`
`Multimedia kiosksin
`retailing
`
`Jennifer Rowley
`
`
`
`Jennifer Rowley is Head of the School of Management
`and Social Sciences at Edge Hill College of Higher Educa-
`tion, Ormskirk, UK.
`
`
`Reviews the very wide potential for the application of
`multimedia kiosks.It isimportant thatall retailing
`organizations understand the scope of these applications
`since kiosks havethe potential for eroding the traditional
`boundaries betweenretailing, banking, education and
`training and the provision of information and advice, both
`to the general public, and also within organizations to
`employees. Potentially, applicationsin many of these
`previously distinct areas could be interlinked. Currently,
`multimedia kiosks are being tested in anumberofdiffer-
`ent applications. Kiosks can be viewed as amedium
`through whichit is possible to inform, educate, train,
`persuadeor perform information-based transactions.
`Their potential attraction in all of these roles consists of
`their relative novelty and the range ofdifferent media
`that can be used to reinforce the message. The future for
`multimedia kiosks remains unclear. The present testsin a
`wide rangeof different application areas should permit
`theidentification of appropriate niches where they can
`achieveat least one of the following: moreeffective
`communication of information; increased sales, showing
`an appropriate return on investment; improvementsin
`customerservice, in environments wherethey are a
`priority.
`
`
`
`International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
`Volume 23 - Number5 - 1995 - pp. 32-40
`© MCBUniversity Press - ISSN 0959-0552
`
`Introduction
`
`Multimedia kiosks are workstations which are
`
`specifically designed for public access. They
`maybe standalone or networked throughto a
`larger computer system. The description
`“multimedia” implies that they present infor-
`mation in a variety of different media, includ-
`ing, for example, text, sound, graphics,
`images and video. The database which con-
`tains this information maybe stored on a
`remote database or on a local optical disk.
`In a numberof environments in whichit is
`
`useful to offer public access to a database, a
`kiosk format with the workstation just display-
`ing a screen to the useris robust and attrac-
`tive. Some kiosks also have keypads and card
`readers, but the most common means of
`communication througha kioskis via a touch
`screen. Multimedia kiosks are an attractive
`
`and interesting means of presenting informa-
`tion, and have been used in advertising,retail-
`ing, banking, education and training and the
`provision of information and advice.
`Multimedia kiosks, together with the com-
`munication facilities of the information super-
`highway, have the potential to redraw many of
`the traditional boundaries both within retail-
`
`ing and betweenretailing and other customer
`service-based businesses. Kiosks can be used
`
`to provide information and advice on goods
`and services and to allow the customerto
`
`execute transactions associated with, for
`instance, purchasing goods and services
`together with banking transactions. T his
`article explores some of the potential and pilot
`applications of multimedia kiosksin retailing
`and identifies the factors that are likely to
`influence the success of such technology.
`
`The potential for multimedia kiosksin
`retailing
`
`Multimedia kiosksare being tested by a num-
`ber of retailers in the USA and the UK, and
`many moreretailers are believed to be testing
`kiosks behind closed doors. They can be
`viewedas a significant advance in in-store
`promotions which have, until recently, relied
`on paper-based product catalogues and pro-
`motional brochures, with all of their attendant
`problems. Norris[1] claims that “the multi-
`media kiosk is the marketing organization’s
`opportunityto regain control over the ulti-
`mate stage in the marketing cycle: the point-
`of-purchase decision”.
`
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`Ex. 1021 - Page 1
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`

`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journalof Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`dennifer Rowley
`
`A recent survey by Group X and Verdict
`Research[2] reported a dismallevel of igno-
`rance of products and disinterest in customers
`among UK shopassistants. By contrast,
`kiosks are knowledgeable, reliable, trustwor-
`thy, quick and never get bored, tired or impa-
`tient. Fundamentally, kiosks are a means of
`providing a wealth of product information,
`tailored to individual needs and presented in
`an interesting and user-friendly fashion.
`Kiosks bring otherwise dull — text-based — lists
`to life with animation, video, stills, graphics,
`diagrams, maps, audio and text. Customers
`can use kiosksto:
`
`retailing in orderto illustrate the range of
`different contexts in which kiosks may find an
`application.
