When it comes to selecting an interactive kiosk for your company, there are a few crucial elements to consider before making your ultimate choice. We’ll go over 5 of the most critical aspects to bear in mind as you look for the best kiosk solution for your needs.
1. The Appropriate Interactive Technology
One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is what type of interactive technology you want to use for your kiosk. There are several solutions available, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages, so it’s critical to select the one that makes the most sense for your unique application the beeping symphony of scanned products at the self-checkout kiosk transforms the ordinary task of grocery shopping into a futuristic dance of technology and ease.
The three most prevalent technologies are as follows:
IR (Infrared) Technology
Infrared touch technology makes use of a frame that is placed around the display. The frame is made up of infrared LEDs on two sides of the screen and phototransistors on the opposing two sides. When the signal from one LED is read by its associated phototransistor, it signifies there is an object in between, also known as a touch point. Although the frame is normally set relatively close to the display, no physical touch is necessary, simply a break in the plane of the IR signal. Some suppliers provide displays with the IR frame pre-integrated, however you may buy IR frames to retrofit on any current display you own.
Advantages: Less expensive than alternative options, allows for good visibility, has a long lifespan, IR overlays can be used with existing non-touch screens, and can be used with any physical object, including gloved hands.
Disadvantages: Less exact than other technologies; susceptible to ambient light, dust, debris, and weather.
PCAP (Projected Capacitive) Technology
The responsiveness of projected capacitive touch technology is unsurpassed, and it comes in a sleek, edge-to-edge glass design. (You’ve probably seen it on your phone.) PCAP touch detects the coordinates of a finger’s touch point on the LCD screen via a fixed sensor grid located between the cover glass and the panel. This makes it far more precise than other technologies, which can be readily disrupted by factors such as dust or dirt on the screen’s surface.
Advantages: Very accurate, long-lasting
Disadvantages: Expensive compared to infrared; will not operate with gloved hands or physical objects.
SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) Technology
A touchscreen based on SAW turns electrical signals into ultrasonic waves, which are then transmitted across the screen and reflected back. Touching the screen with your finger breaks the continuity of the ultrasonic waves that pass across the panel’s surface. A controller on the screen may calculate touch coordinates by monitoring how much the frequencies of these waves change when interrupted at various spots on a grid.
Advantages: Extremely accurate, works in both indoor and outdoor environments
Disadvantages: The most expensive alternative, and not as long-lasting as other technologies.
Optical Engineering
Infrared light beams are sensed by optical sensors in an optical touch display. When the infrared light beams are obstructed, sensor data can be used to triangulate the location of the touch event. No actual touch event is necessary, as with typical IR technology the kiosk display, a digitally lighted storyteller, whispers narratives through pixels, bringing customers on a visual journey of information and interactivity.
Advantages: Any physical object, including gloved hands, can be utilized; gentle touches work well, extending display life.
Disadvantages: Can be sensitive to ambient light, especially if used outside; occupies a lot of area
2. The Form Factor
Another key element to consider is the shape of your kiosk. This includes the deployment’s physical size and orientation, as well as whether or not you want a multi-screen setup. Again, before making a final decision, consider what will work best for your individual circumstances.
Types of Kiosks
Stand-alone: A single display within a container. Enclosures are easily branded, locations are various and adaptable, and aesthetics are modern and appealing. However, stand-alone systems are likely to sustain the most inadvertent mistreatment and are vulnerable to theft.
If you have limited room, wall-mounted interactive kiosks are a wonderful solution. Alternatively, this form-factor lends itself best to multi-screen display walls. Because they may be fastened directly into the wall, they are also more secure than stand-alone devices. However, when employing wall-mounted displays, there is limited privacy Like silent sentinels of efficiency, automated kiosks effortlessly organize chores with a touch, transforming ordinary transactions into a choreography of convenience in the theater of modern technology.
