Kiosk manufacturer news from the Kiosk Association
Kiosk Industry is the news engine for the Kiosk Manufacturer Association or KMA which is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better self-service for customers and employees through kiosks and information technology (IT). Kiosk Industry Association leads efforts to optimize self-service engagements and engagement 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 which assist in doing just that (hardware, software and application).
Great video about Samsung’s tablets in schools and how Samsung helps to bring innovation into learning. This video highlights the Brüder Grimm Schule usage of tablets in the classroom.
While the video highlights some of the great teacher training, student interaction, and classroom usage, it does not mention the need for privacy or security to ensure appropriate usage by students.
TAGS:vending, micro market, micromarket app, Three Square Market, self-checkout app, kiosk-free stores, mobile-only micro markets, Three Square app, Patrick McMullan, cashless vending, TW Vending
HUDSON, WI — Three Square Market is taking a p
Source: www.vendingtimes.com
Users download the Three Square app on their Android or iOS mobile devices, set up an account and add value to establish a balance. They can then scan a product’s barcode, using the phone’s camera, to add it to their cart and then check out.
“The day will come, in the next decade, when credit cards won’t exist, and more and more stores won’t need a kiosk as the move to mobile makes it more feasible,” McMullan predicted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the next two years, 50% of stores are cashless
McDonald’s this week described plans to install self-ordering kiosks and mobile ordering at its restaurants. It isn’t the only food chain turning to automation.
Source: www.computerworld.com
Good article using Chili’s. McDonalds in the U.S. has been a bit of a luddite but then there isn’t any usage date from Europe come to think of it.
Rationale for US here is good — The move to kiosk and mobile ordering, said Tristano, is happening because it will improve order accuracy, speed up service and has the potential of reducing labor cost, which can account for about 30% of costs. But automated self-service is a convenience that’s now expected, particularly among younger customers, he said.
Feb2020 – We hear it all the time from the IT departments. “We can handle that situation”. We applaud the confidence but we continue to be entertained by photos like below where semi-determined users take advantage of that confidence in order to entertain themselves at your local self-service checkout kiosk. We have many photos like this you can run by your IT department. For reference we used to work and manage a large IT department. We said the same things and suffered the inevitable fate later.
Our recommendation is to at the very least delineate the capabilities of kiosk software that KioWare or Sitekiosk provide. At least catalog potential operational requirements. Better yet buy a copy and have your IT wizards provide the same functions. It’s all they do and they do it well. We suspect your IT department has a multitude of issues to focus on. Specific expertise and continued support and modifications are likely not their primary functions.
Thanks to Frank at Olea Kiosks for bringing to our attention.
Asus Tinker Android Kiosk DIY mini PC KioWare OS & ASUS Team Up
PROVISIO Sitekiosk Software is a market-leading kiosk software development company providing turnkey secure kiosk, digital signage and remote management software solutions. PROVISIO products are sold in more than 50 countries through offices in the U.S. and Europe. Fortune 500 companies, including Verizon Wireless, Hilton Hotels, BMW, T-Mobile and Citibank, have chosen the company’s easy-to-use and scalable software solutions for deployments of 1,000+ machines.
PROVISIO Sitekiosk Software has the largest installed base of kiosk software products worldwide.
Lockdown browser & kiosk software for safeguarding public access Internet-PCs, Displays and Tablets. Protects the browser and operating system against manipulations.
Now featuring IE & Chrome browser engine, and Windows 10 support!
More information
Mimo Monitors and BrightSign, leading industry digital signage experts, share their best insights and strategies for maximizing digital signage to add value for the customer and cultivate engagement
CHICAGO, IL—April 2019— Mimo Monitors (www.MimoMonitors.com), the experts in small touchscreen displays, joined forces with BrightSign, to share their top five tips and best practices for digital signage. Both industry leaders in the digital signage space, Mimo Monitors and BrightSign believe in the far-reaching impacts and value that effective digital signage can have towards customer engagement, cultivating loyalty, and ultimately, the bottom line.
To watch the video of their top five tips visit here:
“With more noise than ever competing for customer’s attention, we know that utilizing digital signage effectively and in an engaging way is crucial,” said Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. “That’s why one of our most highly recommended tips is to make digital signage interactive. Interactivity is key to capturing attention and can directly add value both to the customer and the retailer.”
Mimo Monitors- Bright Sign Five Tips Press release FINAL FOR WIRE-PDF
We’ve updated KioWare Server to version 4.10.0 as well.
Customers breezed through the drive-thru at the new Subway restaurant in Boiling Springs on Thursday.