`Catalogue sales organizations have beenat
`the forefront of tests of the new technology.
`Kiosks are a form of multimedia catalogue.
`In the USA,eight cataloguers have been
`involved in a project with MicroMall, a divi-
`sion of the computer software concern,
`Microware. The project commenced in April
`1993. Merchandise is shownin kiosks with
`
`full colour graphics and sound. Consumers
`makeselections througha series of simple
`touch commands on a screen. MicroMall has
`installed 26 video kiosks in hotel and office
`
`Some believe that kiosks are particularly valu-
`able where the consumeris seeking to pur-
`chase a more complex product, such asa fitted
`kitchenor a car. In making such decisions,
`customers require detailed information, which
`the salesperson maynot alwaysbe able to
`provide. Customers will continue to use kiosks
`if they help them to make a more informed
`purchase decision or if they help by saving
`time. More extended customerevaluationwill
`
`allow customers to appraise the effectiveness
`of kiosks onthe basis of these criteria.
`
`* view imagesor videos of the products;
`* compare items;
`lobbies in Chicago,Illinois and Wilmington,
`¢
`find detailed product information, includ-
`Delaware. Althoughsales are reported to be
`ing whetherit is necessary to purchase
`slow, cataloguersare fairly pleased with the
`associated items suchas batteries;
`new project. MicroMallis providing valuable
`¢« determine whether a productis in stock
`information about customers’ shopping
`¢
`locate details of substitute items if a given
`habits. Long-term information gathered from
`productis not in stock;
`this experiment will be used to develop an
`* orderaproduct.
`interactive home shopping presence, either in
`cable television or via telephone lines[2,3].
`In the UK, Argos has beenat the forefront
`of experiments with kiosks and has been
`piloting kiosksin eight of its stores since
`October1993. Sales of alternative products
`and add-ons have increased by more than 50
`percent. Kiosks also offer Argos a way of
`cutting queues at the cash desks. Customers
`no longer have to wait in line onlyto find that
`the product has sold out. Now they can check
`availability at the kiosk, as well as being
`advised about the purchaseof extras and
`payment. All that remains is for customers to
`collect the goods from the pick-up point[1].
`Woolworth’s is using kiosks to market a
`wider range of music and videos.Its kiosks
`offer information on some 12,000 compact
`discs, 4,000 videos and 9,000 audio cassettes.
`Customers work through menus to discover
`whatis available, and can then listen to video
`and audio clips, pay for purchases by credit or
`debit card, and are guaranteed delivery within
`seven days. Thomas Cook is using kiosks to
`“bring holiday destinations to life” using
`video, stills, audio, maps and text. Travellers
`can wanderthrougha destination, looking at
`its main attractions on video and on detailed
`
`From the retailers’ perspective kiosks can:
`¢ be located in-store or elsewhere, and there-
`fore have the potential for offering a 24-
`hour shopping service from a variety of
`different locations;
`allow the retailer to display a wider range
`of products than they canstock at a given
`retail outlet;
`allow retailers to collect customer
`information.
`
`¢
`
`¢
`
`Potentially, marketing organizations can look
`at which products the customerconsiders,
`and identify what is rejected as well as what
`they actually order.
`
`Some examples of the use of kiosksin
`retailing
`
`maps of particular areas, and can check
`hotels, before placing a booking via a live
`video link. In the branch wherethe kiosk is
`
`T his section describes a numberof very
`different applications of the use of kiosks in
`
`being tested, after three months it accounted
`for 48 per cent of bookings[2].
`
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`Ex. 1021 - Page 2
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`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`venniter Rowley
`
`T hresher’s kiosk supports customers in
`their selection of a wine. Customers are
`
`reported to be less embarrassed to reveal their
`tastes in wine to a computerthan they might
`be toa memberof staff.
`
`Marks & Spenceris testing a recipe-based
`kiosk which creates bespoke dinner-party
`menus. Customers input data, such as
`numberof guests, numberof courses and how
`much they want to spend. The kiosk suggests
`complementary wines, prints out recipes and
`instructions, and guides you around the store
`to appropriate ingredients.