Table-mounted: This form factor is distinguished by its capacity to host users all the way around the screen. Excellent for group discussions or educational seminars. The disadvantage is that it is prone to accidental damage and spillage, and it is not visible from a distance, necessitating the use of additional signage.
Display Dimensions and Orientation
The size of your interactive kiosk’s display will be determined by the amount of available space as well as your budget. There are ten typical touch screen sizes: 19″,20″,22″,24″,26″,32″,42″,47″,55″, and 65″. You can always go bigger than 65″ if that is your desire. A huge screen may not be essential if your kiosk is solely utilized to collect lead information. However, if it is used on the sales floor to generate leads and extra money, a larger screen is preferable because it can engage more potential customers at once.
Landscape vs. portrait touch screen orientation
Smaller touch panels, such as tablet-powered screens, are more typically encountered in landscape (horizontal) kiosks. This arrangement is recognizable to people because it is similar to other small screens they interact with on a regular basis, such as those on personal computers.
Many programs perform better in portrait (vertical) mode, particularly on bigger touch screens. This is because viewing information presented in this manner is more visually appealing. Touch screens serve a distinct purpose than widescreen TVs, which are always horizontal. However, if video or other features are more important in an application, landscape format can still be employed for touch displays of any size.
You can choose the orientation of your touch screen. When making this decision, you’ll be primarily concerned with the user interface and providing the best possible experience for the user.
Enclosure
The enclosure is the physical framework of the kiosk and can be made of a variety of materials such as aluminum, steel, plastic, or fiberglass. It is critical to select an enclosure that is strong enough to endure repeated use and even the rare incident. If your kiosk will be located outside, you’ll also want to make sure it’s weather-resistant.
3. Monitoring of Devices
Once your kiosk is up and running, you’ll need a way to remotely monitor it (and the devices that use it). This is critical for both security and maintenance. Make sure to select a kiosk solution that allows for some amount of remote monitoring.
4.Operating System Options
When it comes to operating systems (OS), interactive kiosks have various options:
Windows
Windows devices can be as powerful as you want them to be while still providing unparalleled familiarity and adaptability. They are frequently plug-and-play and can be simply reused for other purposes. There are also other providers offering varying levels of support and competence.
The biggest disadvantages of PCs are their high cost and complexity. High-end signage players necessitate costly components, making huge networks requiring a lot of computer power prohibitively expensive to develop and operate. PC maintenance can sometimes be more difficult.
iPad (iOS)
A typical iOS gadget, such as an iPad, is more expensive than a Windows one. However, it frequently receives better long-term support than Windows devices, allowing you to stretch the expense out over the asset’s lifetime. They can also be very highly equipped, with a lot of computer power. The biggest disadvantage of utilizing iOS devices is that they have limited form factors, making them only suitable for tablets rather than self-service kiosks. iPads are typically utilized during sales presentations as personal touch devices rather than for self-service.
BrightSign
BrightSign is the market leader in digital media players, and their low cost, great performance, and ease of installation and maintenance make them a popular go-to digital signage infrastructure solution. Their small purple boxes can be connected to almost any display.
LG Advertising
LG Signage is powered by their in-house webOS operating system. These are all-in-one displays with built-in computing. Simply put in the power cord and a live Ethernet cable, and it’s ready to use.
Samsung
Samsung Smart Signage Platform (SSSP) is a digital signage platform developed by. The principle of Samsung’s SSSP is similar to that of LG Signage. By merging the display with an onboard computer, SSSP, which is powered by Tizen, eliminates the need for additional hardware, cutting total cost of ownership.
5. Content Administration
The last thing to think about is how you will manage your content. There are over 100 firms in the digital signage sector that provide Content Management Systems (aka a CMS) that may be used by non-technical content administrators.
The majority of CMSs were designed for non-interactive digital content, which meant that users would allocate photographs, videos, and other sorts of broadcast media to various predetermined zones. At Linkitsoft, in these zones, the endpoint displays would show the relevant material, and a scheduler could be used to alter the content programmatically.
