Timelines and information kiosks · For office managers, volunteers and the person who ends up in charge of the screen
How to make a touchscreen kiosk with a browser and your own content
A kiosk is a touchscreen that opens one site full screen and stays there. If your screen runs a current web browser, you can set one up yourself. The harder part is the content.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
How do you make a touchscreen kiosk?
To make a touchscreen kiosk, you need a touchscreen that runs a current web browser, a site to show, and the browser set to open that site full screen at start-up. HistoryShowcase supplies the site: build it in the editor, pair the screen with a code, and run it full screen or as an installed app.
Updated
- Made for
- Office managers, volunteers and the person who ends up in charge of the screen
- Where it goes
- Front entrance, Waiting area, Event space
- Layouts
- Timeline, Portrait gallery, Photo gallery
- Visitors can filter by
- Season, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
The screen is the easy part
Plenty of organizations already own a touchscreen, or can get one, and assume a kiosk needs special equipment or a custom app. Usually it doesn’t. A kiosk is a touchscreen with a current web browser that opens one site full screen and returns to it after a restart. What makes it worth walking up to is what’s on it.
Making a touchscreen kiosk yourself means splitting the job in two. You place and mount the screen; HistoryShowcase gives you the site, with collections visitors tap through, search, larger text and reduced motion settings, and offline saving when it runs full screen or as an installed app. If you’d rather hand the whole thing to one vendor, a turnkey package is a reasonable choice.
Should you make a touchscreen kiosk or buy a turnkey kiosk package?
| What matters | Turnkey kiosk package | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| What arrives | Screen, stand and software set up together | You choose the touchscreen and the mount or stand |
| Setup effort | Little: it comes ready to switch on | Some: browser, pairing and start page |
| Who fixes it | The vendor, if support is part of the package | You, or your own IT person |
| Using a screen you own | Usually built around the vendor’s own unit | Any touchscreen with a current browser |
| Changing the content | Through the vendor’s tools | In the editor, from any computer |
What a do-it-yourself kiosk needs
A touchscreen with a current browser
An all-in-one touchscreen or a touch display with a small computer. What matters is a current web browser that can run full screen.
Full-screen or installed-app mode
Open the site full screen or install it as an app so visitors see your content, not browser controls.
A start page
Save the site’s start address in the kiosk browser’s start-page setting so it comes back after a restart.
Offline saving
Running full screen or as an installed app, the kiosk saves the live site and keeps the last complete version if an update fails.
Content worth tapping
A home screen of four or five collections with stories, photos and names visitors can search.
A sensible spot
Power, a network signal, no direct sun on the glass and a height people can reach.
A simple kiosk site to start from
Don’t try to put everything on day one. Three collections with good photos make a better kiosk than ten thin ones.
Your siteTouch to Explore
- ProductionsTimeline
Every season in order, each show its own story.
- ArtistsPortrait gallery
Performers and directors with short profiles.
- The buildingPhoto gallery
Then and now photos of the space, captioned with years.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Season
- Year
What are the steps to make a touchscreen kiosk?
Pick the screen and the spot
Use a touchscreen that runs a current web browser. Place it near an outlet with a network signal, out of direct sunlight, at a comfortable reaching height.
Build the content
Start at /start in any browser with no account, add three or four collections, and check Preview. Create an account when you’re ready to save and share.
Pair and lock it in
On the touchscreen, enter the pairing code from the editor (two words and four digits, used once within ten minutes) or a reusable display code, run it full screen and save the start address as the browser’s start page.
Where should a homemade kiosk go?
- Front entranceVisitors see it on the way in and come back while they wait.
- Waiting areaPeople with a few minutes to spare are the ones who tap.
- Event spaceWheel the screen on a stand to wherever the crowd is.
Do-it-yourself kiosk questions
What kind of touchscreen do I need?
One that runs a current web browser and can show it full screen. HistoryShowcase doesn’t sell screens, so you can use one you already own.
Do I need special kiosk software?
No special player. Open the site’s web address in the browser and run it full screen or as an installed app.
What happens when the kiosk restarts?
If the site’s start address is saved in the browser’s start-page setting, the kiosk opens your site again after a restart.
What if the internet goes down?
Running full screen or as an installed app, the kiosk saves the live site for offline use and picks up new edits when it reconnects.
We aren’t a school. Does that matter?
HistoryShowcase was built for schools, so setup asks for a school name and colors. Enter your own organization’s name; the kiosk setup is identical.