Source: www.goupstate.com
Outdoor touchscreen ordering at Subway with terminals that move up and down to accommodate drivers. Nextep out of Troy Michigan with the software and terminals.
Source: money.cnn.com
“Although kiosks have been around for decades, Peerless kiosks fit with 4G LTE connections and Wi-Fi, enable Peerless-AV to serve dynamic content and an interactive experience not previously available.”
The Digi TransPort family of programmable 3G/4G cellular routers provide flexible, enterprise level cellular connectivity and uptime for hundreds of thousands of ATMs, lottery terminals, payment kiosks, vending machines, and digital signs in 95 countries around the world.
NEMA Ratings and What They Mean
Here’s our quick, in-a-nutshell rundown of the most commonly called-for NEMA ratings, and what each one means:
For the complete specs and details on all of the NEMA enclosure ratings, check out their NEMA Enclosure Types report.
Here is explanation of NEMA rating.
Kiosks will provide information about businesses, services and attractions.
Source: www.norwalkreflector.com
James said the goal was to place kiosks where visitors are most likely to stop. Chamber and bureau officials plan to add a couple more kiosks each year at different locations, also funded through bed taxes. Those taxes are part of a hotel guest’s bill.
James estimated the four kiosks cost $30,000 to $35,000, including the kiosks themselves and the necessary software.
The first priority is placing information about Huron County services, business and attractions into the kiosk before getting attractions in the surrounding area. James said getting details about Cedar Point, for example, could lead to Huron County visitors staying longer.
People will be able to operate the touch-screen kiosks as follows. They touch the screen to start and a directory pops up, which contains categories such as accommodations, attractions, automotive, banks, churches, fast food/take-out and services.
As users select a specific location, a map on the screen shows them where the place is located in relation to the kiosk’s address.
Ruggedized workstation and kiosk experts look at three main areas that can often create problems for those deploying outdoor kiosks or workstations.
Source: www.kioskmarketplace.com
The state Liquor Control Board has spent nearly $300,000 in legal fees to fight a lawsuit over its ‘free’ wine kiosk initiative. The kiosk maker …
Source: triblive.com
iPatientCare Announces to Deploy Patient Kiosk Integrated with EHR and Patient Portal along with CTS at its Booth at HIMSS15
iPatientCare and CTS Partner in Bringing Enhanced Patient Experience of Self-Service Check-in at Physicians’ Offices by Deploying Patient Kiosk
Source: www.ipatientcare.com
iPatientCare’s Patient Kiosk solution utilizes best technologies offered by CTS so that patients can not only check-in easily but also sign the consent forms, pay their balance and co-pay, and scan drivers license and insurance cards… all electronically! The customizable Patient Kiosk integrated with iPatientCare EHR/PM and Patient Portal streamlines the patient check-in process and enhances productivity of doctors’ offices.
Las Vegas, NV, (PRWEB) October 23, 2014 — Visit iPatientCare Booth#641 at MGMA 2014 Annual Conference, October 26-29, 2014 at the Las Vegas, NV
Source: www.prweb.com
iPatientCare, Inc., a pioneer in mHealth and cloud-based ambulatory EHR and integrated Practice Management announced to exhibit and showcase the Patient Kiosk, Clinically-driven Revenue Cycle Management and ICD-10 Ready EHR and PMS at Upcoming MGMA 2014 Annual Conference, October 26-29, 2014.
iPad Kiosk Ergonomics and what is a tall user versus a short user is addressed in reprinted blog entry from Lilitab
We frequently get questions along the lines of “Can really tall people use your iPad kiosks?“, “Can children use your kiosks” or alternately “We need telescoping iPad kiosks so users can adjust the height“. This is particularly relevant for healthcare iPad kiosks and hospital iPad kiosks as patients may be seated, in bed, in a wheelchair or standing.
The short answer to the first two questions above is “Yes” and the answer to the last question is “You don’t need telescoping kiosks and it will most likely cause your users problems“.
Now allow me to explain why those answers are valid—but first a little background.
Our executive team has over 40 years of experience designing and deploying interactive kiosks for many fortune 500 companies and we have incorporated many of those lessons learned into the lilitab tablet kiosk platform. Prior to launching lilitab our customers often asked us the same questions for full-sized interactive kiosks (the kind you might encounter checking in at airports for example) and we always told them the same thing; height adjustability/telescoping is not a useful feature for the vast majority of kiosk deployments and it will only cause your users problems.
