticketing unit for Universal with ADA. Photo courtesy Olea Kiosks. Click for full size.
As mentioned earlier, though, making the kiosk available to those in a wheelchair isn’t enough.
“No longer can you get away with a kiosk just being ‘reachable’,” said Frank Olea, CEO of Cerritos, Calif.-based Olea Kiosks. “Most companies will say their product is ADA compliant, but they fail to mention they’ve only covered a very small spectrum of individuals with disabilities. Sure, someone in a wheelchair can reach the screen, but serving people with disabilities goes far beyond that.”
As demonstrated by the Eatsa scenario, one of the biggest challenges in deploying interactive self-service technology is accommodating visually impaired users. A touchscreen relies heavily on users being able to see the screen, so deployers need to find ways to communicate that information in other ways.
“Without access to speech feedback for on screen contents and a method for determining what item the user is activating, a person who is blind or visually impaired cannot effectively make use of a touchscreen or tablet based kiosk,” said staff at the American Foundation for the Blind.
“For those with low vision, small or ornate fonts are difficult, if not impossible, to read,” AFB officials said. “Low contrast between the foreground and background can also make on-screen and print-labeled items difficult to read.”
In addition, glare on the screen and on any print-labeled areas of the machine can cause readability barriers for people with low vision, the AFB said.
“What I advise people to do is to recreate a version of the kiosk software that can be used by people with visual problems,” said Mike James, CEO of Washington D.C.-based Kiosk Group Inc.
“Information can be presented in large text and contrasting colors for people who are marginally blind, and to have a system for audio feedback for those who are completely blind,” James said. Those prompts can be used in conjunction with Braille keyboards to assist with navigation.
Storm Nav-Pad. Click for full size image
Accommodating users with hand mobility issues is a concern as well. An ‘Automated Passport Solution’ Olea built for deployment in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport incorporates the Nav-Pad, a keypad designed by London-based Storm Interface that provides accessibility to a kiosk’s functions for those with physical or sensory impairments. The APS kiosk shortens the clearance process for international travelers by collecting biographical and passport information from passengers before they are seen by a customs officer.
Audio navigation device. Click for full size. Courtesy Storm Interface
The Nav-Pad, developed in partnership with the Trace Research & Development Center, was originally designed for use in military and industrial applications where the user might be wearing heavy gloves. One of the pioneers in the space, Storm Interface also offers the Audio-Nav Keypad, an assistive USB device offering menu navigation by means of audio direction.
The work continues
As ADA compliance becomes a bigger and bigger issue for hardware manufacturers, software developers and kiosk deployers, a variety of industry groups are working to develop solutions that can meet the needs of disabled users.
The Kiosk Industry Association, for example, has formed an ADA working group and committee expressly for ADA to try and standardize guidelines for the industry. A big initiative for the association is meeting with the US Access Board directly to help communicate industry information and context to the standards body directly.
Other organizations with ADA initiatives include the Electronic Transactions Association, which has also formed a working group. The ETA represents more than 500 companies worldwide involved in electronic transaction processing products and services, working to influence, monitor and shape the payments industry by providing leadership through education, advocacy and the exchange of information.
“The purpose of the group is to promote compliance and the development and deployment of products and services to help ensure access to the payment system,” said Meghan Cieslak, ETA’s director of communications. “The group is comprised of industry experts, start-ups, as well as ISOs and VARs – all focused on helping disabled Americans access the payment system.”
The Kiosk Industry Association is consulting with the ETA on access initiatives and has also enlisted the assistance of the ATM Industry Association which already has a formal ADA document via EFTA for their members.
It’s also critical for deployers to think about accessibility from the very beginning of a kiosk project. A paper co-authored by Peter Jarvis and Nicky Shaw, both from Storm Interface, along with Robin Spinks from the U.K.’s Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) included the following recommendations:
“Accessibility is most effectively achieved when adopted as a primary system specification,” the group wrote.
“It is most successfully implemented if considered during the concept design process,” they wrote. “Accessibility should be a primary objective during the origination of hardware solutions, application software and content to be delivered.”
In addition, consideration should also be given to the environment in which the system will be installed, they wrote, and that terminals located in public or unsupervised environments will need to survive regular cleaning and sanitization procedures using sprayed liquid disinfectants and other cleaning agents.
Along with providing hardware designed for accessibility, the application or website on the kiosk must be built with more than a cursory nod toward compliance in order to have these other components “work” in a successful and accessible deployment. The kiosk system software can utilize accessibility features and the hardware can provide sound, include keyboards and be height adjustable, but if the application isn’t built with accessibility in mind, or modified to make sure accessibility features are fully integrated, usability and accessibility will suffer for it.
These concerns, and others, are driving the various partnerships on ADA issues.
“It was pretty much a no-brainer for us to go ahead and work together on standardizing,” Keefner said.
“I’ve been really passionate about it and I’ve talked to kiosk manufacturers about binding together to create standards on kiosk design so people who walk up to a kiosk know where to find the audio jack, know where to find the braille keyboard or whatever,” said Kiosk Group’s Mike James. “Those features could be the same for every project.”
Unfortunately, despite the additional clarification on access rules it’s likely that in the short term it’s likely that many compliance issues are likely to be hashed out in court.
“It seems that there are a few people out there who have made it their job to litigate any non-ADA-compliant situations that arise,” Miller said. “This is not exclusive to kiosks, but they have not been completely spared, and while it seems relatively obscure at this point, those individuals looking for violations will likely eventually hit on the existence of kiosks as fodder for their litigious pursuits.”
I wanted to congratulate you both on an excellent and informative article. Thank you for helping to bring the importance of ADA and ACAA mandates to the attention of the Kiosk Industry and to those agencies deploying and operating ICT in public environments. Thanks also for recognizing Storm Interface in the text of the article and for including some of those images showing deployed installations. We are constantly working to improve and add to the range of accessibility and assistive technology products available to kiosk designers. There are some exciting new developments in process which will help to deliver the “multi-modal” methods of system interface that are widely predicted to be the next big step in system accessibility. The priority will be to ensure our partners in the kiosk industry are kept aware of and fully supported in the deployment of Assistive Technology Products (ATP).
Hopefully your article will receive the recognition it deserves and I will have an opportunity to work with you both to maintain awareness of accessibility issues within the kiosk industry.
AMD Global Telemedicine Partnership with Olea Kiosks
Two long-standing healthcare vendors join forces to deliver an integrated telehealth kiosk solution.
CHELMSFORD, MA (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
The future of telehealth depends on our ability to make it as convenient and seamless as possible to deliver healthcare on-demand, and healthcare kiosks do just that
AMD Global Telemedicine Inc. (AMD), the pioneer of clinical Telemedicine Encounter Management Solutions (TEMS) ®, and Olea Kiosks Inc, the premier global designer and manufacturer of self-service kiosks, announce a partnership to deliver customized kiosks for telehealth applications.
The two long-standing healthcare vendors have combined their engineering and technology resources to offer a solution that addresses increasing demands for areas such as chronic disease management, healthcare screening, wellness programs and occupational health clinics. The new customizable telemedicine kiosk solution provides healthcare organizations with numerous options for self check-in, patient assessment, video conferencing, digitization of medical records, and payment.
“The future of telehealth depends on our ability to make it as convenient and seamless as possible to deliver healthcare on-demand, and healthcare kiosks do just that,” commented Eric Bacon, President of AMD Global Telemedicine. “The partnership we have formed with Olea Kiosks elevates our solutions offering to the next level,” added Bacon.
“With the cost of many technologies coming down and the broader acceptance of Self-Service, the idea of self-service healthcare has really taken off,” commented Frank Olea, CEO of Olea Kiosks. “We share a common commitment and passion for delivering customized healthcare solutions and tailored program design”.
By partnering, AMD has combined their twenty-six years telemedicine experience with Olea Kiosks’ 42 years designing and building kiosks, to design completely customizable kiosks that fit specific healthcare requirements and price points. For more information on the customized telehealth kiosk solutions, visit http://www.amdtelemedicine.com
About AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc.
AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc. (AMD) is the pioneer of Telemedicine Encounter Management Solutions (TEMS)® to over 9,000 patient end-points in more than 98 countries. Since 1991, AMD has led the development of clinical telemedicine as a way of bringing quality medical care to rural and underdeveloped areas around the world. AMD provides personalized telemedicine solutions pairing our telemedicine encounter management software technology with specialized medical devices and video communication technologies, in order to connect a patient with a remote clinical healthcare provider. For more information on AMD Global Telemedicine, visit http://www.amdtelemedicine.com.
About Olea Kiosks, Inc. Olea Kiosks, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based design, manufacturing and services company providing kiosks, self-
service terminals, and interactive digital signage for a wide range of markets, including QSR self-order kiosks, fast casual dining, healthcare, gaming casinos, loyalty kiosk and payment kiosk services. In business for more than 40 years, the company builds “better kiosks through intelligent design” and serves clients across the globe. Olea Kiosks, Inc. 800.927.8063 or by email at info(at)olea(dot)com.
