ABSTRACT

The electronic kiosk, sometimes also called the multimedia kiosk or the interactive multimedia kiosk (IMK), is perhaps the most modest and unassuming of all interactive platforms. Essentially, electronic kiosks are simply booths or other small structures that offer the user an easy-to-operate computerized service, often via a touch screen. Kiosks are so universal and so much a part of our everyday landscape that we barely give them a second thought, though we are constantly using them to obtain cash, buy gas, or find books in the library. Yet these PlainJane devices are capable of supporting some surprisingly creative projects, and can be transported into excellent vehicles for entertainment or infotainment. In a way, they are a bit like an electronic version of Cinderella-the scorned stepchild who metamorphoses into a beautiful young woman when her fairy godmother dresses her up for the ball.