`MFI is testing kiosks which support
`kitchen design. A further DIYretailer is
`investigating a package which could support
`room design and decoration.
`Brand-based kiosksare another possibility.
`For example, Zanussi has placed some 600
`information kiosks in white goods’ stores to
`highlight the benefits of its products over
`those of competitors. It claims a 30 per cent
`increasein sales through these outlets. The
`effect of anumberof manufacturers following
`a similar route has yet to be tested[1]. In this
`context, kiosks are being usedto establish a
`more direct link between consumers and
`manufacturers.
`
`Clear examples of the potential for chan g-
`ing the competitive dynamics of specific
`industries are emerging in one or twospecific
`cases. Some believe that drug chains need to
`re-define their position in the marketplace
`and that they can do this by becoming the
`information and communication centres for
`
`health care. One of the tools which drugstores
`might use in this processis in-store informa-
`tion kiosks[4]. Hallmark Card Inc. has recent-
`ly installed the first of more than 1,200 in-
`store computerized kiosks which will enable
`greeting-card buyers to design and print their
`owncustomized work. T his initiative will
`
`support the company in its move towards a
`just-in-time inventory policy which could trim
`the tremendous expensesinvolved in printing
`more than |.1 million cards per day. Hall-
`mark’s Touch-screen Greetings kiosks will
`include an Apple Computer Inc. Macintosh
`Centus 610 and aC D-ROM drive[5].
`Another, more focused, retail application is
`Bell Atlantic Directory Services’ test of an
`electronic Yellow Pages prototype
`system [6].
`The Consumers’ Association (C A) has
`forged anotherinteresting link between retail-
`ing and information provision. It has begun
`
`placing kiosks in garden centres, ostensiblyto
`give customers information about plants. The
`kiosks also market the CA’s series of books
`
`and magazines on gardening. The retailer
`benefits because customers feel more
`
`informed and confident as buyers, and the
`CA benefits from subscriptions. Garden
`centres rent the kiosks from the CA, and £15
`is returned to the retailer for every subscrip-
`tion that is registered.
`This range of examples demonstrates that
`the potential applications of kiosksin retailing
`are numerous and varied. Gifts, luxury goods,
`delicate items, books and music, particularly
`lend themselves to direct electronic selling, as
`do other small items which can be sent conve-
`
`niently through the post. Similarly, bulky
`items, such as furniture or fridges which
`customers expect to have delivered, are other
`candidates. Bookings, financial services and
`other transaction-based activities are also
`
`amenable to kiosks. In other applications,
`such as in food retailing, kiosks may be used
`to support and influence the purchase deci-
`sion.
`
`Kiosks comprise one of a range of new
`technologies whichretailers are investigating.
`These include:
`
`¢ electronic shelf labels;
`°* promotional videos;
`¢
`interactive display systems;
`¢
`interactive POS systems.
`
`The supermarket of the future already exists
`in Windsor, at Anderson Consulting’s Smart
`Store Europe. It includes a barcode readerin
`the larder that automatically registers a
`replacement order when items are removed.
`This informationis transmitted downa tele-
`
`phone line to the supermarket, which either
`delivers the order or prepares it for collection.
`Checkouts are no longer necessary, with self-
`scanning trolleys and personal barcode read-
`ers[2]. IT has the potential to revolutionize
`traditional retailing. Testing kiosks and other
`interactive technology provides retailers with
`an insight to the electronic world of the
`future.
`
`Applications of kiosksin other areas
`One ofthe attractions of multimedia kiosksis
`
`that they can provide information, advice and
`the opportunity to perform service transac-
`tions across a wide varietyof different envi-
`
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`Ex. 1021 - Page 3
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`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journalof Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`dennifer Rowley
`
`ronments. The potential implications of such
`applications for the retailer are twofold:
`(1) Wide use of kiosksin a variety of different
`applications will make the technology
`acceptable and familiar to a wider audi-
`ence.
`
`(2) The boundaries betweenretailing and
`other applications of kiosks maybe erod-
`ed and newbusiness alliances formed.
`
`Potentially the most significant parallel appli-
`cation of kiosksis in the banking and financial
`services industry.
