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INDOOR/OUTDOOR
The greatest impact on kiosk cost is whether the kiosk is
for indoor or outdoor use. Outdoor kiosks by definition cost
considerably more than indoor kiosks because of the many
upgrades and changes needed for a kiosk to operate in wide
temperature ranges and weather.
Outdoor kiosks require water-sealed, outdoor powder coated
enclosures, internal heating and cooling systems,
wide-temperature RAM and wide-temperature solid state
drives, high-brightness LCDs with cooling technology to
allow exposure to sunlight, and several other outdoor kiosk
modifications.
MOUNTING
The next fundamental question is how is the kiosk mounted?
To a wall, or on a stand? Or maybe a counter top/desktop? A
wall-mount is lower cost and works great if you happen to
have a wall in the right place, while a stand can be
deployed anywhere but is more costly and does require some
available floor space.
There are also different types of kiosk stands. There are
lower-cost alternatives that are small and typically do not
securely enclose any peripherals, and higher-end kiosk
enclosures that have internal locking compartments for
peripherals and accessories. Kiosk stand choice can also
affect custom decals or branding that may be wanted on the
kiosk.
PC
This cost can vary from a low-end J1900 CPU with 4GB RAM and
onboard video to an i7 CPU with 32GB RAM and a 4GB video
card.
The PC used in the kiosk is no different from a functional
perspective than any desktop PC. Like a desktop PC, there
are configuration choices including CPU, RAM, graphics,
connectivity, and operating system that must be tailored to
the software application that will be running on the kiosk.
Also, does the kiosk need to connect to the internet? How?
WiFi, wired LAN, or 3G/4G cellular? All of these choices
impact the price.
TOUCHSCREEN
The choices made can vary the cost from no touch or keyboard
(display only), to both touchscreen and keyboard.
The choice to use a touchscreen, keyboard, or both should be
based on the application software and how much data the user
may be expected to input. A touchscreen works best on a
larger screen size when the user is presented with clear
touch choices on the kiosk screen, with little or no
keyboard input required. If some keyboard input is required,
a virtual keyboard can be used for that.
If the user is required to input a lot of data, a keyboard
with pointing device like a trackball may be mounted on the
front of the kiosk.
PERIPHERALS:
Kiosk peripheral choices can range from none to many
including kiosk printers, credit card readers, barcode
scanners, keyboards, RFID readers, cameras, and more.
Peripheral choice is tied to the application. For example, a
payment kiosk may require a credit card reader, a bill
acceptor, or a chip reader while an internet access kiosk or
information kiosk usually has no peripheral requirements.
What are the benefits and
applications for touch screen kiosks?
Touch screen interactive kiosks, also known as self serve
kiosks, place 24/7 access to products and services in any
location for the benefit and convenience of users and
customers. Kiosks are a force-multiplier and allow owners to
broaden and enhance their reach to their customers. Below
are just a few examples of indoor and outdoor kiosk
applications:
INFORMATION KIOSKS and INTERNET ACCESS KIOSKS
Information and internet access kiosks are a broad
application area. These kiosk applications usually allow
users to browse and interact with information on websites in
a controlled way that would give the kiosk user the ability
to visit certain selected pages. This is done by using a
product referred to as “browser lock-down” software, which
is available from several providers.
Some common information kiosk applications include:
Wayfinding Kiosk: This provides a map and
directory to the user for use in parks and recreation areas,
events, building lobbies, cemeteries, etc. These touch
kiosks usually do not require any additional kiosk
peripherals.
Product Lookup Kiosk and Price Check Kiosks:
Provides online access to product information and/or
pricing. These kiosks may include a barcode scanner for
easier product and price lookup.
Trade Show kiosk: Touch kiosks are perfect
to take to trade shows because they can present booth
visitors with a huge amount of product information along
with marketing material, photos, videos, etc. And the kiosks
can capture visitor information for follow-up using a
barcode scanner or magnetic card reader. These kiosks
usually include a barcode scanner and/or magnetic card
reader to capture visitor information for lead follow-up.
Museum Kiosk: Museums love interactive
kiosks. What better way to enhance and deepen a museum
exhibit than with a large-screen, interactive touch kiosk
that can display a wealth of information to the visitor?
From hi-resolution photos to HD videos, these kiosks can be
any size but usually tend to be larger, 32” and up, to
present the user with greater impact.
Check-in Kiosks
Hotel check-in, flight check-in, community event check-in,
healhcare check-in, and child-check-in are among dozens of
kiosk check-in applications in common use. These kiosks
typically have peripherals like a label printer, barcode
scanner, and card reader for check-in verification and
validation, but could also just be a touch screen with no
additional peripherals.
Visitor Kiosks
Many companies require visitors to log in when they arrive,
confirm their appointments, and to wear visitor badges while
in the building. A kiosk can perform all of these tasks for
the user including taking a picture of the user and even
creating the visitor badge. A webcam, barcode scanner, card
reader, and specialized printer can all be used by the kiosk
for this application.
Access Control Kiosks
Access control and security kiosks are used to verify a
user’s identity, and then allow access to a building, room,
or other secure area. Gate control kiosks are outdoor kiosks
that control gate access. These kiosks may have peripherals
that include biometric scanning, such as fingerprint or
palm, barcode and magnetic card readers, and cameras.
Payment Kiosks
Accepting payments is a natural self-service application for
kiosks. If a website can accept a payment, so can a remote
kiosk. Usually a credit card reader is used for most
applications, but a bill acceptor can also be used and even
more exotic peripherals such as check readers and bill
recyclers can also be used in the high-end machines. Bill
payment kiosks with these kinds of peripherals need to have
specific software developed exclusively for their use.
Donation Kiosk
Donation kiosks are another form of payment kiosk. Typically
a donation kiosk is simpler, and most commonly may only use
a card reader to accept the donation.
Point of Care Kiosks
Used in hospitals and assisted living facilities and
retirement homes, point of care kiosks, or POC, are
typically mounted on walls in hallways to document patient
ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) and pertinent care for
Medicare billing and to retain accreditation and rating. |
