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Digital signage and kiosks get to the heart of things for Halle Heart Children's Museum

Digital signage and kiosks are delivering an interactive heartbeat for a museum dedicated to the human heart, providing interactive guides for a facility that couldn't afford enough full-time staff.

Digital signage and kiosks get to the heart of things for Halle Heart Children's Museum


| by Nicole Troxell — Associate Editor, Networld Media Group

Digital signage and kiosks are providing an interactive heartbeat for a museum dedicated to the human heart.

For almost 20 years, the American Heart Association's Halle Heart Children’s Museum in Tempe, Arizona, was only open for school tours and private groups by appointment. Visitors had to always be guided through the museum by professional tour guides.

A hands-on, interactive cardiovascular learning facility, the museum attracts 30,000 visitors each year, educating children as well as adults on various health-related topics including the benefits of exercise, eating healthy and the importance of not using tobacco products. The teachings are reinforced through various fun, interactive exhibits designed to illustrate how kids can make "heart-healthy choices."

However, when the AHA decided to open the museum doors to the general public this past October, with standard operating hours, they realized it could not afford to staff the facility with full-time tour guides. Instead, it had to come up with a way to establish a self-guided tour experience — one that would continue to help generate interest in the exhibits while also staying within the museum's budget.

"We looked at handheld maps and audio tours, but ultimately we decided a video kiosk tour would be the most child-friendly and the best overall experience," said Len Gutman, the Halle Heart Museum's Director of Philanthropy.

The next challenge: The nonprofit didn't have the monetary resources available for that kind of expenditure. The solution came when Insight Enterprises, an IT company based in Tempe, Arizona, became involved in the project as a corporate partner, providing a grant that would allow the museum to pursue its kiosk ambitions.

In turn, the AHA then collaborated with kiosk manufacturer Meridian to design a robust, customized digital signage kiosk design that factored in the limitations of the museum's budget — and stayed consistent with its project goals. The museum had to consider specific parameters for its content and audience: The kiosks not only needed to be kid-friendly, but also safe and engaging. The AHA required a customized size, display, height and design to accomplish its goals.

Digital Signage Today sister site Kiosk Marketplace turned to the museum's Gutman to discuss in-depth how the AHA worked with Meridian and Insight Enterprises to provide its visitors with a self-guided video tour, starting with a welcome and orientation video, followed by instructions and education for the museum's main exhibits.

Kiosk Marketplace: What do the Halle Heart Children's Museum kiosks offer visitors?

Len Gutman: There are six kiosks installed to provide a self-guided tour containing a short video with information about the museum and details on how to interact with each exhibit.  

KM:What were some of the issues to consider for the design of the kiosks?  

Gutman:Because our museum is for kids, the number-one concern was safety. We chose thin-profile kiosks from Meridian so that we could place them up against walls, and then we had them bolted to the ground so they couldn't be knocked over.

We wanted to be sure the kiosks could be wrapped in a custom design to fit in with the bright and colorful atmosphere of the museum. The Tempe-based company that provided donations for the project also designed a graphic wrap for the kiosks to fit in with the colorful theme of the museum and grab the attention of visitors. The kiosks feature the museum’s mascot Lub Dub dressed as the Red Crusader "superhero."

KM:What concerns, if any, came up in the process of designing customized kiosks?

Gutman:It was very important for us to have kiosks that were kid-friendly, since we are a children’s museum. We were very concerned about choosing the correct height and screen size. Meridian provided sketches and examples from other clients to help us determine the right height for the kiosks.

KM:In considering a children's audience, how did the museum decide on the specs of the kiosk's video display?

Gutman:We wanted large video screens so that multiple kids could gather around and view videos at the same time. We also wanted to be sure the screens were at a good height for kids of all sizes to easily see them, so we had the displays customized to fit a larger screen.

KM:What about the color graphic wraps the kiosks sport – how were those accomplished?

Gutman: Insight has an internal creative-services department, and they came out to tour the museum and then provided several concepts for the wraps. We had a staff vote from among the top three, and the winner was the comic-book theme.

KM:What kind of software does the museum use for the kiosks?

Gutman:We decided not to buy software for now. Instead, we're using the “kiosk mode” built into the Google Chrome browsers running on each kiosk. This was primarily a cost decision, but also we knew we had very limited requirements at launch — and that simplicity was the key off the bat.

KM:What is the process like for a nonprofit such as the American Heart Association looking for a kiosk and needing to stay within a budget?

Gutman: We received bids from several kiosk manufacturers, but Meridian was willing to customize the size based on our needs; in fact, they came to the table with customization ideas. Also, they were flexible on pricing, knowing that we were a nonprofit and that our funding was coming from a donation.


Nicole Troxell

Nicole’s work has appeared in business, education, technical, and travel publications. She is currently the editor of QSRweb.com and PizzaMarketplace.com.

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