Why? Keep reading…
Good Design Always Wins
Upper 5th percentile maleA well-designed tablet kiosk will position the display at the right height and angle to accommodate the vast majority of people and wheelchair users. In designer parlance this is everyone above the lowest 5th percentile female (i.e. short women) and below the upper 5th percentile male (i.e. tall men). A good example of this are ATMs—they have no height adjustability and yet they manage to serve the vast majority of the public and banks are very sensitive to ADA lawsuits, they have very deep pockets after all. “But wait!” you say, “there are almost aways two heights of ATMs in every bank of ATMs; a lower height one and a taller one“. This is true. However that’s because ATMs are very sensitive about privacy and so they tilt the display back further than they ergonomically need to be, which results in the need for two heights; one for wheelchair users and one for everyone else.
Do They Even Know it’s There?
Lower 5th percentile female.Most kiosk users are untrained (i.e. this is the first time they are using the device) and informing them of the presence of a height adjustable feature, where it is located and getting them to use it is very difficult. Most first time users walk up to the device and start interacting right away; very few of them will stop to read any instructions or look around the kiosk for a method to adjust the height. This can become a problem if the previous user adjusted the kiosk all the way up or all the way down as the subsequent users will likely not realize the kiosk can be height adjusted and just assume it is not meant to be used by them and keep walking. When consulting for a kiosk client on this very topic a few years ago we determined that most of their customers were not aware of the feature and many of their kiosks were permanently positioned all the way up or all the way down rendering them unusable for most people.
Don’t Overlook ADA Compliance
Wheelchair user.ADA compliance requires that any user operated feature be operable with one hand and require only 5 lbs of force to operate. This means most would need a mechanical assist such as a gas spring or motor to move the kiosk up and down, anything else would open you up to ADA compliance lawsuits. This adds considerable cost for no real benefit (assuming you can serve the same range of users without height adjustment, which you can see diagrams inline).
For more details on ADA compliance see our previous blog posting on the subject here.
So How do you accommodate users of varying heights?
Well the first step is to identify what a “tall” and a “short” user are. According to our handy dandy ergonomic bible “Human Dimension & Interior Space” the upper 5th percentile male is @6′ 1″ tall and the lower 5th percentile female is @4’11” tall (you might add 1″ to that for shoes). Wheelchair users will fall in the middle so as long as you do not conflict with other ADA wheelchair requirements such as setback or side versus front approach (see our previous blog post here) you should be ok by just designing for those upper 5th percentile male and lower 5th percentile female users.
Adding tilt adjustment will increase the range of users you can accommodate but more importantly tilt adjustment is almost universally understood and easily used. This means that if you add tilt, your users will not find the kiosk in a state they can’t use it (too tall or too short) and they will instinctually understand how to adjust it to suit them just by tilting the display. Another key advantage of a tilting display over a telescoping is ADA compliance. The display only requires one hand and under 5 pounds of force to tilt so it’s ADA compliant.
Ok so what does this mean to the iPad kiosk deployer?
You can rest easy in the knowledge that all lilitab kiosk products are designed such that very tall and very short people can use them comfortably and are fully compliant with all ADA requirements. The lilitab Pro line incorporates user tilt which will help users adjust for glare from overhead lights, something that can be a concern in certain retail settings. The Basic line offers a fixed neck but is still fully ADA compliant and ergonomically compatible with very tall and very short users, by design.
Questions? Shoot us an email at info@lilitab.com.
News for March/April from the U.S. Access Board.
March/April News from the U.S. Access Board.
My goal for this series of articles on kiosk software development is to give an overview on the basics of developing kiosk software that’s both a joy for your customers to use and adheres to the guidelines of PCI-Compliance. This is more of a series of general guidelines and tips based on my 7+ years of experience developing and dealing with other people’s kiosk software not a comprehensive how-to guide. When I use the term “kiosk software” I’m referring to any software running on a kiosk in a self-service (unattended) environment regardless of the technology used. The kiosks our company commonly deals with are running Microsoft Windows so I’ll use terms like “Web app” or “Windows app” when referring to the kiosk software but feel free to substitute whatever technology is appropriate for your environment. This first article in the series will cover the basic considerations you’ll have when getting started on your first kiosk software project and later articles I’ll get into more advanced topics like security, payment processing and more.
Should my kiosk software be web based or a Windows app?
Originally we did all of our kiosk software development as web based (specifically ASP.NET web applications) because the kiosk lockdown software we were using only supported locking down the Internet Explorer web browser not a Windows application. After several years of trial and error I now prefer developing Windows based .NET WPF apps for our kiosk. We’ve found it’s much more responsive because the processing is done client-side and also reduces the load on the server. Interfacing with complex hardware devices is also easier when the logic is performed client-side. Speed of the internet connection is much more of a factor when using the web browser since a lot more bandwidth is used to deliver the content. We had cases where the kiosk would perform great at most client’s sites and then we’d come across a site where the client had opted for a cheap (slow) internet connection and the web browser would get really laggy and occasionally fail to load content. To which we would lamely respond with recommending a better internet connection. In short if you value responsiveness and want to minimize bandwidth and load on the server then create your kiosk software as Windows software not web based.
