The use of kiosks has been rapidly growing in several industries for the past few decades. They have become essential tools that ensure an operation can run smoothly. They can be customized to handle several daily operations and tasks based on advanced programming and have great integration capabilities.
It is very important to choose the right design for your kiosks, especially if they are located outdoors. Let us examine the criteria for choosing where to install your outdoor kiosk.
What is an Outdoor Kiosk?
An outdoor kiosk is a standalone terminal that is easily accessible to the public and able to withstand harsher environments. These kiosks can be used for information distribution, fun and interactive advertising, or payment processing.
Outdoor kiosks are generally designed to combat extreme temperatures and humidity. This ensures that they are weatherproof and extremely durable. Outdoor kiosks are a quick and easy way to encourage customers to use services while in transit or on the go.
Types of Outdoor Kiosks
There are three main types of outdoor kiosks in rotation today. They are interactive digital signage kiosks, information and wayfinding kiosks, and transactional kiosks. These kiosks all have their unique qualities that we will go through right now.
Interactive Digital Signage Kiosks
Interactive digital kiosks allow users to engage with content that may be specifically company-branded on various platforms. These kiosks are often used for marketing activities, such as advertisements and event display promotions. They are ideal for public spaces such as parks and museums to broadcast public service announcements.
Information and Wayfinding Kiosks
These kiosks are typically found in shopping centers, hospitals, parks, and museums. They are designed to provide directional support systems to all visitors, which will help them navigate their surroundings without confusion.
Transactional Kiosks
Transactional kiosks or payment processing kiosks are designed to allow customers to complete transactions on various platforms quickly and efficiently. They are great for high-traffic areas such as banks, shopping malls, supermarkets, public transit stations, and airports. This helps several businesses streamline payment processes and increases convenience for customers.
Common Locations of Outdoor Kiosks
Parks and Recreational Areas
These locations typically use kiosks that display or have options to navigate the surrounding areas. It will provide information on different activities and events taking place at any given time, as well as the services and amenities available for customers to take advantage of.
Public Squares and Transit Stations
These kiosks serve as central information hubs and make it readily available for anyone who may need it. It uses the most up-to-date information to direct or guide customers, which may include local commuters, foreign tourists, and emergency professionals.
Shopping Centers and Retail Parks
The outdoor retail kiosks in commercial areas, such as shopping centers, are usually designed to increase brand presence. They increase brand awareness through advertising promotions and offering unique discounted products for participating or using the kiosk.
It is an engaging way to show customers what current offerings or services are in the market, as well as facilitate immediate payments.
Design Features of Outdoor Kiosks
Before deciding what type of outdoor kiosk you will need, a variety of criteria needs to be examined to ensure which features suit your particular needs. Kiosks are very durable and can facilitate customization. However, the most common features are weather resistance, specialty touchscreens, and compression locks.
Weather Resistance
Weather resistance is particularly important for outdoor kiosks as they are constantly exposed to rain, wind, and low or high temperatures. Materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, and other reinforced materials are used to help the kiosk withstand harsh environments, which ensures that the kiosk can have an increased lifespan while exposed to rough conditions.
The weatherproofing of the outdoor kiosks will also lead to an increase in the longevity of these terminals. This will allow businesses to reduce replacement costs in the long run. It will also allow businesses to run in adverse weather conditions without disruption to service.
Specialty Touchscreen Monitors
Specialty touchscreen monitors are designed to eliminate or combat glare from brightly lit areas. The monitor’s specifications are adapted to work in extreme sunlight or cloudy and rainy situations. These monitors are also able to resist damage from water or moisture and can combat humidity.
Compression Locks
Compression locks are commonly selected to deter theft and tampering by unauthorized persons. Outdoor kiosks need compression locks, especially if they contain personal information; customers’ data must be protected.
It is more critical if these kiosks also process transactions to ensure funds and other card details are stored securely. These locks also protect them from vandalism and other damage.
Compression locks are intended to work in tandem with a sealed casing that is usually used to enclose outdoor digital kiosks. These locks will assist in preventing dust, debris, and water from entering and damaging the digital kiosk components. They will also prevent moving at the kiosk.
Benefits of Outdoor Kiosks
Enhancing Customer Experience
Customer service and customer experience are key components of any business. By utilizing outdoor kiosks, you can enhance the customer experience. These kiosks can provide services at the convenience of customers without having to wait in line.
It also allows them to request assistance or find information as quickly as possible without coming into a physical store.
Promotions and Information
Outdoor kiosks are able to push promotional messages and product information to customers at a faster rate in this digital age. They are long-lasting interactive brochures that can be used to drive sales and marketing endeavors.
Versatility in Applications
These outdoor kiosks can provide a multitude of services at a single terminal. Customers will be able to print or interact with an interface that grabs their interest. This accessibility to information can help build brand recognition and reliability in the minds of customers while they are going about their daily lives.
Cost-effectiveness
Outdoor kiosks are a great way to provide services to customers without wasting resources or their time.
This will allow your team to reallocate personnel to focus on internal development while ensuring customers have current and accurate information to go through different processes. This reduces costs associated with hiring personnel and creates more touchpoints with customers.
Considerations for Choosing an Outdoor Kiosk
Assessing Environmental Factors
When choosing the outdoor kiosk for your business, you need to consider the local climate that will affect it. Some areas experience rain, snow, extreme temperatures, and varying degrees of sun exposure. These changes in weather conditions can determine which features would work best.
If an outdoor digital kiosk is being placed in an open space with direct sunlight, there are some display specifications that may need to be changed to ensure visibility for customers. Anti-glare and reflective technology has been developed to enhance readability under these conditions.
The location and surrounding environment may also affect the potential contact with debris and other contaminants that need to be barred. Kiosks are high-traffic areas and thus might sustain damage from frequent usage.
Current and potential customers will come into contact with these areas and may be negatively affected by the dirty outdoor kiosk enclosure. Unhygienic conditions can often occur at outdoor kiosks for parks and outdoor food kiosks.
Kiosk enclosures need to account for the different animals and environmental factors that can affect the condition of the equipment.
Determining the Right Size and Features
The first thing you need to consider when determining the size and features of your outdoor kiosks is the function. This will determine what software will be on the device and what it needs to be compatible with. It will determine which platforms need to be easily integrated into the system and if they should have extra features such as biometrics or scanning capability.
This can ensure that when customers interact with the terminal, there are no difficulties using the screen or accessing the interface. It will also help you determine the amount of capacity the outdoor kiosk should have and if the additional accessories and infrastructure will support compatibility.
Compatibility tests should be done to ensure that the materials used are perfectly integrated with the brand. The branding and aesthetic appeal must align with the image of the company. The outdoor kiosk design needs to also consider accessibility for disabled persons, which may include audio input and output, as well as adjustable height.
You will also need to carefully consider the space requirements of each potential location before installation. The measurements will determine how big the kiosk can be without obstructingThiser pathways. This can also affect the hardware specifications and connectivity options when dealing with an outdoor area that is offset or completely separate from the regular building.
Conclusion
Outdoor kiosks are useful tools to help engage customers while performing much-needed services in their community. They facilitate information sharing and process optimization in several settings.
Selecting the best outdoor kiosk involves carefully evaluating your business needs and other external factors. You must examine the environment or location that is most suited for your target audience, as well as the best design features to accommodate your needs.
If you need help deciding on the best outdoor kiosk, contact us to request a quote.
