< PreviousKiosk Software: A kiosk based solution can make use of an existing, standard piece of hardware to display the customer-facing user interface. This could be an iPad / Android tablet kiosk, a larger format PC based kiosk or digital signage solution. This means we can provide new, innovative solutions without the need to invest heavily in new hardware designs. Browser Based: With a locked-down browser running on our kiosks we can provide solutions that can be rolled out regardless of hardware type or screen size. Similarly to the official Test and Trace posters, a customer-facing kiosk would display a QR code for customers to scan. When scanned, a form will be displayed on the customer’s phone which they can complete. When coded correctly, such a form can be auto-completed by the customer’s phone. A system like this can be used as the primary sign in tool for customers with the Test and Trace poster being used as an alternate or complementary tool. The system can be integrated into existing systems such as ordering; can provide additional features such as staff attendance tracking (a requirement in the hospitality sector) and can also be used for staff to manually sign in customers much more securely. GDPR compliant automations can be included, for example auto- deletion tools to remove customer data after the required 21 day period. Pros: • Can run on virtually any kiosk • GDPR compliant • Can be integrated with existing systems • No phone app required for visitors • One single web-based system to develop Cons: • Customers enter their own details rather than having this done for them • Two QR sign in systems could cause confusion if kiosk placement is ill-considered Face / Voice Recognition: Face and voice recognition is now an advanced technology which many of us use daily. Hardware allowing for the use of this technology can be easily installed in most kiosks relatively inexpensively. In the case of face recognition, a visitor would have to “enrol” their face and save their contact details. This can either before the visit or upon arrival by using their phone or a separate device. Signing in after the initial visit would then be very fast and very secure. Realistically this is not the type of system that would be ideal for most settings. However it would be a great solution for members-only venues such as golf courses, private clubs and gyms. In such settings the speed and security would be highly valued and the initial enrolment could be much more easily managed. Adding in integrations with access control, booking and payment systems can create a very high-end solution that would benefit the venue well into the future. Pros: • Fast sign in • Highly secure • No devices required by visitor • Improves brand image • Great potential for integrations Cons: • Initial face enrolment could be time-consuming • Voice recognition could be difficult in busy or noisy areas • Development may be more complex zero contact 20 KIOSK solutionsHardware: An alternative which would require custom hardware is to use a touch screen device that doesn’t require a physical touch. Instead the proximity of a user’s finger is sufficient to activate the touch screen buttons. Whilst this is a really interesting solution it could be argued that this technology isn’t mainstream enough yet to be a realistic option. The public are now very familiar with signing in at a touchscreen as they are now a common site in doctor surgeries and corporate offices. As such there is rarely any confusion over how they work. However, add into the mix a new way of interacting with a screen and that confusion can easily reappear. Having said that, if there was ever a better time to bring interactive screens like this into the mainstream, I can’t think of it. For manufacturers of this tech and those of us already using it or considering doing so, perhaps now is the best time to really push. Pros: • The visitor doesn’t have to use their own device • More hygienic than a traditional touch screen • Kiosk based sign-in is familiar to most people Cons: • Custom and potentially expensive hardware required • New interaction methods can cause confusion • Possibility of visitors accidentally touching the screen Staff kiosks: If, for many, the current solution is a Test and Trace poster and a pen and paper there will be a large number of businesses in the hospitality sector simply looking for something better than the pen and paper. They won’t be necessarily be looking for an additional way for customers to sign themselves in, rather a better way for their staff to sign their customers in. For these businesses a staff-facing tablet based sign in system could be perfect. Tablet kiosks are small enough to be installed by most entrances without causing any significant problems. The member of staff greeting the customers can then sign the customers in upon arrival - only one person per group needs to be registered so this would not be a time consuming process. In a restaurant, such a solution would also give opportunities for integrations and create a well recorded, smoothly managed tracking system. Customers could be signed in, a table could be registered to the customer / group and a member of staff assigned to the group. All this will help keep track of who has come into contact with whom and can provide useful insights to the business itself. Pros: • Visitor has everything done for them • Inexpensive hardware • Highly secure Cons: • Does not remove any onus from staff Other Considerations: Any of the above systems would require an administration interface. This allows input errors to be corrected, visitor details to be manually added for users unable or unwilling to use the public facing device and a way to export collected data in the event it is required. The administration systems for all of these would be web based so would function on any current device with internet access. Visitor details should be deleted after a certain period in order to be compliant with GDPR. In the case of details kept for test and trace purposes, they should be kept for 21 days. A function to auto- delete visitor data after this period would therefore be highly advisable. Conclusion: This article is intended as a brief overview of some techniques that could be used to facilitate zero-contact sign in systems, their benefits and limitations. Whatever our feelings and opinions about them are, they are here to stay and we would do well to embrace them. People are less willing, and actively advised, against handling communal devices. The increase in the limit for contactless payments is evidence of this. Our messaging, marketing and the synergy between our kiosk hardware and software is important. It is well within our power and ability as an industry to make interactive kiosks part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Hospitality is a key growth area for our industry and we should look at this as an opportunity to make further advances not as a threat to the advances we’ve already made. n zero contact KIOSK solutions 21Ian Crosby Zytronic https://zytronic.co.uk/ The healthcare sector is constantly changing – and there is no time this has been truer than now. Touchscreens are a key part of how this change is occurring in the healthcare sector; we’ve looked at some of the major ways touchscreens are impacting healthcare and discovered the following: touchscreens in healthcare 22 KIOSK solutions how touchscreens are transforming our approach to healthcaretouchscreens in healthcare KIOSK solutions 23 Self-service information point touchscreens improve check-in times in hospitals for 3 in 4 patients and improve wayfinding within hospitals New processes for quickly categorising and diagnosing patients are now possible with touchscreen “reception” desks which improve the efficiency of seeing patients Applications such as touchscreen-enabled bedside terminals and psychiatric care screens are now integral parts of the care systems of many clinics. Hospitals are also beginning to use touchscreens to improve accessibility, including “dimpled” touchscreens for visually-impaired users Touchscreens can considerably improve hygiene when compared to traditional buttons in medical devices and technologies Quickly identifying health needs Touchscreens can also provide a valuable way of asking quick screening questions for patients entering the hospital. This can allow key information s our hcaretouchscreens in healthcare 24 KIOSK solutions to be ascertained immediately upon arrival; for example, if a patient selects the option that they are experiencing flu symptoms, the screen can ask the follow-up question “have you received a flu vaccine in the past 12 months?”. LifeHub, a Hong Kong- based clinic offering specialist, bespoke treatments, recently installed such a system to help identify health needs quickly and efficiently upon entering the building. Ms Candice Chan, Executive Director at LifeHub, said that the new system allowed patients to “identify their health needs in a way they can understand and afford” and described the new technology as “a new personalised consumer health experience” which was transforming the way they approached healthcare. Information screens The implementation of informational touchscreens in hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and other healthcare centres can significantly improve check-in times and help manage the flow of patients in busy hospitals. However, this technology is still not widely implemented in the sector despite its proven efficiency; a study from the California Healthcare Foundation discovered that although 75% of patients felt that checking in via a kiosk was faster than checking in through a receptionist, only 5% of hospitals provided touchscreen check-ins. The use of touchscreens can also help patients to find their way around massive hospitals. A study at Emory University Hospital discovered that wayfinding challenges cost the hospital more than $220,000 per year; however, touchscreen solutions have been proven to assist in this regard. After Boston Children’s Hospital introduced a smartphone app to help visitors with wayfinding, 65% of users said it improved their experience, whilst a study of the 3rd largest UK hospital discovered that over 86% of users who interacted with a touch screen wayfinding monitor found their desired destination without requiring further support. Easy to use and accessible One of the major challenges in healthcare today is making services accessible and user-friendly. One of the solutions the medical sector is currently using to solve this is touchscreens; a touchscreen is something intuitive and simple to use which most users can understand with minimal learning required. With no fixed user interface, these screens can also be continually updated with new user improvements as required. New adaptations to touchscreens in hospitals are even allowing these technologies to aid touchscreens in healthcare KIOSK solutions 25 those with visual impairments. Touchscreens are becoming available which can have dimples and grooves machined into their surface. Together with touch force-sensing technology and audio feedback, these alterations make the screens usable by patients and visitors with sight impairments and accessible to all. Bedside terminals In the busy environment of a hospital or medical centre, information needs to be accessed and recorded as quickly and efficiently as possible by nurses, doctors and other medical professionals. Touchscreen bedside terminals are an easy way for these people to gain access to critical information about a patient as required, especially if a patient is asleep or incapacitated and unable to provide information to a passing member of staff about their state. These bedside terminals have been successfully implemented in many hospitals around the world, allowing for a standard of healthcare not previously possible. In addition, certain touchscreen technologies have been developed to allow interaction whilst wearing latex gloves and other protective gear; these touchscreens are allowing medical professionals to safely access critical information at a speed not previously possible, offering dramatic improvements to patient care especially when time is a critical factor. Psychiatric care The varied uses of touchscreens have even found effective applications in the care of psychiatric patients in acute or long-term care facilities. Recornect, a Dutch mental disability care solutions company, used large, robust touch screens to allow patients to control aspects of their living space such as the ambient lighting, choosing entertainment or making calls to family or members of the medical team. They also allow psychiatric professionals to administer visual rehabilitative treatments safely from another room in a non-confrontational manner. The flush nature of the design means that the system was free from projecting parts, switches, bezels and buttons which could be damaged by aggression or used to self-harm. Hygiene Although hygiene has always been a significant consideration in healthcare facilities, it has never been more vital than now. With the onset of COVID-19, it is now imperative that all aspects of healthcare are as hygienic as possible to help prevent the spread of the virus. Whilst traditional buttons and keyboards still form a large part of hospital infrastructure, for example in reception desks, lift controls and more, these can provide potential hotspots for spreading microbes and harbouring dirt. With the moving parts, nooks and crannies of mechanical buttons, thorough cleaning and disinfection is challenging. However, a suitably designed touchscreen provides a single unbroken interface which can be disinfected quickly and efficiently multiple times a day. Touchscreens are now available made from antimicrobial glass or which have specialist coatings applied. These can impair and, over time, kill microbes on the surface. Together with a regular disinfection regime for the screens, these can help reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses within medical centres. nsolutions Customer Engagement Technology KIOSKNext >