Today, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Mark Laroche, Ottawa International Airport Authority President and CEO, announced that Primary Inspection Kiosks will be operating at the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport starting Monday, March 20, 2017. Minister Goodale also announced that “CanBorder – eDeclaration,” the Government of Canada’s mobile declaration application, will be ready for use with the new kiosks at Ottawa airport on Monday.
The new kiosks will allow travellers to verify their travel documents, complete an on-screen declaration, and confirm their identity using facial authentication (involving only a one-to-one photo comparison at the kiosk with the traveller’s passport). Those looking to save more time can complete their declaration in advance using the CanBorder – eDeclaration mobile app, which will give them a quick response (QR) code to scan at a kiosk upon arrival.
Primary Inspection Kiosks will be rolled out at Canada’s major airports this year, strengthening border security and simplifying the border experience. By moving towards digital declarations, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is capitalizing upon the experience and successes of other countries that have adopted automated border technology.
Quotes
“Smart border management includes leveraging technology to improve security and help reduce wait times at Canada’s busiest airports. The Government of Canada is committed to using digital tools to improve services to Canadians and international travellers, ensuring smooth and efficient airport experiences.”
The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
“Using technology for more efficient border processing is welcome news for returning residents, and will enhance the passenger experience for arriving visitors. We thank the CBSA for allowing our airport to be the first to introduce the Primary Inspection Kiosks, and will continue to engage with our partners to make efficiency initiatives a recurring theme in all projects at the Ottawa International Airport.”
Mark Laroche, Ottawa International Airport Authority President and CEO
Quick Facts
Primary Inspection Kiosks will eventually replace the Automated Border Clearance program, streamline services for travellers arriving in Canada by air, and allow the CBSA to better manage increasing traveller volumes at airports.
The on-screen declaration and mobile app will allow the CBSA to phase out the standard distribution of declaration cards on board aircraft, reducing paper consumption and allowing for cost savings through digital service delivery.
Our first APC kiosks were delivered in 2003, I see information on YVR(BoarderXpress) and SITA, but nothing on our hundreds of Nexus and APC kiosks.
Embross North America, Ltd., a Canadian based organization founded upon the acquisition of IBM’s Travel & Transportation Kiosk group, including both its people and solutions, by Embross Holdings Pty Ltd. and represents more than 50% of airport kiosks in the market (Check-in, APC BagDrop, and software related etc..)
Embross’s history of being first to market:
First check-in kiosks in the mid-1990’s
First CUSS kiosks in 2002 (Our CUSS platform is the “IBM” and “ARINC” platform as many know those names more than “Embross”.)
Section 1: A changing landscape page 3
Section 2: Mandates, legal requirements, responsibilities page 4
Section 3: Consequences page 5
Section 4: Audible and tactile system navigation page 6
Section 5: Strategies for success page 8
Section 6: A Collaboration with RNIB page 9
SECTION 1
A changing landscape
Community expectations
“The most common disability in the world today is an inability to read. This disability may be caused by physiological, cognitive, developmental, educational or cultural reasons”. Peter Jarvis.
As the average age of the travelling population increases, the public’s awareness of the challenges faced by those with sensory, cognitive or mobility impairment has also increased.
The trend for provision of customer services via touch screen terminals creates additional disadvantages for those with disabilities. Access to information and services is effectively denied to those who are unable to see, read or interact with content presented in an exclusively visual format via a display screen.
Those disadvantages are frequently manifested in a very public environment (a modern passenger transport terminal) in full view of staff and other passengers. Transport terminals are often busy, highly stressed environments where any perceived impediment to progress through the immigration, customs clearance, check-in, security clearance or boarding process is considered as an unwelcomed disruption to the ‘regular’ passenger service experience.
Transit through a passenger terminal has been described as an embarrassing and sometimes humiliating experience by those with disabilities. It frequently requires intervention and assistance from travelling companions, staff or other members of the travelling public.
In the USA access to information and services for disabled military veterans and seniors has become a visible indicator of patriotic pride and national unity. Something of which politicians, law makers and corporate leaders are now very much aware. In a smartphone carrying, social media aware/active population there will be more consumer pressure, more mandated requirements and more international cooperation to achieve global improvements in accessibility.
SECTION 2
Mandates, standards, legal requirements, guidelines and best practice
Current and planned
Many countries have legal frameworks that embody an expectation of equality, fairness and non-discrimination on grounds of race, religion, gender, colour, age or disability. In addition, some have enacted specific legislation to eliminate discrimination and eliminate barriers to information and services for persons with disabilities.
Examples of current requirements are listed below. These examples do not constitute a comprehensive or complete listing. Please refer to your local mandating authorities for latest/current requirements.
UK Equality Act 2010
Europe Pending replacement of Disability Discrimination Act 2010
EN 301-549 mandates a comprehensive set of accessibility requirements for public procurement of ICT products and services in the EU. This mandate is now proposed as the basis for an internationally adopted standard,
North America
Americans with Disabilities Act 2010. Design for Accessibility.
US Department of Transport: Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) became effective during 2010 with implementation required to commence by Dec 2016.
US Rehabilitation Act: Section 503 [Federal government contractors]. Section 504 [Rights in education, employment and other settings]. Section 508 [Requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured or used by the Federal Government].
FCC: 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), requiring communications services and products to be accessible to people with disabilities. Implemented December 2016.
Other Territories United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for international standards.
SECTION 3
Consequences of non-compliance
Current and planned
At the time of writing, several, high profile, class action law suits have created precedent and motivation for litigants to seek substantive legal redress (damages) for corporate non-compliance. Manufacturers and operators of public use IT terminals (kiosks) have been the primary targets.
The excerpts below were taken from articles written by Gregory F. Hurley & Michael Chilleen, attorneys at Sheppard Mullin law firm.
‘There has been a surge in Americans with Disability Act (ADA) class actions filed against businesses that use kiosk type devices.’
‘Until the legal landscape becomes more clear, it would be prudent for businesses to assess the accessibility of their kiosks and to consider options that are accessible and independently useable by individuals with a variety of disabilities.’
‘The availability of hefty damages in many states increases the potential exposure businesses face… Potential liability can be overwhelming when this type of lawsuit is brought as class actions.’
‘… general provisions [of the ADA] include not only clear space and reach range standards, but the requirement of “effective communication” with the blind and deaf.’
‘Although self-service kiosks can benefit both customers and businesses, they also create significant lawsuit exposure.’
In his article ‘The next wave – ADA Lawsuits against touchscreen POS devices’, attorney Richard Hunt of Hunt Huey PLLC states, ‘Touchscreen point-of-sale devices are ubiquitous, and the next wave of ADA lawsuits will undoubtedly be against businesses that use them.’
SECTION 4
Audible and tactile system navigation
Hardware solutions
System users with impaired vision will rely heavily on audible descriptions and summaries of the visual content as usually presented to sighted users (via the display screen). Due to privacy concerns and the high ambient noise levels in many passenger terminals, audible content will usually be delivered to sight impaired users via an audio headset, handset or cochlea implant (rather than general use amplified speaker systems).
Navigation of audible content and selection of available services can be achieved by manipulation of tactile controls (usually a keypad device) and/or by voice commands (Voice Activation).
RNIB and Storm Interface recommend that provision of a compliant tactile interface, used in conjunction with a suitable audio device (usually a headset or handset), provides an effective and viable means to navigate screen based content. This type of audible menu navigation capability meets current requirements for provision of access to information and services for those with impaired sight or reading ability.
A voice activation capability can usefully augment a tactile / audible menu navigation system, providing accessibility options for those who are unable (for any reason) to manipulate tactile controls.
There will be many different users (voices) initiating a limited number of generic commands (page up, page down, select, enter, confirm, cancel, sound volume up, sound volume down, etc.). For this reason system response to a more limited menu of voice activation commands is often a more practical and tolerant proposition than adoption of more sophisticated voice recognition or intelligent voice learning technology. However, it should also be noted that capability for voice activation and voice learning are not mutually exclusive.
At the time of writing, the authors of this paper are not aware of any mandates or enacted legislation that requires or specifies the provision of voice activation features. However, as technology typically advances at a faster rate than the enactment of new standards or legislation, the authors of this paper envisage the emergence of voice activation as a viable means to further enhance system accessibility.
Software applications will need to support the delivery of audible content (audio tagging) and respond to data input from the tactile interface and/or voice input device (usually Voice Over USB or Voice Over IP). Audio content can be generated by the host application using one of many “text to speech”, “recorded voice”, “synthesized voice” or “image description” utilities. If the tactile/audio interface device supports VOUSB or VOIP then concierge or audio conferencing services can also be supported. It should be possible for the system user to adjust the sound volume and preferably the playback speed of any audible content during initiation of the audio program and/or during playback. The intro content should repeat (loop) to give the user time to adjust their headset, sound volume and play back speed before continuing to the system navigation and application content. It should also be possible for the user to skip forward or backwards through familiar content. Disconnection of the headset (or handset) should end the audio program and reset the device to its default sound level settings. Connection or reconnection of a headset or handset should restart the audio program, returning the audio program to its initial intro content.
