Article

Get noticed with a custom-designed kiosk

Companies seeking ways to differentiate themselves may find that custom-designed kiosks are worth a look.    

July 31, 2005

When Sean Florio, senior buzz marketing manager at Yahoo!, began looking for ways to take the company's latest project — Yahoo! Local — to the streets, he knew that no off-the-shelf kiosk would be unique enough to meet the company's goal of putting Internet access in unexpected places in unexpected ways. 

 

So Florio turned to Sandra Nix, founder of Mequon, Wis.-based D2 Sales LLC, to design an Internet-connected bus stop kiosk. D2 Sales, whose slogan is "Definitely Outside the Box," has designed kiosks that are just that — outside the typical boxy kiosk style.

 

Florio said Yahoo! wanted to place kiosks that would allow for Internet access at neighborhood bus stops, where the public could get information about local restaurants, businesses and more. But, following the Yahoo! principle of striving to be fun — and anything but ordinary — the kiosks needed to be innovative and well branded.

 

As the world of self service continues to expand, more companies will face similar decisions, with factors such as time, money and branding all weighing heavily.Despite the monetary and time critical advantages of purchasing a standard design, there are some compelling reasons for investing in a design that's unique to your company.

 

 

The goal of any deployment endeavor is to increase customer service and satisfaction without adding another layer of work for the current staff. Therefore, it's important to consider an array of factors when choosing whether to go with a standard unit or a custom-designed one.

 

Demand attention

To keep production costs down, manufacturers of standard units typically use a painted metal for the enclosure. A custom design might use a variety of materials. "A custom unit typically integrates multiple materials such as plastics, metals, woods, and many different unique finishes," said Nix. "This slate of materials allows the deployer the opportunity to select the precise look and feel for their enclosure."

 

A custom design has the potential to stand out in ways that a standard design can't. Beyond garnering attention, a custom design can help instill a company's image in more subtle ways and further distinguish it from that of the competition.

 

Julian Bowron, president of the Toronto firms The Feature Factory and The Kiosk Factory, said choosing a customized kiosk fulfills a strategic business objective in that it communicates and reinforces branding. "Some companies need a distinct identity that will come through in the form and color of the customized unit."

 

Bowron's company creates customized kiosks in such forms as aliens and butlers, but his company also customizes kiosks for which functionality is more important than attractiveness.

 

One customer had his company designing kiosks for coal-fire generating companies where the hostile environment demands that a unit stand up to both a heavy coating of coal dust and a sprinkler system that douses the machine several times a day to dampen the explosive dust. In such situations, it's clear that a kiosk customized to endure the specific challenges of the environment is crucial.

 

For those companies that are on the leading edge in a particular industry, a standard unit may not yet exist. As Nix said, "A kiosk that utilizes new or cutting edge technologies such as biometrics — fingerprint or retinal scanners, for example — may not be available off the shelf until the technology is commonplace."

 

Tried and True

Craig Keefner, channel manager of Louisville, Colo.-based Kiosk Information Systems Inc., is quick to dispel the belief that a standard unit is nothing more than a gray metal box. Today's standard units can be tailored and made to appear as custom.

 

As to the issue of branding, he said different signage options can support a company's branding efforts, and new painting and powder-coat finishes can give a standard kiosk an architectural look.

 

Keefner, who estimates that 60 percent to 70 percent of kiosks sold annually are standard units, suggests that a company create a prototype and then decide whether it truly needs to go with a customized design or whether a tailored standard unit will serve the company's needs. KIS offers a variety of designs — from pedestal, wall mount, countertop and outdoor units — that adjusts to a variety of space restrictions.

 

Francie Mendelsohn, president of Summit Research Associates said, "A standard unit doesn't have to be a cookie cutter of another system." Like Keefner, she said there are many good off-the-shelf varieties that can be tweaked to meet a user's need.

 

In Yahoo!'s case, the physical specifications prevented Florio from even considering a standard unit. The bus shelters were created by different manufacturers so there wasn't a standard look or size. By choosing to work with D2 sales, Florio was able to turn those concerns over to Nix, whose company worked directly with the shelter manufacturers to make the necessary adjustments.

 

 

More research on these key terms:    Enclosures    Custom design

Not only is there disagreement as to whether custom designs offer an advantage, but manufacturing estimates also vary greatly.

 

Bowron said, "A customized unit costs approximately $40,000 to develop."

 

Mendelsohn said that number could be even higher and that a custom design will cost "no less than $10,000." In contrast, a standard unit runs around $3,000 or $4,000. ButNix disagrees.

 

Nix said the cost of development is likely half that or less, and she also notes that development is typically amortized into production. Because of the economies of scale, she added, the per-unit cost is generally still less than standard units in quantity.

 

Another consideration for deployers is how flexible they can be when problems crop up. Standard designs tend to be less problematic in that they have been tested time and again in different environments.

 

"Custom kiosks are a risky proposition," said Mendelsohn. "They require a significant investment for a unit that has been unproven and hasn't had all the kinks worked out."

 

Standard units also offer another important advantage in that they have gone through the regulatory approval process. Off the shelf, the components in KIS' kiosks meet UL specifications and are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A custom design will need to go through the approval process, which can take six weeks or longer, Keefner said.  

 

Delivery time often ends up being a determining factor. Kiosk manufacturers often have standard designs in stock and therefore can fill orders much more quickly than if they have to customize a design. Keefner said delivery of a standard kiosk order is anywhere from three to five weeks.

 

A custom design can take several months and even up to a year in some instances to create, although Nix said that a custom design usually takes only an additional four weeks.  

 

The point to remember is that a deployment project is intended to enhance a business, and a uniquely tailored kiosk may have greater potential to meet specific needs.

 

"Because a true custom unit is purpose-created and engineered from the ground up for the deployer, it can be created to deliver the exact experience, using the exact equipment, which makes the kiosk successful and unique," said Nix.