When is a project Digital Signage and when is it a Kiosk?

That is the question that was posed to exhibitors of the recent KioskCom show in October by Mark Freed of JD Events, the show promoter. It was a good question and there is often a blurring of the line between the two. Historically, Digital signage was on LCD or Plasma panels and mounted high on a wall, while Kiosks were various computer screens from 8 to 19 inches in size and were usually touch screen interactive. But these days with LCD technology that has become cheaper and more common place, and the use of touch overlays that are capable of being used on 42 to 60 inch screens... you will now often find that digital signage is interactive, and essentially a very large screen kiosk. Or is it?

Digital signage can be interactive, and I think that is what determines what you "title" your project. Digital signage management tools often limit the amount of full programmable interaction you can create to accomplish your goals. After all, the main difference between kiosk management software and digital signage management software is that DS tools allow for scheduling of content into predefined zones or templates. A kiosk application is not expecting "scheduled content" and the way that information is laid out on screen can be most anything imaginable. So if you are running a system with a digital management tool you should think of your application as "digital signage" or perhaps "interactive digital signage". If you are using a kiosk management tool... well... it could be a kiosk... you could also be simple digital signage. It's confusing, I know... even for those of us in the industry, the lines between them are grey.

Some digital signage management tools such as Scala are highly programmable, and allow for integration of Javascript, VbScript or Python scripting to extend the dynamic content from a database. Not all management tools allow for this level of robust flexibility, most are much simpler and yet I'd hesitate to use Scala tools for a kiosk project. Scala is also dramatically more expensive than simpler digital signage management tools, which means that it is often used for enterprise level signage.

As for the initial question: "When is a project Digital Signage and when is it a Kiosk?"... the show made it a contest for exhibitors to come up with an interesting answer. Below are some of those answers. The winner was Dr. Robert DeVargas, CFO of Eternal Interactive, LLC who made his answer a bit of prose which I enjoy:

Is it signage or a kiosk? The answer’s tricky to tell;
For everything a kiosk is, the signage is as well.

There is one trait to ponder, that may put this to rest;
It’s not how each one functions, but how they’re used the best.

For it’s signage at a distance, for many eyes to see;
But when a user’s on it, a kiosk it must be.

Thanks Dr. DeVargas for a good quippy response. Below are some of the other responses:

“Digital Signage is a Kiosk when it’s message contains a call to action that can be immediately acted upon by interacting with the same sign.”
Jeff Brinson Presentation Concepts Corporation

Kiosks and digital signage share the same mandate of attracting, engaging and communicating with today’s hi-tech consumer offering everyone universal and ubiquitous access to the benefits of the digital economy. This new culture of fast paced individuals who manage their lifestyle through technology, who seek communication through integration and networking, who want to stay connected, empowered, inspired, who thrive in social networks, gaming and chat rooms, who have created a “digital fortress” against traditionalism have indeed spawned the age of the kiosk and digital signage as a means of meeting their unique needs for digital engagement in the public sector.
Doug B Matatall
President
iPhoenix Corporation

When is a kiosk digital signage? When you see it hanging 10 feet off the ground where you can’t touch it. (good for physical security concerns, bad for interactivity).
Tim Burke (author of this blog)

Q: When Is A Kiosk Digital Signage?
A: A kiosk is digital signage when it is networked to other kiosks and large-format displays, and showcases digital content in any form. Additionally, a kiosk qualifies as digital signage if it is tightly integrated with, and strategically complements, a digital out-of-home media network, regardless of its size, placement, or environment. Finally, if consumers can’t tell the difference, and respond positively to displayed content, then the kiosk is digital signage. Today, marketers do not need to choose one or the other. Rather, cost-effective kiosk and digital signage applications may be seamlessly deployed side-by-side, and work closely together to stimulate consumer behavior.
- Ian McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer
Dynamax Technologies.

‘When you can attach a ROI and you know what channel the sale came from”.
Lou Boudreau
National Accounts Manager
SkyMall Corporate Office

Kiosks changing self-service: Kiosk Cell Phone Interaction Follow Up

Kiosks changing self-service: Kiosk Cell Phone Interaction Follow Up