Disconnection of the headset (or handset) should end the audio program and reset the device to its default sound level settings. Connection or reconnection of a headset or handset should restart the audio program, returning the audio program to its initial intro content.
Storm and the RNIB also recommend that pressing and holding down the select (enter) key for at least 3-4 seconds should also initiate a “help” or “more info” feature (even if a dedicated help key is also provided). This feature could also initiate a request for assistance from a qualified attendant if appropriate. It is proposed that this “press and hold for assistance” feature should be adopted for all tactile system navigation devices. This to create a universally recognized means to request assistance.
During user trials of Audible System Navigation Products it was observed that an initial challenge encountered by sight impaired users was to find the location of the headset jack plug socket. In addition to the provision of tactile idents to assist in location of the socket, Storm Interface and the RNIB propose that (going forward) a general protocol for location of the headset socket be adopted by terminal manufacturers. For example; the headset socket and any dedicated tactile navigation controls could usually be found in the bottom left quadrant of any customer facing control panel. This would limit the amount of searching required. This proposal has already been adopted by some hardware manufacturers. However, it is accepted that there are many “legacy” systems already deployed that may not be configured in this way.
As these tactile interfaces and audio devices will be used by many different people in exposed public environments, they must be intuitive and easy to use. They must be resistant to hard use and abuse. To facilitate regular wash down and sanitation procedures they should also be sealed against fluids and particulates. They must also be reliable and responsive to ensure immediate access to vital information and services at all times.
SECTION 5
Strategies for Success
Recognizing and meeting the challenges faced by manufacturers, system specifiers and system operators
Accessibility is most effectively achieved when adopted as a primary system specification. It is most successfully implemented if considered during the concept design process. Accessibility should be a primary objective during the origination of hardware solutions, application software and content to be delivered. Consideration should also be given to the environment in which the system will be installed and the specific needs of users with disabilities. It is worth noting that terminals located in public or unsupervised environments will need to survive regular cleaning and sanitization procedures using sprayed liquid disinfectants and other cleaning agents. They may also need to resist hard use and abuse (vandalism). All human interface devices must be robust, responsive and reliable.
Bolt-on or retrofit accessibility solutions have been successfully implemented to achieve compliance with legal mandates in response to court judgements or as a condition of legal settlements. However, it is clear that the most effective and efficient solutions are implemented by design as part of the original design brief. Compliance with mandates may be an essential requirement, but a determination to make any self-service terminal as accessible and ‘as good as it can be’ for all users is often a more successful strategy.
There is advice, support, guidance and product evaluation services available from recognized agencies such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in the USA.
With guidance from the RNIB, Storm Interface have worked to ensure that compliant commercially viable hardware solutions are available to terminal manufacturers and system specifiers.
Developed as part of the Storm Assistive Technology Products range these system navigation and audio interface products have been designed, developed and field proven to deliver the most intuitive and effective system interface for those with impaired vision or reading ability, restricted reach or limited fine motor skills.
These interface products are offered in a range of formats with options for integrated sound processors, headset connections and keytop illumination. High contrast keytop graphics, high visibility fonts and raised tactile idents ensure these products achieve the highest levels in accessibility. They are compliant with all applicable accessibility requirements. Remember to ask your system manufacturer to install only genuine STORM-ATP products.
SECTION 6
RNIB Business Collaboration
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the leading organisation in the UK representing 2 million blind and low vision persons. The agency is regularly consulted on the needs of the blind community by government, business and many international bodies.
RNIB Solutions offers a range of services to the business community including technical assessment, consultancy, training and user testing. RNIB is also a lead player in the World Blind Union, a global umbrella agency representing 191 national blindness agencies.
RNIB works in partnership with other agencies to bring about a world where vision loss is no longer a barrier to inclusion in society. RNIB work with businesses such as Storm Interface as a consultant and critical friend facilitating the development of more inclusive hardware, software and services. RNIB also offer an accreditation which businesses can work towards as a recognised mark of excellence in inclusive design.
Strategic Examples
In recent years RNIB Solutions has partnered with a very diverse range of businesses to create exemplar Accessibility invocations. The scope of RNIB’s recent engagement is vast and includes everything from personal labeling devices and showers to complex mobile applications and smart television operating systems. Essentially RNIB’s goal is to help businesses to embed inclusive design principles in any product or service. RNIB is also active on the Accessibility strategy boards of many major technology companies
In a recent engagement, RNIB worked with a major consumer electronics brand to envision an integrated Accessibility framework for their smart television range.
Over a period of around two years, technical advice, training and product iteration testing and review services were provided. At the conclusion of the project, the manufacturer launched an entire range of state of the art smart televisions offering out of the box Accessibility for persons with disabilities.
In another assignment, a major long haul airline approached RNIB with the desire to ensure compliance for its online booking facility. Again through a structured programme of tailored training, web consultancy and testing, the service was developed to a level where full compliance became attainable.
RNIB’s collaboration with Storm established and quantified the effectiveness of the company’s audible and tactile system navigation products. The commercial availability of compliant and effective interface devices (as developed by Storm) enables manufacturers of self-service systems to provide unprecedented accessibility to information and services for those with sensory, cognitive or motor impairment.
Storm Assistive Technology Products under user assessment at the RNIB test facilities in the UK.
An RNIB User Group were asked to complete two “real world” tasks;-
To choose and then purchase tickets for a family (adults and children), using different fare classifications, travelling by rail to and from designated stations.
To register as a voter, using a prescribed voter registration code (incorporating both numbers and letters), and then cast and confirm a vote for one of the several candidates standing in a fictitious election.
These assessments were made using various models and configurations of tactile/audible navigation devices. Users were then asked to rate each device against a number of objective criteria. They were then asked to comment on the ‘ease-of-use’ and advantages / disadvantages of each device.
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) today announced its proprietary line of self-serve border control solutions, BorderXpress, has been expanded to meet the requirements of Canada Border Service Agency’s (CBSA) new Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK) program. YVR will roll out 90 new PIK configured BorderXpress Kiosks in spring 2017. YVR is proud to be an integral part of CBSA’s objective to modernize the border entry process for air travelers.
BorderXpress was developed by Innovative Travel Solutions, an independent business unit within YVR with more than a decade of experience in kiosk design, user experience, layout and flow analysis. BorderXpress has proven to be a very efficient tool to reduce border line ups, while at the same time strengthening the safety and security of borders. More than 1,050 kiosks are currently in use at 34 airport and seaport locations, processing over 100 million passengers to-date – more than any other provider.
BorderXpress can be easily configured to meet the needs of governments around the world looking to implement technology solutions to reduce border line-ups and improve the safety, security and integrity of their borders.
Automation offers expedited process for international arriving passengers
Richmond, B.C. April 5, 2017: Vancouver International Airport (YVR) today announced its proprietary line of self-serve border control solutions, BorderXpress, has been expanded to meet the requirements of Canada Border Service Agency’s (CBSA) new Primary Inspection Kiosk (PIK) program. Under the PIK program, the CBSA is expanding its use of border kiosks at Canadian airports, and will now offer self-service options to an increased number of incoming international travelers.
“Border clearance kiosks are the way of the future and we applaud the CBSA’s continued efforts to expand the use of kiosks to reduce border wait times while meeting evolving security needs,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “Not only do our BorderXpress solutions provide a modern and efficient experience for our passengers, they are also a smart choice for airports and government, as they help to reduce overall operating costs and free up border officers to focus more closely on enforcement and intelligence efforts.”
YVR will roll out 90 new PIK-configured BorderXpress kiosks in Spring 2017, extending the automated border clearance process to the majority of incoming international travelers. Using the new kiosks, passengers will scan their travel documents, complete their declaration and verify their identity and admissibility using facial recognition technology before proceeding to a CBSA officer for final inspection. This process will ultimately reduce time spent with the CBSA officers and decrease overall processing times. The addition of the new BorderXpress kiosks will help YVR meet its goal of handling 25 million passengers by 2025 while still providing exceptional customer experiences.
BorderXpress was developed by Innovative Travel Solutions, an independent business unit within YVR with more than a decade of experience in kiosk design, user experience, layout and flow analysis. BorderXpress is marketed to airports around the world and more than 1,050 kiosks are currently in use at 34 airport and seaport locations — more than any other provider.
BorderXpress kiosks help immigration officers process up to four times more passengers per hour than through traditional clearance; and, as of March 1, 2017, BorderXpress kiosks have processed over 100 million passengers. BorderXpress can be easily configured to meet the needs of governments around the world looking to implement technology solutions to reduce border line-ups and improve the safety, security and integrity of their borders.
-YVR-
About Vancouver Airport Authority
Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that manages Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Canada’s second busiest airport, YVR served 22.3 million passengers in 2016. Fifty-five airlines serve YVR, connecting people and businesses to more than 125 non-stop destinations worldwide. In 2016, YVR received CAPA Centre for Aviation’s prestigious Airport of the Year Award and was voted Best Airport in North America for the eighth consecutive year in the Skytrax World Airport Awards in 2017. Vancouver Airport Authority is a dedicated community partner and in 2016 donated more than $1,000,000 to local organizations. We are committed to creating an airport that British Columbia can be proud of: a premier global gateway, local economic generator and community contributor. For more information, please visit www.yvr.ca.
