Navigating the Divide: Digital Kiosks and Mobile Apps as Complementary Human-Centered Self-Service Technologies

This work sheds light on the effectiveness of digital kiosks in targeting specific audiences in contrast to centrally managed mobile phone applications. To this end, we have conducted a case study where a digital kiosk was developed to support the academic activities of the computer science department. Our results show that the students continue to use the mobile phone application. However, the digital kiosk added the following main benefits to the service: Firstly, being in a physical location and thanks to their larger screens, digital kiosks are ‘eye-catching’ devices, which makes them ideal for advertising products/services or communicating relevant information. Secondly, they are brilliant points of attraction. By seeing other people standing in front of any of them, members of the target audience are encouraged to imitate them, even if they did not have the intention to do so. Thirdly, even if the services are available from a mobile phone application, some people do not wish to create an account, download and install the application on their devices, and/or give permission to it, which can potentially invade their privacy and security. Lastly, and equally important, digital kiosks are human-centered technologies that can be more appealing to people who seek social interactions. With this, we conclude that digital kiosks cannot replace mobile phone applications. Rather, they are further technologies that enhance self-service overall.