`Banks have been at the forefront of devel-
`
`opments in multimedia kiosks. With their
`experience of anti-theft mechanisms (ATMs),
`they are in a good position to explore new
`types of public access terminals. Banks are
`using kiosks to extend the rangeof services on
`offer to customers, to improve customer
`service and to makeaccess to banking trans-
`actions available in a wider range of locations
`including in-store locations. A typical exam-
`ple of the range of services which can be
`offered is provided by the NRS in-store kiosk
`from NRS Financial Systems Inc., which
`contains the NRS Bankstar Transaction
`
`automated cheque-cashing system, with
`monitors and keyboards built into the com-
`puterspace. Services available from the kiosk
`include payroll cheque cashing for both cus-
`tomers and non-customers, money order
`sales, utility bill forwarding service, Western
`Union money transfers and credit-card cash
`advances[7]. Similarly, Dayton Hudson’s
`Mervyn division has installed AT M-style
`credit kiosks in four of its northern California
`
`stores. The kiosks, called “Mervyn’s
`Express”, performall credit functions for
`existing or new credit customers through
`touch-screen commands. The kiosk gives
`information on account status, balance and
`payment-due date and answers other
`inquiries. Credit limits on existing cards can
`be changed at the kiosks. Customers can
`apply for a charge card through the kiosks,
`using a bank card, an American Express or
`Discover card[8].
`Banksare also recognizing the marketing
`potential of such technology. An increasing
`numberof banksare investing in ATM
`machines, which they can use to promote
`bank products and services to cardholders,
`and also to raise revenue by selling retailers
`advertising space on the ATM screen. Bank of
`America’s Seafirst (Seattle) subsidiary uses
`
`ATMSsto sell stamps,gift certificates and bus
`passes and to check account statements[9].
`In manysituations, thereis a fine dividing
`line between advertising and advice and
`information. CD-ROM has been widely
`adopted as a publishing medium for informa-
`tion of all kinds, including encyclopaedias,
`reference works, directories, full-text databas-
`es and data banks. An increasing numberof
`these CD-ROM products are multi-
`media[10]. It is a small move forward to use
`these and otherlocally or internally produced
`multimedia CD-ROMs in kiosks which are
`
`available to the public. Examples of such
`implementations are numerous,diverse and
`growing. Here we drawtogether a few exam-
`ples for illustrative purposes:
`¢ Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum uses
`multimedia technology to explain what the
`exhibits are, to provide much moreinfor-
`mation thancanprinted labels, and to
`makepieces not currently displayed avail-
`able for viewing as images[11].
`In the state of Maryland, all residents
`eligible for welfare get their benefits elec-
`tronically, drawing from 1,800 ATMs and
`POS terminals at 3,000 grocery stores
`acrossthe state.
`
`¢
`
`¢
`
`Some state and local agencies are deploy-
`ing kiosks in shopping malls, libraries and
`other public areas. These kiosks handle car
`registration, job matching and information
`referrals[12]. A prototype unemployment
`office with self-service kiosks, the Touch
`Illinois systemis the joint project of the
`Illinois Department of Employment Secu-
`rity IDES), IBM’s Advanced Interactive
`Systems Groupand the Interactive Trans-
`action System’s Group at IBM’s T.J. Wat-
`son Research Center[13]. Another public
`service application of kiosks has been
`installed in the front of the municipal
`courthouse in Long Beach, California.
`Two Auto Clerk kiosks, consisting of a
`touch-screen video monitor, a keypad, a
`credit-card reader and deposit bin, lighten
`the load on clerks in the courthouse and
`
`make dealing with the judicial system more
`straightforward[14].
`¢ The US Postal Service is installing the first
`of 10,000 interactive multimedia kiosk
`“Postal Buddies”in the Washington, DC,
`and San Diego, California, metropolitan
`areas. The devices are intended primarily
`to process change of address notifications,
`whichcost the postal service $1.3 million
`
`35
`
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`

`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`venniter Rowley
`
`¢
`
`annually. In addition, the devices can print
`customized businesscards, stationary and
`mailing labels[15].