The final rule as published in the Federal Register, to the section for “closed functionality” (402) which is the core requirements for a kiosk. The section for Operable Parts (407) would also be quite important.
402.1 General. ICT with closed functionality shall be operable without requiring the user to attach or install assistive technology other than personal headsets or other audio couplers, and shall conform to 402.
402.2 Speech-Output Enabled. ICT with a display screen shall be speech-output enabled for full and independent use by individuals with vision impairments.
EXCEPTIONS: 1. Variable message signs conforming to 402.5 shall not be required to be speech-output enabled.
2. Speech output shall not be required where ICT display screens only provide status indicators and those indicators conform to 409.
3. Where speech output cannot be supported due to constraints in available memory or processor capability, ICT shall be permitted to conform to 409 in lieu of 402.2.
4. Audible tones shall be permitted instead of speech output where the content of user input is not displayed as entered for security purposes, including, but not limited to, asterisks representing personal identification numbers.
5. Speech output shall not be required for: The machine location; date and time of transaction; customer account number; and the machine identifier or label.
6. Speech output shall not be required for advertisements and other similar information unless they convey information that can be used for the transaction being conducted.Start Printed Page 5838
402.2.1 Information Displayed On-Screen. Speech output shall be provided for all information displayed on-screen.
402.2.2 Transactional Outputs. Where transactional outputs are provided, the speech output shall audibly provide all information necessary to verify a transaction.
402.2.3 Speech Delivery Type and Coordination. Speech output shall be delivered through a mechanism that is readily available to all users, including, but not limited to, an industry standard connector or a telephone handset. Speech shall be recorded or digitized human, or synthesized. Speech output shall be coordinated with information displayed on the screen.
402.2.4 User Control. Speech output for any single function shall be automatically interrupted when a transaction is selected. Speech output shall be capable of being repeated and paused.
402.2.5 Braille Instructions. Where speech output is required by 402.2, braille instructions for initiating the speech mode of operation shall be provided. Braille shall be contracted and shall conform to 36 CFR part 1191, Appendix D, Section 703.3.1.
EXCEPTION: Devices for personal use shall not be required to conform to 402.2.5.
402.3 Volume. ICT that delivers sound, including speech output required by 402.2, shall provide volume control and output amplification conforming to 402.3.
EXCEPTION: ICT conforming to 412.2 shall not be required to conform to 402.3.
402.3.1 Private Listening. Where ICT provides private listening, it shall provide a mode of operation for controlling the volume. Where ICT delivers output by an audio transducer typically held up to the ear, a means for effective magnetic wireless coupling to hearing technologies shall be provided.
402.3.2 Non-private Listening. Where ICT provides non-private listening, incremental volume control shall be provided with output amplification up to a level of at least 65 dB. A function shall be provided to automatically reset the volume to the default level after every use.
402.4 Characters on Display Screens. At least one mode of characters displayed on the screen shall be in a sans serif font. Where ICT does not provide a screen enlargement feature, characters shall be 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) high minimum based on the uppercase letter “I”. Characters shall contrast with their background with either light characters on a dark background or dark characters on a light background.
402.5 Characters on Variable Message Signs. Characters on variable message signs shall conform to section 703.7 Variable Message Signs of ICC A117.1-2009 (incorporated by reference, see 702.6.1).
407 Operable Parts
407.1 General. Where provided, operable parts used in the normal operation of ICT shall conform to 407.
407.2 Contrast. Where provided, keys and controls shall contrast visually from background surfaces. Characters and symbols shall contrast visually from background surfaces with either light characters or symbols on a dark background or dark characters or symbols on a light background.
407.3 Input Controls. At least one input control conforming to 407.3 shall be provided for each function.
EXCEPTION: Devices for personal use with input controls that are audibly discernable without activation and operable by touch shall not be required to conform to 407.3.
407.3.1 Tactilely Discernible. Input controls shall be operable by touch and tactilely discernible without activation.
407.3.2 Alphabetic Keys. Where provided, individual alphabetic keys shall be arranged in a QWERTY-based keyboard layout and the “F” and “J” keys shall be tactilely distinct from the other keys.
407.3.3 Numeric Keys. Where provided, numeric keys shall be arranged in a 12-key ascending or descending keypad layout. The number five key shall be tactilely distinct from the other keys. Where the ICT provides an alphabetic overlay on numeric keys, the relationships between letters and digits shall conform to ITU-T Recommendation E.161 (incorporated by reference, see 702.7.1).
407.4 Key Repeat. Where a keyboard with key repeat is provided, the delay before the key repeat feature is activated shall be fixed at, or adjustable to, 2 seconds minimum.
407.5 Timed Response. Where a timed response is required, the user shall be alerted visually, as well as by touch or sound, and shall be given the opportunity to indicate that more time is needed.
407.6 Operation. At least one mode of operation shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable parts shall be 5 pounds (22.2 N) maximum.
407.7 Tickets, Fare Cards, and Keycards. Where tickets, fare cards, or keycards are provided, they shall have an orientation that is tactilely discernible if orientation is important to further use of the ticket, fare card, or keycard.
407.8 Reach Height and Depth. At least one of each type of operable part of stationary ICT shall be at a height conforming to 407.8.2 or 407.8.3 according to its position established by the vertical reference plane specified in 407.8.1 for a side reach or a forward reach. Operable parts used with speech output required by 402.2 shall not be the only type of operable part complying with 407.8 unless that part is the only operable part of its type.
407.8.1 Vertical Reference Plane. Operable parts shall be positioned for a side reach or a forward reach determined with respect to a vertical reference plane. The vertical reference plane shall be located in conformance to 407.8.2 or 407.8.3.
407.8.1.1 Vertical Plane for Side Reach. Where a side reach is provided, the vertical reference plane shall be 48 inches (1220 mm) long minimum.
407.8.1.2 Vertical Plane for Forward Reach. Where a forward reach is provided, the vertical reference plane shall be 30 inches (760 mm) long minimum.
407.8.2 Side Reach. Operable parts of ICT providing a side reach shall conform to 407.8.2.1 or 407.8.2.2. The vertical reference plane shall be centered on the operable part and placed at the leading edge of the maximum protrusion of the ICT within the length of the vertical reference plane. Where a side reach requires a reach over a portion of the ICT, the height of that portion of the ICT shall be 34 inches (865 mm) maximum.
407.8.2.1 Unobstructed Side Reach. Where the operable part is located 10 inches (255 mm) or less beyond the vertical reference plane, the operable part shall be 48 inches (1220 mm) high maximum and 15 inches (380 mm) high minimum above the floor.
407.8.2.2 Obstructed Side Reach. Where the operable part is located more than 10 inches (255 mm), but not more than 24 inches (610 mm), beyond the vertical reference plane, the height of the operable part shall be 46 inches (1170 mm) high maximum and 15 inches (380 mm) high minimum above the floor. The operable part shall not be located more than 24 inches (610 mm) beyond the vertical reference plane.
407.8.3 Forward Reach. Operable parts of ICT providing a forward reach shall conform to 407.8.3.1 or 407.8.3.2. The vertical reference plane shall be centered, and intersect with, the operable part. Where a forward reach allows a reach over a portion of the ICT, the height of that portion of the ICT shall be 34 inches (865 mm) maximum.
407.8.3.1 Unobstructed Forward Reach. Where the operable part is located at the leading edge of the maximum protrusion within the length of the vertical reference plane of the ICT, the operable part shall be 48 inches (1220 mm) high maximum and 15 inches (380 mm) high minimum above the floor.
407.8.3.2 Obstructed Forward Reach. Where the operable part is located beyond the leading edge of the maximum protrusion within the length of the vertical reference plane, the operable part shall conform to 407.8.3.2. The maximum allowable forward Start Printed Page 5839reach to an operable part shall be 25 inches (635 mm).
407.8.3.2.1 Operable Part Height for ICT with Obstructed Forward Reach. The height of the operable part shall conform to Table 407.8.3.2.1.
Table 407.8.3.2.1—Operable Part Height for ICT With Obstructed Forward Reach
Reach depth
Operable part height
Less than 20 inches (510 mm)
48 inches (1220 mm) maximum.
20 inches (510 mm) to 25 inches (635 mm)
44 inches (1120 mm) maximum.
407.8.3.2.2 Knee and Toe Space under ICT with Obstructed Forward Reach. Knee and toe space under ICT shall be 27 inches (685 mm) high minimum, 25 inches (635 mm) deep maximum, and 30 inches (760 mm) wide minimum and shall be clear of obstructions.
EXCEPTIONS: 1. Toe space shall be permitted to provide a clear height of 9 inches (230 mm) minimum above the floor and a clear depth of 6 inches (150 mm) maximum from the vertical reference plane toward the leading edge of the ICT.
