CastNET Touch Screen Kiosks Inform Prospect Students at UW Stout
One of the significant challenges for any university or college is recruiting new students. Admissions Departments know that a critical event during the recruiting process is the campus visit made by the prospective students and their parents. The Admissions Department at University of Wisconsin Stout found a unique way to keep students and parents informed and entertained during campus visits by installing several touch screen kiosks running CastNET Digital Signage Software.
University of Wisconsin Stout
The University of Wisconsin Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University located in Menomonie, WI. It is located about an hour east of St. Paul, MN. It has over 9000 undergraduate and graduate students and hosts over 4000 prospective student visits during the year.
As the Admissions Office reviewed a typical student visit, they noticed that there was usually some down time for students and parents as they waited in the lobby of the admissions office before or after a campus tour. This was time when the visitors could be learning more about the university. After brainstorming several alternatives, the Admissions Department decided to install two interactive, touch screen kiosks in the lobby.
Selecting CastNET Digital Signage
The crucial step in the successful implementation of the kiosks was selecting the digital signage software. After evaluating a number of software packages from around the world, UW Stout selected CastNET Digital Signage software from Alpha Video & Video, Inc. in Edina, MN. Commenting on the selection, Melissa Perez, Marketing Coordinator for Admissions, said, “We were looking for digital signage software that had a large number of templates which could be customized for a touch-screen application. We were also impressed by CastNET’s list of satisfied touch-screen customers.”
Perez reported that CastNET has been easy to manage and update. “Adding content to CastNET is easy to learn since as a web-based package, it is similar to the content management system for our website. I also like the authorization and security features of CastNET. The Admissions Office has several Mid-Administrators who create content and some departments like Athletics, Campus Life, Grad School and Campus Communications also have a Mid-Administrator. All of the content created and scheduled by the Mid-Administrators must then be approved by a Super Administrator to ensure accuracy and appropriateness of the content”
Perez continued, “Another important factor in selecting CastNET was the services and support that Alpha Video could provide to us to make the installation successful. Alpha Video’s account executive, Scott Johnson, consulted with us on the networking of the digital signage system and their Creative Service Department was instrumental in designing the content for the touch-screens.”
Alpha Video Creative Services
Commenting on the creative services provided by Alpha Video, Perez said, “We had storyboarded the content that we wanted to present to our visitors on the kiosks, but after meeting with Alpha Video Creative, we scaled down the content dramatically. We focused on the essential information about life on campus and the community, majors and classes offered and campus way-finding directions.”
Joshua Hoffert, Associate Director of Alpha Video Creative, commented, “We’ve consulted with a number of large clients about designing touch screen kiosks and they usually start off mistakenly thinking that they want to place their website on the kiosk. The home page for a kiosk is a different design than the website home page. It should include large buttons which are easily selected with a finger and the information should be stripped down and simplified so it can be easily read by someone who is standing.”
Perez concluded by saying, “We’ve been extremely pleased with the kiosks in the Admissions lobby. They are constantly being used by the visitors to our office. We plan to install two more kiosks in the near future, one in the new science center and one in the student center. I’ve been especially pleased as I walk by the kiosks to see the number of students who are using the kiosks to learn about the specific courses that are offered by each department. We are obviously attracting students to UW Stout who are interested in learning about the level of academic success they can enjoy here.”
