On 30 Apr 2012, at 12:38, Michael Stocking wrote:
>
> The former can be an off-the-shelf item (HP, Acer etc make touchscreen PCs, and the freestanding kiosks are available from many vendors), but the application that you run on it will likely be a bespoke application, and this is the "complicated" bit. You can't just choose and install this software.
That's pretty much why we use internet technology to base our 'software' on - we're *just* building websites and they'll run fine on a touch screen, the design of the user interface just needs a little extra thought.
Our kiosks are intranet web browsers, our software an intranet web application, which means that the exhibition created from the collection data can be used internally on kiosks, touchscreen or otherwise and externally on the web and even on CD/DVD for portability or promotional use.
I'd say that the most underestimated element of any scheme "to enable visitors to browse objects etc. in our collections not normally
on show." is not the hardware, nor the software, but the time and resources required to digitise, catalogue and interpret sufficient objects to make an exhibition dense enough to be engaging, but attractive enough for the casual browser.
Interesting discussion.
:)
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