2. At a depth of 6 inches (150 mm) maximum from the vertical reference plane toward the leading edge of the ICT, space between 9 inches (230 mm) and 27 inches (685 mm) minimum above the floor shall be permitted to reduce at a rate of 1 inch (25 mm) in depth for every 6 inches (150 mm) in height.
Because the ADA does not specify how kiosks should accommodate the visually impaired, the industry is challenged in how to comply with the law’s mandate. Lawsuits on behalf of visually impaired individuals could clarify what measures kiosk manufacturers should take to improve access for the visually impaired.
Part II of feature series — A lack of clarity in the Americans with Disabilities Act has led to numerous instances where people with disabilities have encountered problems when trying to use self-serve kiosks.
Part III of series — Assistive technology for the disabled has improved and become more pervasive in recent years, offering an opportunity for kiosk manufacturers to better serve an important customer base and meet ADA requirements.
“Even the most basic and cost effective options are underutilized,” observed Tom McClelland, president of DynaTouch, a self-service kiosk solutions provider.
“There are very few kiosk manufacturers and integrators who make their clients aware of these technologies,” said McClelland. “For some, that may be because they simply aren’t aware of all the technologies. For others, it probably has more to do with the added cost. To equip a self-service kiosk with complete and comprehensive assistive technologies requires specialized design, software and hardware.
Sept 13, 2017 — The U.S. Access Board recently updated the 508 requirements for accessible ICT (information and communication technology) in the Federal space. This is their “press release”.
About the Update of the Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines for Information and Communication Technology
On January 18, 2017, the U.S. Access Board published afinal rule updating accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Communications Act. This document provides an overview of the rule and highlights substantive changes to the ICT requirements. The preamble to the final rule discusses the requirements in greater detail.
Updated Section 508 Standards for Federal ICT
The Access Board’s final rule revises and refreshes its standards for information and communication technology in the federal sector covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Board’s Section 508 Standards, which were first issued in 2000, apply to ICT developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies. Examples include computers, telecommunications equipment, multifunction office machines such as copiers that also function as printers, software, websites, information kiosks and transaction machines, and electronic documents.
Updated Section 255 Guidelines for Telecommunications Equipment
The Board’s final rule also updates guidelines for telecommunications equipment covered by Section 255 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. The Section 255 Guidelines, which the Board initially published in 1998, cover telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment, including telephones, cell phones, routers, set-top boxes, and computers with modems, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol products, as well as software integral to the operation of telecommunications function of such equipment.
Goals of the Refresh
The Board updated the 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines jointly to ensure consistency in accessibility across the spectrum of information and communication technologies (ICT) covered. Other goals of this refresh include:
enhancing accessibility to ICT for people with disabilities;
making the requirements easier to understand and follow;
updating the requirements so that they stay abreast of the ever-changing nature of the technologies covered; and
harmonizing the requirements with other standards in the U.S. and abroad.
How the Final Rule was Developed
The Access Board initiated this update by organizing an advisory committee to review the original 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines and to recommend changes. The 41 members of the Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC) comprised a broad cross-section of stakeholders representing industry, disability groups, and government agencies. Its membership also included representatives from the European Commission, Canada, Australia, and Japan. The committee addressed a range of issues, including new or convergent technologies, market forces, and international harmonization and submitted its report to the Board in April 2008. Recognizing the importance of standardization across markets worldwide, the committee coordinated its work with standard-setting bodies in the U.S. and abroad, including the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the European Commission.
The Board released drafts of the rule based on the committee’s report in 2010 and 2011 and followed up with an official notice of proposed rulemaking in February 2015. With each release, the Board held public hearings and solicited public comment. Over the course of this rulemaking, the Board held seven public hearings and received over 630 comments.
Major Changes
The final rule revises both the structure and substance of the ICT requirements to further accessibility, facilitate compliance, and make the document easier to use. Major changes include:
restructuring provisions by functionality instead of product type due to the increasingly multi-functional capabilities of ICT;
incorporating the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 by reference and applying Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements to websites, as well as to non-web electronic documents and software;
specifying the types of non-public facing electronic content that must comply;
requiring that operating systems provide certain accessibility features;
clarifying that software and operating systems must interoperate with assistive technology (such as screen magnification software and refreshable braille displays);
addressing access for people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities; and
harmonizing the requirements with international standards.
Incorporation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The final rule incorporates by reference a number of voluntary consensus standards, including WCAG 2.0. Issued by the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG 2.0 is a globally recognized, technology-neutral standard for web content. The final rule applies WCAG 2.0 not only to web-based content, but to all electronic content. The benefits of incorporating the WCAG 2.0 into the Section 508 Standards and the 255 Guidelines and applying it in this manner are significant. WCAG 2.0 addresses new technologies and recognizes that the characteristics of products, such as native browser behavior and plug-ins and applets, have converged over time. A substantial amount of WCAG 2.0 support material is available, and WCAG 2.0-compliant accessibility features are already built into many products. Further, use of WCAG 2.0 promotes international harmonization as it is referenced by, or the basis for, standards issued by the European Commission, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, and France.
Harmonization with European Commission ICT Standards
Harmonization with international standards and guidelines promotes greater accessibility worldwide, enhances uniformity, and heightens market incentives for integrating accessibility into information and communication technology. Throughout the rulemaking process, the Board coordinated its refresh with the European Commission’s development of counterpart ICT accessibility standards. In 2014, the European Commission adopted the “Accessibility requirements for public procurement of ICT products and services in Europe” (EN 301 549) which is available for use by European government officials as technical specifications or award criteria in public procurements of ICT products and services. The Board has worked to ensure broad harmonization between its ICT requirements and the European Commission’s standards (as revised in 2015).
Structure of the Rule
The final rule provides parallel chapters that separately address general application and scoping of the Section 508 Standards and the Section 255 Guidelines (Chapters 1 and 2). These sections apply to both 508-covered and 255-covered ICT functional performance criteria (Chapter 3), technical requirements for hardware and software (Chapters 4 and 5), criteria for support documentation and services (Chapter 6), and referenced standards (Chapter 7).
Coverage of Electronic Content (508 Standards)
Like the original 508 Standards, the updated 508 Standards apply to a federal agency’s full range of public-facing content, including websites, documents and media, blog posts, and social media sites. The final rule also specifically lists the types of non-public-facing content that must comply. This includes electronic content used by a federal agency for official business to communicate: emergency notifications, initial or final decisions adjudicating administrative claims or proceedings, internal or external program or policy announcements, notices of benefits, program eligibility, employment opportunities or personnel actions, formal acknowledgements or receipts, questionnaires or surveys, templates or forms, educational or training materials, and web-based intranets.
“Safe Harbor” for Legacy ICT
Existing ICT, including content, that meets the original 508 Standards does not have to be upgraded to meet the refreshed standards unless it is altered. This “safe harbor” clause (E202.2) applies to any component or portion of ICT that complies with the existing 508 Standards and is not altered. Any component or portion of existing, compliant ICT that is altered after the compliance date (January 18, 2018) must conform to the updated 508 Standards.
Functional Performance Criteria (Chapter 3)
The functional performance criteria are outcome-based provisions that address accessibility relevant to disabilities impacting vision, hearing, color perception, speech, cognition, manual dexterity, reach, and strength. These criteria apply only where a technical requirement is silent regarding one or more functions or when evaluation of an alterntative design or technology is needed under equivalent facilitation. If a technical provision covers a particular function of hardware or software, meeting the relevant functional performance criterion is not required.
The functional performance criteria require that technologies with:
visual modes also be usable with limited vision and without vision or color perception;
audible modes also be usable with limited hearing and without hearing;
speech-based modes for input, control, or operation also be usable without speech;
manual operation modes also be usable with limited reach and strength and without fine motor control or simultaneous manual operations; and
have features making its use simpler and easier for people with limited cognitive, language, and learning abilities.
Technical Requirements for Hardware and Software (Chapters 4 and 5)
Requirements in Chapter 4 apply to hardware that transmits information or has a user interface. Examples include computers, information kiosks, and multi-function copy machines. These provisions address closed functionality, biometrics, privacy, operable parts, data connections, display screens, status indicators, color coding, audible signals, two-way voice communication, closed captioning, and audio description.
Software requirements in Chapter 5 apply to computerized code that directs the use and operation of ICT and instructs ICT to perform a given task or function, including applications and mobile apps, operating systems, and processes that transform or operate on information and data. These provisions cover the interoperability with assistive technology, applications, and authoring tools.
Support Documentation and Services (Chapter 6)
Access to support documentation and services for the use of ICT is also addressed. Product documentation must cover how to use the access and compatibility features required for hardware and software. Electronic documentation must comply with the requirements for electronic content. Alternate formats must be made available upon request for documentation provided in a non-electronic format. Support services, including help desks, call centers, training services, and automated technical support must accommodate the communication needs of customers with disabilities and include information on access and compatibility features.