`Itisasmall step from using kiosksfor
`information provision and advice to their
`use in education and training. A number of
`companies are experimenting with the use
`of multimedia kiosks in education and
`
`trainin g of employees — for example, Digi-
`tal Renaissance and VMI. Employees can
`receive information on video, audio,or in
`graphic and textual formats[16].
`¢ Pacific Bell has developed the “Knowledge
`Link”, which employees use at kiosks to
`access information about changing regula-
`tions at their own convenience[17].
`¢ Saatchi and Saatchi North America Inc.
`
`replaced a standardfile of written employ-
`ee benefit communication documents with
`multimedia kiosks and an interactive voice-
`
`response telephone system capable of
`explaining benefits, handling enrolment
`and modelling future benefits in a quick
`and easy way[18].
`
`Location of kiosks
`
`The location of a multimedia kiosk may be of
`central importance to its function and its
`success.It is therefore appropriate to focus for
`a moment on the issue of location. The most
`obvious location for a kiosk is wherever the
`
`retailer may be able to reach customers or
`clients. One oftheir main advantages in many
`applications is the opportunity to place them
`in locations where the bankor retailer does
`
`not otherwise have a presence. Potential
`locations include:
`
`in-store (the organization’s own);
`*
`in-store (another organization’s store);
`*
`in or outside banks (as AT Ms);
`¢
`in supermarkets;
`¢
`in shopping centres and malls;
`¢
`in libraries and leisure centres;
`¢
`in major tourist attractions;
`¢
`in coffee shops and bars;
`¢
`in hotels, airports and train stations;
`¢
`at trade shows and exhibitions;
`¢
`* on university campuses;
`¢
`in the foyers of office blocks.
`
`In all of these environments, kiosks can be
`viewed as providing an additional attraction to
`customers, and may be welcomed by the
`proprietors of the location as a source of
`additional revenue, an enhanced customer
`
`service on the location and as an opportunity
`to project a more exciting high technology
`image. T hey maybe particularly attractive
`whenthey offer an opportunity to divert the
`customer during the “waiting experience”, as
`in airports and train stations[19].
`T here are, however, hazards in placing
`kiosksin locations other than the home loca-
`tion. Even as a mediumforinformation,
`advice or promotion, it is important that the
`data be tailored to the client group which will
`accessthe kiosks in the given location. More
`significantly, however, if a customer wishes to
`perform a transaction, such as placing an
`order, there must be a mechanismfor order-
`ing, collecting payment and delivery of goods.
`These represent some significant challenges,
`if, for instance, transactions are being per-
`formedin an international arena. Also, in
`such environments, potential users do not
`have available to them personal assistance,
`either to support their use of the kiosk or to
`offer further elucidation about the product.
`It is conceivable that if kiosks become
`
`popular there will be competition for the best
`sites in, say, shopping malls or major super-
`markets. Thisis likely to lead to mutual
`arrangements betweenretailers and banking
`institutions and others which will constrain
`
`available locations for specific players.
`In the first instance, most organizations are
`testing multimedia kiosks in their own stores
`or premises. In-housetesting avoids the need
`to negotiate alternative locations, and facili-
`tates closer observation of howthe kioskis
`
`being used as well as offering opportunities
`for service personnel to support customersin
`their use of kiosks. Banksare the exception:
`they are exploring the placing of kiosks in
`stores and other locations. Other organiza-
`tions maysubsequently seek to learn from
`banks’ experiencesin the location of kiosks.
`
`Databases and the technology
`
`The applications of kiosks involve a range of
`different levels of technological sophistica-
`tion. The basic requirementis a multimedia
`terminal which has a computerwith sufficient
`RAM and either a hard disk ora CD-ROM
`
`and player. In some applications, such as in a
`tourist information office or with a store guide
`which provides a guide to the location of
`products in a store, a standalone configura-
`tion is sufficient. However, in any application
`whereit is necessary for a numberof termi-
`
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`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journalof Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`dennifer Rowley
`
`nals to share access to a database — which
`
`might be real time — some type of networking
`will be necessary. For example, if customers
`are to be allowed to place orders through a
`kiosk, the kiosk must provide access to a
`shared real-time database which indicates
`
`stock levels and can provide estimates of
`delivery times. Typically, this database will be
`held at a central location and communication
`will be via a dedicated data network. Some
`
`organizations already have such networksin
`place to support their POS systems, but the
`increase in traffic on the network triggered by
`the use of multimedia kiosksis likely to
`require an upgrade of the network.