Replace the Window Explorer shell with your own kiosk software
This is a really cool feature of Windows that allows you to run your kiosk software as the Windows shell instead of explorer.exe. This means that Windows will boot right into your kiosk software at start-up. This can be accomplished easily enough by modifying the Windows registry value “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell” and replacing explorer.exe with your kiosk software. This is a great way to minimize memory usage when launching Windows and is perfect for a kiosk environment. If you need to launch additional software take a look at the registry value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Making your kiosk software touchscreen friendly
This was a must for our kiosk software since many of our client’s kiosks did not include a physical keyboard. It was surprisingly involved to create a “skinnable” touchscreen keyboard that was easily “brandable” to our client’s look and feel but I’m going to save you some heartache here. We originally wasted a bunch of time creating an HTML keyboard and styling it via CSS but we had cases where the web browser control failed to load the keyboard (even though it was stored locally) and so we ditched that idea. Instead we ended up creating a XAML keyboard and loading it via our WPF kiosk software. It ended up being much more responsive and reliable which is one more reason I prefer creating our kiosk software as Windows software over a web app.
Summary
Developing kiosk software that is both a joy to use and secure is a daunting task but many others have done it before you so take heart. Using a kiosk lockdown software can also help offload much of the development I’ve outlined above and address the security concerns I’ll cover in the next article.
Our company has created some easy to use kiosk lockdown software called KioskSimple (www.KioskSimple.com) to do just that so you can focus on developing your kiosk software and leave the security of your kiosk to us.
The next article in my series will focus on the security aspects of “hardening” your kiosk software. Please follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/kiosksimple or Twitter @kiosksimple
Guoman Hotels are a 5 star hotel brand and Thistle Hotels are a 4 star hotel chain both are part of the GLH Hotels
Management Group. They both offer a full service hotel offering for corporate and leisure guests, offering jointly over 9000 bedrooms worldwide. Protouch were called upon to deliver an ‘out of home’ full service technology solution within the UK, which would encompass both hardware, kiosk software 
management and support service that monitor the entire network in real-time, 24/7, 365 days per year.
Benefits:
Industry: Hospitality
Customer Size: 35 hotels in the UK and all new hotels as and when they open
The Client: Thistle has over 31 hotels in the UK whilst Guoman have 6 properties predominately based in central London with some oversees hotels. Both Guoman and Thistle hotels serve both corporate and leisure customers with a selection of services including over 50 restaurants, more than 300 meeting rooms including conferencing and banqueting facilities and 37 health and leisure private clubs.
The Need: GLH group identified a requirement for hotel guests to be able to have a greater technology access beyond the typical WIFI connectivity, which would allow the ability to perform both work and leisure technology based activities.
Selection was based strongly on using a robust, yet tried and tested solution along with the sleek nature and look of the screen finish, thus making it only natural to choose Protouch as the Thistle hotels partner.
The Solution: Selection was based strongly on using a robust, yet tried and tested solution along with the sleek nature and look of the screen finish, thus making it only natural to choose Protouch as Thistle hotels partner.
The Protouch solution for Thistle hotels consists of touch screen monitors, keyboard and mouse with a full suite of MS Office 2013, access to the internet and printer facilities, social apps for leisure; delivering a full service out of home/office technology experience. The uniqueness of this offering protects users as when the session is complete the guest simply clicks on ‘end session’ and the system returns to the original formatting as on the day it was installed, which allows each user to have a unique experience not encumbered by the previous users activity or browsing sessions.
With multiple units in each hotel presenting geographically and architecturally differing properties a roll-out programme was designed to encompass the individual ergonomic needs of each hotel. It was identified that guests would require a mix of a suitably quiet place to work or an equally relaxing environment for more casual internet browsing.
The hardware provided delivers a high durability solution for mass usage and ease of use like a personal computer. Both Protouch and Thistle can access PKM software and also have visibility of utilisation rates to improve usage and point of positioning in the hotel environ. The PKM software has a pro-active approach to network management, by allowing for alerts to be sent if needed such as paper low, power outage, cash box removal and much more.
You can see more of Protouch solutions at their website — http://www.protouch.co.uk
Legislation introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee that seeks to protect retailers and other businesses from overly litigious patent trolls.
The National Retail Federation today welcomed bipartisan patent reform legislation introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck E. Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., that seeks to protect retailers and other businesses from overly litigious patent trolls.