Referenced Standards (Chapter 7)
In addition to WCAG 2.0, the final rule also references other voluntary consensus standards to address:
ergonomics for the design of accessible software (ANSI/HFES 200.2, Human Factors Engineering of Software User Interfaces – Part 2: Accessibility)
interference to hearing aids by wireless telephones (ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011, American National Standard for Methods of Measurement of Compatibility between Wireless Communications Devices and Hearing Aids)
handset generated audio band magnetic noise of wire line telephones (TIA-1083-B, Telecommunications—Communications Products—Handset Magnetic Measurement Procedures and Performance Requirements)
speech quality in digital transmissions (ITU-T Recommendation G.722.2, Series G. Transmission Systems and Media, Digital Systems and Networks or IETF RFC 6716, Definition of the Opus Codec)
audio description by digital television tuners (A/53 Digital Television Standard, Part 5: AC-3 Audio System Characteristics)
accessible PDF files (ANSI/AIIM/ISO 14289-1-2016, Document Management Applications — Electronic Document File Format Enhancement for Accessibility — Part 1: Use of ISO 32000-1 (PDF/UA-1))
keypad arrangement (1 ITU-T Recommendation E.161, Series E. Overall Network Operation, Telephone Service, Service Operation and Human Factors)
Effective Date and Next Steps
Federal agencies and contractors covered by Section 508 are not required to comply with the updated 508 Standards immediately. The Rehabilitation Act gives the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council (FAR Council) and federal agencies up to six months to incorporate the updated 508 Standards into their respective acquisition regulations and procurement policies and directives. It will be up to the FAR Council to establish the date by which new and existing procurements for 508-covered ICT must meet the updated 508 Standards. For all other non-procured ICT, federal agencies and contractors must comply with the updated 508 Standards beginning on January 18, 2018 (i.e., one year after publication of the final rule in the Federal Register). During the interim period before the updated 508 Standards take effect, the original 508 Standards continue to serve as the accessibility standard for all 508-covered ICT.
With respect to the updated Section 255 Guidelines, compliance is not required until the guidelines are adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is the federal agency tasked with implementation and enforcement of Section 255. The FCC’s existing regulations under Section 255 specify accessibility requirements that largely track the Board’s original Section 255 Guidelines. When the FCC initiates a rulemaking to revise its existing regulations, it has the discretion to adopt the Board’s 255 Guidelines in whole or in part. Any FCC rulemaking, when completed, will specify the effective date for its updated accessibility requirements under Section 255.
Further Information
For further information on this rulemaking, visit the Board’s website at www.access-board.gov, send a message to [email protected], or contact Bruce Bailey at (202) 272-0024 (v), (202) 272-0070 (TTY) or Timothy Creagan at (202) 272-0016 (v), (202) 272-0074 (TTY).
The kiosk industry is growing, but the road to self-service success is littered with the remnants of those projects that didn’t quite make the grade.
By Richard Slawsky contributor
Good news for the health of the kiosk industry continues to roll in. A research report issued in early March by Transparency Market Research projects the global kiosk market will expand at a combined annual growth rate of 10.9 percent over the next seven years, topping $30.8 billion by 2024.
Click for full size
A report issued just a few days later Stratistics MRC is even rosier, predicting that the market will reach $88.34 billion by 2022. Another report, from IndustryARC, predicts that growing competition at the retail level will boost demand significantly.
Despite those predictions, though, not every self-service kiosk deployment is going to be a success. Some operators seem to be determined to wrest failure from the jaws of success, either through a lack of clarity on what function the kiosk is supposed to perform or not viewing the deployment from the standpoint of the end user.
Click for Stratistics data
So to help those considering an investment in self-service kiosk technology, here are a few suggestions about what NOT to do when planning a deployment:
Tip #1 – Don’t forget to include ALL stakeholders.
Obtaining input from stakeholders in the project may seem cumbersome in the beginning but is advantageous in the long run, says Janet Webster, president of Washington, D.C-based consulting firm Creative Solutions Consulting. Invite all key groups within the organization to offer their input.
Deduct a few points for accessibility?
“You will be surprised at just how many areas are affected during kiosk deployments,” Webster said. “It’s better to let the groups know up front instead of having an issue later.”
Getting input from stakeholders might have helped the Mayo Clinic avoid a spectacular fail when the Rochester, Minn.-based health care facility deployed health information kiosks in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., in 2011.
“You could go and look up information, let’s say on psoriasis or heart disease or whatever, and the kiosk would print out information for you,” said Francie Mendelsohn, president of Washington, D.C.-based kiosk consulting firm Summit Research Associates.
Unfortunately, while the idea was good, the execution was lacking. Instead of offering a one-page summary of various health issues in a reader-friendly format, the kiosks dispensed what amounted to a medical-school textbook entry on whatever disease the user chose.
“Let’s say you wanted something about one of the signs of impending heart problems,” Mendelsohn said. “You got maybe 20 pages in at best eight-point font. It was just unusable from a customer point of view. They had the opportunity to allow people to sign up for their newsletters and to promote the sale of their publications while offering information, but they just went about it all wrong.”
Tip #2 – Don’t skimp on components
Placement seems to be a rare skill…
Trying to get by with consumer-grade components in a commercial deployment is a recipe for disaster. Using cheap components may save money up front, but it’s likely to cost much more over time in maintenance, lost sales and the eventual replacement of those components.
In addition, multiple breakdowns are likely to foster distrust of the kiosks even when they are operational. If customers approach the kiosk and it’s out of order they may come back a second time, but if the device is out of order the next time, they’re likely never to return.
Jamie Richter, regional sales manager at commercial touchscreen provider Elo, encountered such a situation with a large deployment.
User enrollment on a budget for sure.
“A kiosk fixture company chose to use consumer-grade flat panel TVs inside a kiosk to save money,” Richter said.
“After running 24/7 the panels overheated and started smoking within the kiosk enclosure,” Richter said. “The fixture company had to not only remove all of the panels inside the kiosks, but also replace them with new panels. The cost to retrofit over 500 kiosks already in field was tremendous and a painful lesson about using consumer-grade equipment for commercial applications.”
Tip #3 – Don’t forget to look at the deployment from the eyes of the end user
Although a deployment may look good on paper from the deployer’s point of view, it’s easy to forget that part of the goal of using self-service technology is to create a great user-experience.
Furniture maker IKEA has long used kiosks that allow shoppers to sign up for their loyalty programs, and those devices generally garnered positive reviews. Unfortunately, the company stumbled in their venture into self-checkout kiosks.
While most IKEA stores featured both self-service and cashier-operated checkout lanes, during the deployment the company only opened the cashier lanes on peak shopping days. On other days, no cashiers were available, and shoppers were directed to the self-checkout kiosks.
The scanners quickly became a source of frustration.
“A lot of the stuff you buy at IKEA comes in big boxes, so you can’t just pick it up and pass it across the scanner,” Mendelsohn said. “They did have these handheld devices that were tethered to the kiosks, but the tether wasn’t very long, and if you didn’t approach correctly the scanner couldn’t read the code.”
In addition, there were no instructions on how to use the handheld scanners, leaving shoppers guessing about what to do.
“Because this was so frustrating, a lot of people, myself included, just picked up the merchandise or wheeled the cart to another one and eventually checked out,” Mendelsohn said.
MTA having some problems. Looks like this board conducted its periodical windows update (auto windows update is probably not turned off), the OS update caused a change with the Autologin credentials. I also see two user accounts, perhaps defaulting to a single account for a kiosk would be ideal? And no doubt the lowest bidder won this contract.
Eventually, the negative feedback from customers grew so great that in 2012 the company yanked all of the kiosks from its U.S. stores.
Greeting card maker American Greetings was one of the earliest entrants into the self-service kiosk market, deploying thousands of CreataCard greeting card kiosks in thousands of retail locations in the early 1990s.
The kiosk featured a selection of greeting card templates and a pen plotter, allowing users to choose their own design and personalize it with names and sayings. Once the user made his selection, a number of colored pens created the card.
What the company apparently didn’t consider, though, was how a kiosk that could take up to 10 minutes to print a greeting card at a price more expensive than off-the-shelf cards improved the lives of shoppers. Another point of dissatisfaction was the limited number of templates available compared with the number of card styles on the rack.
The final nail in the coffin, though, was the fact that the kiosks didn’t require payment until after the cards were completed.
“They ended up becoming what I would call a kiosk babysitter,” Mendelsohn said.
“They’d have them in stores and people would say, ‘Johnny, go make a card while Mommy shops,” and come back in ten minutes,” she said. “It was quite an interesting thing for a kid to sit there and watch, but at the end of the day, they didn’t buy the card. Of course, the company lost a tremendous amount of money.”
Note: Janet Webster and Francie Mendelsohn are both principals with DigitalBusiness.us which is the premier kiosk and self-service consultancy. Other principals include Peter Snyder, Karla Guarino, Benjamin Wheeler and Craig Keefner.
Here are spme excellent questions provided by Janet Webster with Creative Solutions Consulting.
Questions to consider when planning a kiosk deployment
Why are you offering this self-service solution?
Reduce operational costs?
Increase revenue?
Improve customer satisfaction/engagement?
Expand access points?
Improve brand?