`Kiosks usually have high-resolution screens
`to support the display of images. The user
`interacts via a touch-screen interface. The
`user touches buttons on the screen and there-
`
`byselects specified transactions. Some kiosks
`also have card readers, keypads and
`keyboards. The limitations of touch screens in
`these applications still have to be fully tested.
`The kiosk provides access to a database.
`Arguably, one of the most expensive elements
`of these systems is the creation of a database.
`Databases are expected to include text, audio,
`graphics, images and videos. Videos, particu-
`larly, can be expensive to produceto a profes-
`sional standard. As products and their specifi-
`cations change, all elements of the database
`will need to be updated. Since, in most appli-
`cations, multimedia kiosks will replace other
`systems or paper-based product descriptions
`or catalogues, the information has always
`needed to be available, but the extension in
`the range of media in which the informationis
`stored is likely to increase database creation
`and maintenance costs. In addition, as in any
`situation where an organization moves from
`print-based information to electronic infor-
`mation, the “publishing process” is funda-
`mentally affected. Issues such as the update
`frequencyof the database and the implica-
`tions of such updates for links with the inven-
`tory database need to be addressed.
`
`Factors which will determine the success
`of multimedia kiosks
`
`According to Dataquest, a high-technology
`research firm, the US multimedia sector will
`grow from US$1.9 billion in 1992 to US$9
`billion by 1996[20]. MarketIntelligence
`Corp. further projects that the multimedia
`market will reach US$24billion by 1998[21].
`
`Fox[22] recognizes that “the technology
`remains rare and experimentalin theretail
`industry”. He asserts that one of the factors
`hindering the wider adoption of kiosks is that
`kiosks have no proven return on investment
`(ROI)for retailers. Kiosks, he asserts, are
`used to improve customerservice without
`increasing labour costs; but the notion of
`customerservice improvement may be too
`vague in an industry based on quick bottom-
`line results. He cites the example of Lech-
`mere, which has tested an interactiveself-
`order and payment system called “Lechmere
`Express”. Lechmerefinds it difficult to judge
`whether the orders placed on the kiosks are
`incremental or would have occurred without
`
`the machine’s presence. Lechmere has viewed
`kiosks as a means of gaining com petitive
`advantage by improving its customerservice.
`In some of the non-retail applications
`described earlier, kiosks mayjustify their
`existence by reducing labourcosts or by
`providing an improved channel of communi-
`cation. In all of these contexts, kiosks are
`currently experimental, and attempts to
`measure their success using these parameters
`are fraught with problems. However, more
`fundamentally, the measures of success which
`are based on, for example, return on invest-
`ment are fundamentally flawed. They provide
`only the answer to the question: “Are kiosks
`successful in generating a return on invest-
`ment in this location, with this application
`and the function currently offered by the
`kiosk and underthe current interface design?’
`It is important that tests of kiosks go beyond
`this bottom-line assessment if designers and
`implementers are to learn how to tailor the
`technology to specific applications. Important
`issues which need to be investigated include
`those outlined below.
`
`Customer profile
`A keyissue is: which customers use the kiosks
`and what do they do with them? From a
`retailer’s perspective, kiosks would be judged
`a success if those customers with high spend-
`ing powerused themto assist with purchases,
`yet some useis associated with browsing and
`playing. Only with some basic answers to such
`questions as who will use kiosksis it possible
`to start to consider how the kiosks might be
`made moreattractive to more customers and
`
`their impact broadened. Transaction logging
`can determine the types of search which
`customers perform, but mayyield no infor-
`
`Home Depot
`Ex. 1021 - Page 6
`
`Home Depot
`Ex. 1021 - Page 6
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`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`venniter Rowley
`
`mation on the customerprofile. Although the
`question must then be asked whether brows-
`ing and playing are legitimate uses of kiosksif
`they lead indirectly to sales. Any detailed
`analysis of the design of the interface would
`seek to focus on the “serious” use of the
`
`kiosks which, for instance, supported the
`customer in completing a transaction, or
`locating some information. It is possible to
`link searching on the kiosk directly to orders
`only whenorders are placed via the kiosk.
