2 key factors in kiosk software development - Part 1

How to develop user-friendly kiosk user interface?

This article was originally written for and published at KioskMarketPlace.com.

http://www.kioskmarketplace.com/blog/7505/2-key-factors-in-kiosk-software-development

In our next couple blog posts, we will focus on the software side of a kiosk project.

There are two key factors in kiosk software development that maximize the return on the organization's kiosk and IT investment. The first is the development of an attractive and user-friendly kiosk application and user interface. A good kiosk user interface ensures that the kiosks are fully utilized and enhances user/customer experience. The second is a seamless integration of the new kiosk application to the organization's existing systems.

 

Part one of this blog will delve into the user interface of kiosk applications. Based on our kiosk application development, we believe the following four major criteria should be considered in developing an excellent user interface.

Easy to browse

• Use large fonts.
• Keep high contrast between text and background.
• Choose background colors that make fingerprints and reflection less obvious.

Easy to understand

• Keep it simple.
• Provide clear instructions.
• Provide multi-language support.
• Use consistent page layout and color (e.g. Next button at the right-bottom of every page).

Easy to operate

• Use large buttons.
• Avoid complicated operations such as double-clicking, scrolling or dragging.
• Optimize touch screen configuration (e.g. sensitivity, point/stream mode).
• Make it obvious when a button is pressed (e.g. beeps, 3D buttons).

Attractive

• Make the design attractive and user-friendly.
• Incorporate the brand image.

Once the kiosk application is developed, it is really important to conduct through testing to verify the following:

• Are all the steps and instructions clear to users?
• Can non-technically savvy people use the application without difficulties?
• Are there any pages that have a higher abandon rate?

Continuous monitoring of the kiosk application usage will also help organizations to optimize the user interface and maximize the ROI.
 

Check back in a couple weeks for part two of this blog, which will explain the integration of a kiosk application to the organization's existing systems.
 

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How long does it take to roll out a kiosk system?

A kiosk project's timeline ranges anywhere from a few months to several years depending on the scope of the project – how large the project is, how complicated the application is and whether the kiosk system is independent or needs to be integrated into an existing system.

It takes much more time to roll out thousands of custom kiosks with complicated applications than it does to deploy a few off-the-shelf kiosks that simply display standard information.

Based on our experience, a typical mid- to large-scale kiosk implementation takes 12 to 24 months.

Kiosk project phases

There are three especially important phases for kiosk projects – the scoping and planning phase and development and implementation for both the pilot and production kiosks.

Scoping & planning

The first phase involves scoping, planning and vendor selection. As we discussed in our first post Overcoming the challenges of kiosk deployments: Part 1, the internal decision making process in this phase could take some time because a kiosk project usually involves many stakeholders such as executives, marketing managers, the customer relationship, office management, etc.

Development & implementation for pilot kiosks

Organizations usually develop and implement pilot kiosks for proof of concept in the first 6 to 12 months. This process greatly reduces the risk of the investment because it allows organizations to validate the concept, hardware and software and make adjustments to them before they invest significantly for the large-scale rollout.

Development & implementation for production kiosks

After the development of the pilot kiosks is completed or close to completion, it is the time to start to build the production kiosks for large-scale rollout.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, Is your kiosk following regulations?, complying with regulations requires extra time management therefore starting the development of the production kiosks early on helps to save time. Don't wait for the pilot program to be completed before starting this process. Try to incorporate as much feedback as possible from the pilot kiosks to improve the production system.

By planning for each phase of your kiosk project, you are helping to ensure the delivery of the best possible product and an overall successful program.