It’s been a busy few weeks for project releases here at INM. On April 16, 2010 we unveiled a new touch screen kiosk that we built for the McGill University Health Center (MUHC). The kiosks are deployed in the emergency rooms of two of their centers to provide patients with an easy way to find clinics and pharmacies in their area. Patients simply enter their postal code and are shown an interactive map with marked locations for nearby resources. The map displays the local transit routes and provides details about the locations, including contact info and hours of operation.
While this was a pretty simple project for us technically, it was an interesting one for us from a user experience design perspective. Creating a kiosk that will be used by people of all ages and skill levels, particularly when they are not feeling their best, is a challenge. We focused on creating a simple, clean interface with targeted functionality. The user’s interactions with the screen are clearly identified and the application uses movement and transitions to help orient the user.
The kiosks are powered by a custom-built rich internet application that uses Adobe AIR. The application also leverages Adobe Flex and Adobe Flash for animation and effects. The kiosks are designed to be completely self-contained to adhere to the hospital’s security policy that prohibits the use of an internet connection or network access.
To see a French demo video of the kiosk in action, visit the the Cyberpresse.ca website.