Be more competitive?
Don’t presume you know what the customers want/need; validate your rationale for offering a kiosk. Ask your customers what they want, need, and expect of your business and provide examples of planned kiosk offerings to ensure you’re on the right track (multiple focus groups will help clearly define customer expectations).
What is the advertising/marketing strategy?
How will you let customers and employees know this new kiosk is “coming soon, and “now available?
How will customers provide feedback?
Don’t presume they will use it just because it’s there!
What are the success metrics and how will you collect the data?
Define the baseline and timing for metrics
Revenue vs. Performance? What is the impact of a “down” kiosk?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SlabbKiosks Exhibits at HIMSS for the second time
Look for SlabbKiosks at Booth #4794 on the HIMSS17 exhibit floor in Orlando, Fla.
Las Vegas, February 20, 2017 – SlabbKiosks brings its self-service kiosk solutions to the exhibit floor for the 2017 HIMSS Conference & Exhibition at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. More than 40,000 healthcare industry professionals are expected at the conference from Feb. 19–23, 2017, where they will gain expert insights during the exchange of innovative ideas and best practices in improving health through IT.
SlabbKiosks works with the best partners in payments – Crane Payment Innovations (CPI) and the Ingenico Group, while supplying the best in Patient Check in software through PatientWay.
“We are excited to showcase the most effective, operational, healthcare and self service solutions at the [HIMSS] Conference this year. Our cross-industry expertise ensures that we provide our healthcare customers with the most updated technology upon deployment” commented President at SlabbKiosks, Peter te Lintel Hekkert. “We’re are really looking forward to sharing our latest kiosk designs.”
“We know the HIMSS Annual Conference is where the brightest minds in health and IT meet, and our exhibit floor offers the latest technologies and education sessions to help generate new ideas during the conference. In addition, the exhibition floor is open three days, at least eight hours each day, during HIMSS17, so that exhibitors have more time to meet with attendees. We are always honored to welcome all of our exhibitors to the conference, and appreciate their contributions to our collaborative efforts to transform health and healthcare with IT,” said Karen Malone, vice president, meeting services, HIMSS North America.
• To learn more about SlabbKiosks, visit Booth #4794 during HIMSS17 or go to www.slabbkiosks.com for more information.
• Follow SlabbKiosks on Twitter at: @SlabbKiosks (https://twitter.com/SlabbKiosks)
Learn more about HIMSS17. Use #HIMSS17 when tweeting about the conference.
About SLABBKIOSKS
SlabbKiosks is a leading international manufacturer and distributor of cost effective, interactive kiosks. The company has installed and customized interactive kiosks for thousands of clients in over 150 countries and distinguishes itself from the competition by offering the latest in technological advancements including the wireless kiosk, while utilizing high quality components with designs that facilitate quick and efficient maintenance of their units.
한국을 대표하는 글로벌 방송, The World On Arirang, Arirang TV is a public service agency that spreads the uniqueness of Korea to the world through cutting-edge broadcasting mediums.
The kiosk industry in South Korea is booming. In 2022, the number of kiosks in the country reached 87,341 units, a 15-fold increase from just three years prior. The growth of the kiosk industry is being driven by a number of factors, including:
The increasing adoption of self-service: South Koreans are increasingly embracing self-service technologies, and kiosks offer a convenient and efficient way to access a wide range of services.
The growth of the digital economy: South Korea is one of the most digitally connected countries in the world, and kiosks provide a seamless way to integrate digital services into the physical world.
The government’s support for the kiosk industry: The South Korean government has recognized the potential of the kiosk industry to boost economic growth and create jobs. As a result, the government has implemented a number of policies to support the industry, such as providing subsidies for kiosk development and installation.
The kiosk industry in South Korea is being led by a number of major players, including LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and NICE TCM. These companies are developing innovative new kiosk solutions that are meeting the needs of a wide range of industries.
Here are some of the key trends in the South Korean kiosk industry:
The rise of unattended kiosks: Unattended kiosks are becoming increasingly popular in South Korea. These kiosks are typically located in public places, such as retail stores, airports, and hotels. Unattended kiosks offer a convenient way for customers to access services without having to interact with a human employee.
The integration of AI and machine learning: AI and machine learning technologies are being integrated into kiosks to make them more intelligent and user-friendly. For example, some kiosks now use AI to recognize facial features and recommend products or services based on the customer’s individual needs.
The expansion of kiosk applications: Kiosks are being used in a wide range of industries, including retail, food and beverage, healthcare, and transportation. For example, kiosks are now being used to order food and drinks at restaurants, to check in for flights at airports, and to pay for fares on public transportation.
The outlook for the kiosk industry in South Korea is positive. The industry is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, driven by the increasing adoption of self-service, the growth of the digital economy, and the government’s support for the industry.
Here are some specific examples of how kiosks are being used in South Korea:
Retail: Kiosks are being used in retail stores to allow customers to browse products, compare prices, and place orders. Kiosks are also being used to provide self-checkout options.
Food and beverage: Kiosks are being used in restaurants to allow customers to order food and drinks, pay for their meals, and even pick up their orders without having to interact with a human employee.
Healthcare: Kiosks are being used in hospitals and clinics to allow patients to check in, pay for services, and access information about their health conditions.
Transportation: Kiosks are being used at airports, train stations, and bus stops to allow passengers to check in for flights, purchase tickets, and find information about their transportation options.
The kiosk industry in South Korea is playing an increasingly important role in the country’s economy. Kiosks are providing a convenient and efficient way for customers to access a wide range of services. The industry is also creating jobs and boosting economic growth.
Reprinted by Kiosk Solutions magazine our feature article written by Richard Slawsky with comments from Janet Webster and Francie Mendelsohn. Also Jamie Richter of ELO.
The kiosk industry is growing, but the road to self-service success is littered with the remnants of those projects that didn’t quite make the grade.
By Richard Slawsky contributor
Good news for the health of the kiosk industry continues to roll in. A research report issued in early March by Transparency Market Research projects the global kiosk market will expand at a combined annual growth rate of 10.9 percent over the next seven years, topping $30.8 billion by 2024.
A report issued just a few days later Stratistics MRC is even rosier, predicting that the market will reach $88.34 billion by 2022. Another report, from IndustryARC, predicts that growing competition at the retail level will boost demand significantly.
Despite those predictions, though, not every self-service kiosk deployment is going to be a success. Some operators seem to be determined to wrest failure from the jaws of success, either through a lack of clarity on what function the kiosk is supposed to perform or not viewing the deployment from the standpoint of the end user.
So to help those considering an investment in self-service kiosk technology, here are a few suggestions about what NOT to do when planning a deployment:
Tip #1 – Don’t forget to include ALL stakeholders.
Obtaining input from stakeholders in the project may seem cumbersome in the beginning but is advantageous in the long run, says Janet Webster, president of Washington, D.C-based consulting firm Creative Solutions Consulting. Invite all key groups within the organization to offer their input. “You will be surprised at just how many areas are affected during kiosk deployments,” Webster said. “It’s better to let the groups know up front instead of having an issue later.”
Getting input from stakeholders might have helped the Mayo Clinic avoid a spectacular fail when the Rochester, Minn.-based health care facility deployed health information kiosks in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., in 2011. “You could go and look up information, let's say on psoriasis or heart disease or whatever, and the kiosk would print out information for you,” said Francie Mendelsohn, president of Washington, D.C.-based kiosk consulting firm Summit Research Associates.
Unfortunately, while the idea was good, the execution was lacking. Instead of offering a one-page summary of various health issues in a reader-friendly format, the kiosks dispensed what amounted to a medical-school textbook entry on whatever disease the user chose. “Let's say you wanted something about one of the signs of impending heart problems,” Mendelsohn
said. “You got maybe 20 pages in at best eight-point font. It was just unusable from a customer point of view. They had the opportunity to allow people to sign up for their newsletters and to promote the sale of their publications while offering information, but they just went about it all wrong.”
Tip #2 – Don’t skimp on components
Trying to get by with consumer-grade components in a commercial deployment is a recipe for disaster. Using cheap components may save money up front, but it’s likely to cost much more over time in maintenance, lost sales and the eventual replacement of those components. In addition, multiple breakdowns are likely to foster distrust of the kiosks even when they are operational. If customers approach the kiosk and it’s out of order they may come back a second time, but if the device is out of order the next time, they’re likely never to return.
Jamie Richter, regional sales manager at commercial touchscreen provider Elo, encountered such a situation with a large deployment. “A kiosk fixture company chose to use consumer-grade flat panel TVs inside a kiosk to save money,” Richter said.
“After running 24/7 the panels overheated and started smoking within the kiosk enclosure,” Richter said. “The fixture company had to not only remove all of the panels inside the kiosks, but also replace them with new panels. The cost to retrofit over 500 kiosks already in field was tremendous and a painful lesson about using consumer-grade equipment for commercial applications.”
