Pro-Touch

Month: May 2013

How Translation Kiosks Help Tourism

Posted on by Tom Quarry

The world is a small place nowadays, however even though this is the case there are still plenty of challenges regarding languages, translation and the provision of information – especially in the world of tourism. This is one area where kiosks are at their strongest.
In the world of tourism, interactive information and translation kiosks provide an informal manner in which to offer information, services and guides of all sorts.
For tourists it limits worries regarding being misunderstood and for the tourism industry it provides a number of benefits, including automation of processes, providing the correct information to customers and tourists when and as required, as well as the additional benefit of increasing business from tourists.

So, where can Translation Kiosks Help?

Hotels

Hotels can utilise the power of the translation kiosk in a number of manners. From check in and out, to reservation and bookings, to provision of information, to hotel requests – translation kiosks can significantly benefit hotel businesses.

These kiosks can be provided in a whole range of languages at little or no significant extra cost. These can then be used to provide information and services to the vast array of individuals who stay in the hotel, making their lives easier, their stay more efficient and the level of service significantly better.

Tourism Centres

Whether you decide on an outdoor or an indoor kiosk, there are all sorts of manners in which a Protouch translation kiosk can be of service.

Everything from way finding, local information, services, ticketing, payments, phone calls and communication services can be offered to tourists at such a kiosk in a language they’re native in.
We offer all sorts of benefits via our translator kiosks, including custom scripted scenarios, built in translation services and our systems even facilitate the tracking of trends surrounding your customers.
This creates the positive experience that the tourism industry wishes to generate and is considered as a positive for tourism and tourists alike.

Restaurants

Of course, restaurants too can benefit greatly from these translation kiosks. Reservation systems are often part and parcel, as are translatable menus. These kiosks can also be utilised to provide information on the locality, happy hour, specials and promotions too.

One of the significant benefits here is the visual aspect of kiosks. Quality touch screens allow for HD images of mouth-watering dishes. In addition the systems can also be used for surveys and follow up offers all of which is positioned on an easy to navigate, intuitive software.

So, as you can see even from these examples, interactive translation kiosks can potentially provide all sorts of benefits to tourists and tourist services.

Choosing An Information Kiosk

Posted on by Tom Pryor

We live in a world of information – a world where global knowledge fits into the palm of our hand. In short, people want to have the information they need and they want it to be as easily accessible as possible.

Of course, providing this information can be made a lot easier with an information kiosk, that’s been specifically set up to meet the demands, needs and requirements of the customer or individual.

Information kiosks are all about providing just that – information. This needs to be done in a practical and easily accessed manner and can really add a lot to a business, experience or retail setting. However, though most of us understand that people want information that can be easily accessed via kiosks and similar means, understanding how to choose a kiosk can often perplex them. So, what should you look for in an info kiosk?

Function over Design

Aesthetics are extremely important, however function is number one. In the world of information kiosks this means that provision of a kiosk that offers the relevant information is the first priority.

In essence, a kiosk is only as good as the software on it and that should be the focus first and foremost when choosing an info kiosk. Deciding on whether you should choose an already developed or a bespoke software development solution is an important decision that could determine the success of the kiosk. 

Other additions such as being able to lock down the website viewing, blocking access to certain sites and being able to track the kiosk usage are also all important here and provide you with plenty of information for analysis.

You want your kiosk to offer the exact information required in a manner that’s intuitive, easily understood and accessible. Our PKM platform offers you the opportunity to have a number of different applications developed to fit in with your needs – something we see as essential.

Information Input

Interactive information kiosks need some form of input device, so deciding on whether you want to use a touch screen input or keyboard form of input is the next decision that needs to be made.

Each kiosk is different and often the input is determined by the software and the function of the device. In many cases the best way of determining the most apt input is to discuss it with us beforehand as we’ll be able to give you an idea from experience.
 

Kiosk Style

You want a kiosk style that reflects your brand, your business and the feel it should deliver. This is why it’s nice to have a wide selection of kiosk styles to choose from.

We offer kiosks in a variety of footprints, allowing you to decide on the best style and shape to reflect your brand and suit the positioning of the kiosk. 

Other considerations that reflect your choice of information kiosk are whether it’s placed indoors or outdoors – for which you have to take a number of considerations into account.

Information kiosks can provide a lot of benefits and positives to a business, providing information instantaneously, quickly and attractively to those who require it.

5 Technologies We May See In Kiosks Of The Future

Posted on by Tom Pryor

Kiosks are always on the cusp of technology and we believe that if a new form of equipment provides value to the user experience, then it could be well worthwhile adding it to one of our kiosks.

