Kiosks are being used frequently in many museums across the country.
Exhibit designers want to remain competitive by creating engaging exhibits, as exhibits are changed frequently in many museums. Larger museums change their exhibits on a schedule planned years in advance. Kiosks, or "interactives" as they are sometimes called in the museum industry, can give exhibit designers an edge. In museums, the kiosk is often incorporated into an exhibit design.
In the last five years, the kiosk has evolved from being a gimmick to being a necessary aspect of museum exhibits.
Kiosks allow museum visitors to experience more fully objects they're not allowed to touch. It is not always easy to create an interactive program around an artifact. For example, the project may require taking dozens of photos of artifacts at every conceivable angle to create 360 degree representations.
The end result is an interactive kiosk that lets visitors turn a picture of the artifact around to view the front, the back or the bottom, and to zoom in for closer inspection. The software adds another dimension to the item.
Museums are primarily educational in nature and, as such, use CD-ROMs and videos as part of their programs. Kiosks are a natural extension of the interactive CD-ROMs that many museums sell in their gift shops. The educational component is important to keep in mind when it comes to kiosk software design.
SenSee Kiosks works with the museum staff, curators, and exhibit designers to inform them that the same material can be gathered and used in different ways on the kiosk.
One of SenSee Kiosks' biggest roles is helping shape content. While some museums offer little input, others come to SenSee Kiosks with content and the materials needed to produce the software.
SenSee Kiosks staff reviews the very delicate, priceless artifacts, and then translates the ideas and the materials into something usable on a kiosk.