Patient check-in solution with iPatientCare and CTS Healthcare announced at HIMSS 2015
Come see CTS in Chicago at HIMSS demonstrate entire line of patient check-in kiosk services as well as new antimicrobial and antibacterial finishes.
Read about new features to be shown in Chicago. We’ll have booth in North Hall as well as South Hall. CTS is a Platinum Sponsor for HIMSS. Schedule a demo thru our form.
Since last year’s Digital Signage Expo and the introduction of Chrome’s single app kiosk mode, many customers and developers have built digital signage applications on Chromeboxes. Chromeboxes are secure, easy to manage and cost effective, making them ideal to display content and engage customers in any location. Chicos chose Chrome to manage and display content on over 5000 screens across more than 1500 stores. Digital Signage Expo in booth 2218
Source: googleforwork.blogspot.com
today AOPEN announced three new commercial Chrome OS devices that will add more durability to digital signage. By working with AOPEN, we can offer more rugged hardware equipped to handle harsh conditions — like a hot and greasy back-of-house line at a restaurant.
Digital signage requires additional considerations for successful deployment. These guidelines will help you make the most of your screen or kiosk designs.
Source: www.applieddevicetechnologies.com
Good list of To-Do’s
Pinterest is a visual discovery tool that you can use to find ideas for all your projects and interests.
here is digital signage at Natural Grocers…At least it’s mobile!
See on www.pinterest.com
TAMPA—A McDonald’s Corp. restaurant in Wesley Chapel is among a select few nationwide to test a distinctly new way for McDonald’s customers to order food: Via a digital kiosk.
Source: tbo.com
What is believed to be the first age- and identity-verifying legal marijuana-vending machine in the U.S. has been launched in Colorado. The Zazzz Automated Marijuana Vending Machine has been installed by American …
See on www.selfserviceworld.com
Payteller, a leading provider of financial services kiosks, announced today the release date for their SSK (Secure Services Kiosk), a unit programmed for the specific needs of medicinal and recreational marijuana…
Source: www.abc12.com
Cash handling, banking and financial services are among the greatest challenges facing the cannabis business. Navigating complex federal and state regulations in order to access ordinary banking services is not in the purview of the average dispensary owner, said Jeff Foster, CEO of Payteller.
American Green has created a marijuana vending machine that accepts Bitcoin.
Source: bitcoinist.net
Before long these things are going to serve up a DVD along with a slice of pizza and a coke to go with everything. I am not sure about Bitcoin. The units look to be renderings.
Animations on the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards that the Board posted to its website in April are now available for download as well. These animations, which are part of an online guide on the standards, address wheelchair maneuvering, doors and entrances, and accessible toilet and bathing facilities.
Source: www.access-board.gov
The online guides also include illustrated technical bulletins that explain and clarify requirements in the ADA Standards and theABA Standards. Bulletins released to date cover the first three chapters of the standards, including application and use of the standards (Chapter 1), scoping in new construction, alterations, and additions (Chapter 2), and basic “building block” technical provisions (Chapter 3). Guides covering other sections of the standards will be released at a later date.
At this point, determining whether a particular kiosk complies with the ADA, requires a fact intensive, device-by-device inquiry.
Source: www.insidecounsel.com
Redbox’s recent settlement of a class action lawsuit alleging that its video rental kiosks in California were not accessible to the blind provides a good example of the potential exposure businesses face. As part of the settlement, Redbox agreed to pay $1.2 million to eligible class members, to make modifications to its kiosks to allow visually-impaired customers to use them independently, to pay $800,000 in attorney’s fees and to provide 24-hour telephone assistance.
Until the legal landscape become 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.
KioWare Analytical Design Solutions Inc. (ADSI), the parent company of KioWare, has been in business since 1991 providing client/server database and web development consulting services. The maturin…
Source: kioskindustry.org
Kioware feature article on kiosk industry. Along with full Windows versions, Kioware has 3rd gen Android clients with remote monitoring and alerts. Feature support such as ChromeCast.
Would you like some microchips with that burger? McDonald’s Europe strikes another blow against human interaction by installing 7,000 touch-screen computers to take your order and money.
Thanks to Kirk at Arcatech
See on www.cnet.com
See on Scoop.it – Kiosk & Kiosks
McDonald’s Kiosks in Action. As a follow up to this post, Battling Higher Minimum Wages: McDonald’s Just Bought Touch Screen Cashier Kiosks for Its 7,000 European Locations, EPJ reader Kingsley Edwards tweets:.
Includes link to picture of unit in Belgium. I am surprised at the size of these units. They are like mini-skyscrapers…