Tip #3 – Don’t forget to look at the deployment from the eyes of the end user
Although a deployment may look good on paper from the deployer’s point of view, it’s easy to forget that part of the goal of using self-service technology is to create a great user-experience. Furniture maker IKEA has long used kiosks that allow shoppers to sign up for their loyalty programs, and those devices generally garnered positive reviews. Unfortunately, the company stumbled in their venture into self-checkout kiosks.
While most IKEA stores featured both self-service and cashier-operated checkout lanes, during the deployment the company only opened the cashier lanes on peak shopping days. On other days, no cashiers were available, and shoppers were directed to the self-checkout kiosks. The scanners quickly became a source of frustration.
“A lot of the stuff you buy at IKEA comes in big boxes, so you can't just pick it up and pass it across the scanner,” Mendelsohn said. “They did have these handheld devices that were tethered to the kiosks, but the tether wasn't very long, and if you didn't approach correctly the scanner couldn’t read the code.”
In addition, there were no instructions on how to use the handheld scanners, leaving shoppers guessing about what to do.
“Because this was so frustrating, a lot of people, myself included, just picked up the merchandise or wheeled the cart to another one and eventually checked out,” Mendelsohn said. Eventually, the negative feedback from customers grew so great that in 2012 the company yanked all of the kiosks from its U.S. stores.
Tip #4 – Don’t overlook the value proposition
Don’t forget to clearly define the purpose of the kiosk, the value of offering a kiosk solution and the operational impact.
Greeting card maker American Greetings was one of the earliest entrants into the self-service kiosk market, deploying thousands of CreataCard greeting card kiosks in thousands of retail locations in the early 1990s.
The kiosk featured a selection of greeting card templates and a pen plotter, allowing users to choose their own design and personalize it with names and sayings. Once the user made his selection, a number of colored pens created the card.
What the company apparently didn’t consider, though, was how a kiosk that could take up to 10 minutes to print a greeting card at a price more expensive than off-the-shelf cards improved the lives of shoppers. Another point of dissatisfaction was the limited number of templates available compared with the number of card styles on the rack.
The final nail in the coffin, though, was the fact that the kiosks didn’t require payment until after the cards were completed. “They ended up becoming what I would call a kiosk babysitter,” Mendelsohn said. “They'd have them in stores and people would say, ‘Johnny, go make a card while Mommy shops," and come back in ten minutes,” she said. “It was quite an interesting thing for a kid to sit there and watch, but at the end of the day, they didn't buy the card. Of course, the company lost a tremendous amount of money.”
SIDEBAR
Questions to consider when planning a kiosk deployment
Why are you offering this self-service solution?
Reduce operational costs?
Increase revenue?
Improve customer satisfaction/engagement?
Expand access points?
Improve brand?
Be more competitive?
Don’t presume you know what the customers want/need; validate your rationale for offering a kiosk.
Ask your customers what they want, need, and expect of your business and provide examples of planned kiosk offerings to ensure you’re on the right track (multiple focus groups will help clearly define customer expectations).
What is the advertising/marketing strategy?
How will you let customers and employees know this new kiosk is “coming soon, and “now
available?
How will customers provide feedback?
Don’t presume they will use it just because it’s there!
What are the success metrics and how will you collect the data?
Define the baseline and timing for metrics
Revenue vs. Performance? What is the impact of a “down” kiosk?
What if it doesn’t work?
How will you notify the customers and employees?
How will you replace the new kiosk services to ensure customer satisfaction?
Source: Creative Solutions Consulting
DirectMe enhances visitor experience through self-service wayfinding and can be tailored to meet company specifications. The user-friendly building directory was created for high-density areas including corporate offices, hospitals and government buildings. “It’s extremely customizable but also very easy to use. The interactivity and expandability allow the directory solution to be as simple or complex as needed,” said Jeff MacDonald, Director of Software Integration at Meridian.
ABERDEEN, NORTH CAROLINA (PRWEB) DECEMBER 15, 2016
Meridian, the Customer Experience Leader in self-service solutions, announced the launch of MzeroDirectMe building directory software application. The new software solution from Meridian offers visitors an interactive, easy-to-use directory solution. “DirectMe is intuitive and interactive, making it easier than ever for visitors to reach their destination,” said Chris Gilder, CEO of Meridian.
DirectMe enhances visitor experience through self-service wayfinding and can be tailored to meet company specifications. The user-friendly building directory was created for high-density areas including corporate offices, hospitals and government buildings. “It’s extremely customizable but also very easy to use. The interactivity and expandability allow the directory solution to be as simple or complex as needed,” said Jeff MacDonald, Director of Software Integration at Meridian.
DirectMe allows users to search for information, send the information to their mobile device and print a physical copy of the directory information. “We wanted to create a self-service solution for high-density business buildings and geographically spread campuses,” said Paul Burden, Director of Software at Meridian.
DirectMe is built on MzeroPlatform, Meridian’s industry-leading software solution, which provides system performance management, system security and a wide range of component support. The self-service software can support a number of devices and features including printers, VoIP and SMS. “Because it’s an extension of our MzeroInterAct digital signage platform, all of the digital signage features are still available,” said MacDonald. DirectMe offers multi-language support, interactive map guidance and remote monitoring with MzeroManage.
Meridian will be adding emergency messaging to DirectMe in the new year. Emergency messaging capabilities will allow for building and campus-wide alerts.
DirectMe is available as a stand-alone software package on existing hardware, or available on ready-to-ship Meridian kiosk models. Learn more about MzeroDirectMe by visiting http://meridiankiosks.com/interactive-directory-signage.
Agora.io’s video conferencing solution allows kiosk users to initiate and receive live video chats
SAN FRANCISCO — May 2017 — Agora.io (www.agora.io), the global leader in real-time communications solutions, today announced its partnership with KioWare (www.sitekiosk.com), a leading provider of OS, desktop and browser lockdown security for the kiosk and self-service industry. The new partnership will allow businesses to deploy video conferencing-enabled kiosks for a wide range of uses.
The newly introduced KioCall, a video conferencing product for use on existing kiosks running KioWare software, allows kiosk users to initiate and receive video chats with call centers, other kiosks and groups. KioCall is powered by Agora RTC SDK, a robust real-time communications solution that lets developers add high-quality, low latency voice and video functionality like voice calling, video conferencing and interactive broadcasting right into existing platforms and channels. All it requires is just four lines of code.
“The beauty of our real-time communications SDK is that we simply offer the building blocks for others to take our software and run with it,” said Tony Zhao, founder and CEO at Agora.io. “We’re constantly amazed by the truly innovative solutions customers like KioWare come up with.”
This new functionality gives KioWare’s clients across various industries, including education, government and consulting, the ability to add live video customer service to any kiosk project. Kiosks in the healthcare vertical, for example, are used for patient check-ins, fee transactions and receptionist sessions. Other kiosk uses for businesses involve remote staffing and customer support. Agora’s technology serves as the backbone to KioCall’s easy-to-install application
“Agora.io provided everything we needed to merge our existing kiosk software with real-time video capabilities,” said Jim Kruper, president at KioWare. “We believe this new technology is going to transform the way our clients facilitate communications among partners, customers, staff and more.”
About Agora.io
Privately held and founded in 2014, Agora.io is a Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS) provider delivering mobile-first real-time communications for brands and businesses globally. Agora.io features include voice calling, group conferencing, live video chats, group video conferencing, interactive broadcasting and more. Reliable, accessible and scalable, Agoria.io provides communications services to organizations across industries, including: telemedicine, education, financial services, customer service, social media applications and mobile gaming.
Agora.io is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and backed by venture capital firms Morningside, SIG, GGV Capital, ShunWei and IDG.
KioWare kiosk software secures your application or website on Windows or Android devices, restricting user access to approved behaviors and protecting user and network data. KioWare is fully customizable and offers solutions ranging from browser lockdown to full server-based kiosk management. From simple out of the box configurations to more complex integrations, KioWare is trusted by developers, IT professionals, marketers, Fortune 100 corporations, and small business owners. The KioWare team is based in York, Pennsylvania, with an office located in Reading, UK. Choose the best KioWare product for your self-service project and download a fully functioning free trial at KioWare.com.
UK, December 6, 2016 — tekview, a United Kingdom based technology company and developer of innovative mobile/cellular remote power solutions have developed a US version of their successful UK product, Powertxt®. Powertxt is used for a wide variety of applications, including ATMs.
How Does it Work?
When your equipment hangs/freezes have you ever been told by the IT department to turn the power off and then on again, well … that’s exactly what Powertxt does, it effectively performs a ‘hard reboot’ by turning the mains power to your equipment off and then on again (“rebooting it”). Some newer routers now have the facility to perform a ‘soft reboot’ where they can reset internally but this doesn’t fix every issue.
“It is estimated that over 70% of all downtime events can be solved with a hard power reboot.”
Where is Powertxt Currently Used?
Powertxt is used to control many types of equipment in a wide variety of industries including, Digital Signage, ATMs, Smart Lockers/Kiosks, Digital Analytics, CCTV, ANPR Cameras, IT & Communications, Broadband & WiFi providers, Marine & Aquatics, Healthcare for routers, DVR’s ANPR equipment, medical fridges and more.