Of course, it’s hard to look into the future and say what will certainly be included in the technology of the future, but we can make guided guesses from what we believe. So, we’ve compiled a list of five technologies that we may see in the kiosks of the future.

Quality Food and Drink Kiosks

Although there are plenty of food vending machines and kiosks in existence, most if not all offer a substandard experience to that of a fine barista or mixologist. Though that currently may be the case now, it most likely will not be forever. Rumours have it that Starbucks is working on kiosks that offer a quality coffee experience of the standard of a barista and if you want to see something similar in reality, Google showcased a cocktail mixing robot called ‘Makr Shakr’ at its recent I/O conference. In time, who’s to say similar technology could not fit into a vending machine?

Contactless and Print Scanner

The contactless payment option has been included on a number of our machines and it’s set for further roll out in the future. We’ve also heard tales of an Apple iPhone 5S with contactless option via NFC technology and fingerprint scanner – so, who’s to say that this technology will not be rolled out widely in time to come – not us anyhow.

Eye Control

Then again, using your hands is so tedious. The current generation of smart phones is toying with the idea of eye control and who’s to say kiosks and other devices with screens won’t soon.
Samsung’s SIV uses eye control to aid reading of webpages, watching of movies and viewing of images and who’s to say we soon won’t see something similar on our TVs and PC screens and also our kiosks?

OLED

The OLED screen is also a quite realistic tech next and may replace our plasma and LED displays within the next few years. OLEDs allow for slimmer screens, which can also be flexed and curved. This new generation of displays is brighter than current screens, don’t require backlighting and are far easier to produce in larger sizes. They’re also greener, more efficient and have larger fields of view than the current crop of screens.

3D Printing Kiosks

Anyone who keeps up to date with technology will have heard of 3D printing. Essentially, this tech layers material on top of each other to create all sorts of items and it’s becoming increasingly complex. Reports suggest by 2050 we’ll all be using the machines to print everything from electronics to clothes in our living rooms. All we’ll do is purchase the design for our home 3D printer and let it manufacture the rest. So, before then, expect 3D printer kiosks in a shop near you, allowing you to create all your needs from one amazing kiosk.

We can’t say for sure what the future of kiosks will be, however we do know it’s going to be exciting.

How Kiosks Are Improving Healthcare

Posted on by Tom Quarry

Anyone who has recently tried to get medical attention will have come up against the massive and insoluble problem of the health market – there are never going to be enough doctors, nurses and paramedics to meet demand. As we get busier, the time cost of keeping healthy is only going to increase and that’s where kiosks and remote healthcare are making a huge impact.

The mHealth sector – as mobile healthcare is known – is growing massively quickly. Doctors’ time is at a premium so technology that allows them to be in two places at once is very valuable.
As early as 2010, two prescription vending machines were trialled in the UK. One allowed patients to collect repeat prescriptions without face-to-face interaction with a pharmacist. The second used a video link to open up a pharmacy service to patients out of hours.

Sexual Health

Sexual health information is not easy to come by, so kiosks provide an anonymous way to collect information and also signpost people to the right services, often in conjunction with the sale of condoms or pregnancy testing kits.
Kiosks are also a great way to interact with patients who have complex needs and need complex information. Digital signage with touch screen kiosks can protect confidentiality and impart complex information flexibly.

A reactive kiosk is far more cost-effective than a human receptionist and can store far more information than any brain can. With good software design, a kiosk can provide a truly personal portal to healthcare.
The latest developments in mHealth and healthcare kiosks are seeing the collection of health information remotely.

Smartphones are now being marketed with health monitoring apps, and a kiosk can provide a far more sophisticated interaction.

Population

With an aging population the healthcare sector has to deal with more chronic conditions – from heart disease to diabetes – which need regular monitoring. Having trained healthcare professionals collect this information is expensive, limits their ability to maximise their expertise more usefully, and is generally more accurate.

With wireless connectivity and high security encryption it is perfectly possible to securely and confidentially collect patient information. In the United States, kiosks with heart rate, blood pressure, red blood cell counts and even colour blindness testing are being introduced onto the market. Kiosks can link to online systems to monitor a patient’s progress, logging their activity and diet while measuring their vital signs, for example.
Networked kiosks provide the most cost-effective and controllable way to both give and receive important medical information in a system where face-to-face human contact is at a premium and is often wasted in consultations which do not maximise either the patient’s experience or the clinicians time.  The role of remote healthcare will only increase.