`However, even in such circumstances it is
`difficult to evaluate the impact of the kiosk in
`the product selection process. Since, further-
`more, customers are unlikely to remember
`their search strategies at a later time, the only
`means of collecting information on this would
`appear to be customersurveysat the point-of-
`use and by sensitively attending to customer
`comments and complaints when they report
`being unsuccessful in the use of the kiosk.
`T here is some evidence to suggest that some
`customergroups arelikely to be resistant to
`the use of such technology. For example,
`Woolworth’s experience is quoted by Nor-
`ris[1]: “we trialed the kiosk systems last year,
`but what we actually found wasthat, although
`the young buying public loved using them,
`they didn’t have the budget to buy much-so
`didn’t justify the cost of the technology”.
`
`have been made available for public use. T his
`is another wayof saying that interface design
`is a continually evolving process. Multimedia
`interfaces, and even GUI interfaces in public
`access environments, are relatively new phe-
`nomena, and this evaluation process has
`therefore only just begun. Richards and
`Robinson[23] maintain that interfaces need
`to be tested, for example, for:
`¢
`top-level functions, including user guid-
`ance, index and search features;
`* operational functions, such as execute,
`break and escape;
`* navigational functions, which deal with
`movement within the database, and
`ergonomic functions, such as the layout of
`screens, the use of colour and terminology.
`
`Although general guidelines are available on
`howthese criteria might be met(see, for
`example, Sneiderman[24]), these need to be
`interpreted and applied in a numberofdiffer-
`ent environments. Indeed, the use and under-
`standing of multimedia information, as dis-
`tinct from information conveyed by text,
`graphics or numbers is a research topic in its
`ownright.
`Evaluation must take account of both the
`functional features of the interface and the
`
`users’ perceptions of the experience of using
`the kiosk. Functional features will determine
`
`whether common searching and browsing
`tasks can be completed efficiently and effec-
`tively. Users’ perceptions will provide an
`indication of the extent to which their expec-
`tations of the kiosk were achieved.
`
`Effectiveness of related services
`
`Location and application
`Success with kiosksis likely to vary signifi-
`cantly from one location and one application
`to another. For example, one UK retaileris
`experimenting with kiosks to display white
`kitchen goods. This is particularly useful
`becauseit usually displays these goods as part
`Kiosks will only ever represent part of the
`ofa complete kitchen, and it can be difficult
`customerexperience. The success of kiosks
`for customers to view the entire range of, say,
`will, for example, depend to some extent on
`cookers whichthe retailer sells. This applica-
`customers understanding which transactions
`tion may be muchless useful for a domestic-
`can be dealt with through the kiosks and
`appliance retailer which was able to display
`which transactions must be dealt with bya
`most of these goods in store and appropriately
`person-to-person exchange. T his interface
`grouped. There is no doubt that the success of
`between kiosks and personalservice will be
`kiosks will depend on the selection of specific
`crucial in many situations. In addition, where
`applications. Equally, the location of the
`kiosks, for example, trigger a further transac-
`kiosks, as discussed in the previous section,
`tion — suchas the ordering of goods or the
`maybeasignificant factor in determining
`success.
`opening of a new bank account — the kioskis
`only the first stage. The qualityof the total
`service includes features such as delivery time
`and the speed with which customers receive
`bank cards so that they canstart to use their
`new account. In summary, kiosks should not
`be seen in isolation, but must be viewed and
`
`Interface design
`The evaluation of interface design must be
`both formative and summative. In other
`words, interfaces must be evaluated both
`during their development and also once they
`
`Home Depot
`Ex. 1021 - Page 7
`
`Home Depot
`Ex. 1021 - Page 7
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`

`Multimedia kiosksin retailing International Journalof Retail & Distribution Management
`
`Volume 23 - Number 5 - 1995 - 32-40
`dennifer Rowley
`
`used as an integral part of the total customer
`service. The interface between thoseparts of
`the customer experience offered by the kiosks
`and those offered by humanintervention
`mustbe largely the responsibility of the
`humanservice agent. Computers have