Hi,
i am doing a design on tourist information kiosk.Please contribute to what you think should be provided in the kiosk.Any latest technology that can be used for the design.
How about kicking it off with some of your thoughts so far, a few sketches, ideas… to get you gotta give.
Yeah man, we’re not going to design it for you.
Hi,
u can see few of my initial ideas.
http://my-designproject.blogspot.com/
i am thinking in the terms of having a information system which is more open.The target users are the tourist,so i intend to provide information for them.The interaction should be done either quickly or in a relaxed manner.
It should also cater to different people including the disabled.So i had this idea of having a wall kind of interaction,with large buttons and screens,with the option of carrying the information with them thro mobiles,PDA or other devices.
i will keep updating my design.
Thanks
You already have the concepts, now you just need to chose the right materials and do the job. And if by “3D zoom screen” you meant our 4D posters (New Syn4D print use in the exhibition stands) - send me PM and I we will discuss how to implement them in your kiosks.
I think an interesting problem to think about is that when I’m in a strange city and I need info, I would want something that attracts my attention from a distance in a crowd, but I also don’t want to look like a tourist using it…
I still havent decided about the 3D screens,it was an idea.
Yes, the kiosk has to stand out in the crowd.so,the look of the kiosk is more of a sculpture,so that people get curious,but at the same time,they should also know that it is a kiosk.Who is going to know whether you are a tourist,if u use the kiosk?
What things do you think that should be provided in a kiosk?Anything that you have come across in a kiosk,which is very good?
Some typographical symbols like and “i” with a circle around it typically denotes some kind of informational landmark in most wayfinding signage programs. Ease of usability is crucial in a successful kiosk design. You don’t want to user to be bombarded with imagery because then the true functional nature of the design is lost.
Easy to read maps / easy to navigate touch screen displays are always a nice touch.
My 2 cents anyway.
I think many people feel insecured being tagged as a tourist in a strange place. A tourist is a stereotype, so what is this stereotype? This is something that has been tackled before and I think you(udayakavi) need to look into it.
Also, why only tourist? Why can’t it be for the locals too? Within the kiosk there can be local news, like newly opened shops and restaurants, public transport schedule or changes etc. Now you have thrown in a mix of tourists and the locals, killing two birds with one stone. People who use the facility won’t been seen as a tourist as well.
I also think that a kiosk cannot be seen or thought of as a destination. It’s something for people to come and go asap. Giving it an over-elaborated design will defeat the purpose. NURB’s suggestion of the “i” symbol is a good example. You don’t need a loud design to attract attention. Efficient usage of universally recognized symbols will be much more effective IMO.
I think you should please define…
What would the purpose of this kiosk
Even tourist can be further classified local, foreigner, family, casuals…
Everybody is not looking for same info……may be yes?
What content that you will be providing …?
That is what teaser that you will providing….kiosk should always provide real info & photos……not like advertising ……expectation of tourist is maintained on same level to that of reality….
What is depth of info/history. …significance… will be provided?
Where they will be placed….what is the density of tourist will be there…
Will this used by one person or….watched by multiples…?
Your project should not only design a kiosk but also define some level of interface options……
Well…about kiosk …whether it should stand alone entity…
Or it will speak for that city…their culture……or just strong design character
Or will used in all other different places/cities….
product has supporting character to that city….so it may be
just information kiosk
All public products are designed for all……so study…similar products like
Public phone booth…bus stops…etc.
Sculpture….that is good idea…some part of sculpture may be information kiosk…
(Random forms…are …placed everywhere in the city)
But all information products…are rearly…sculptural…
Define user…purpose…character…is it specific to…city/cities…define scope of project… 
ADD
I did a 5-state road trip last year: California, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico. Many of the places we stopped at had ‘visitor welcome centers’ that you could drive-up to and park at. They had restrooms and picnic areas. Inside there were nice old ladies working behind desks filled with brochures. These places also had wall displays, which we never looked at. We told the nice old ladies what we were interested in, and they gave us the right brochures, plus annotated them with their own ‘secret spots’ and must-do’s. A lot of the cool stuff we did/found on the trip was a result of things we learned from people like this along the way.
There were un-manned versions of this at rest-stops along the way, but these weren’t as informative and seved mostly to show you where you were and how much further you had to go.
So my recommendation is to staff your kiosk with nice old ladies, and provide take-away brochures.
But I would start your poject by describing context and prioritizing what a visitor needs. Is it a walk-up? Drive-up? Do people need to know about where to stay? Visit? Eat? Learn about history? Learn where they are and how to get around? Learn the transportation system?
one beef i usually have with any info tourist kiosk aside from the obvious (language, UI, etc.) is the difficulty in following directions.
not that im bad with directions (im actually pretty good after travelling so much- got my internal compass set), but often just find that after i locate a destination on a map and memorize the directions (first right, 2 blks, second left) and go, halfway there im not sure if i missed it or arrived.
would be nice to see-
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a info kiosk that can print a mini map of directions to your location so you can take it with you
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a pic or flythrough of from the kiosk to the destination so that i can help navigate or know when im there. i navigate mostly by landmarks (ie. take the left at Starbuck) and seeing those visually would be much easier than trying to remember street names or other info (ie. 200M north).
most people i find are also much better at getting someplace if the’ve already been there and can picture it. a simluated “tour” to a location would help me from being confused on the way or misjudging distances/scale on a static map.
R
I am thankfull to all your useful inputs.I am designing a kiosk which has the facillity to transfer the information to any bluetooth enabled device,so that you can always refer it when the need arises.The kiosk might also be accessed through the mobiles or other deviecs,thus making it more convenient when being already in use by another user.
Eventhough the tourists are the primary users,it also intends to carry the local information for the localites as well.May be i might do away with the printers,but still contemplating.
No nice old ladies?
By going completely digital you are definitely excluding a big population of users.