The Ocean Today Kiosk

By Maggie Sinkler and Lizzy Wesley

What is the Ocean Today Kiosk?

• Interactive kiosk that attempts to increase ocean awareness in aquarium visitors. (1)o "ocean literacy" (2)

• First installed in Smithsonian in 2008. (3)• Installed in Georgia Aquarium August 16,

2010.o attempted to fix issues of previous models

such as sound, comfort, content, and monitor sensitivity. (4)

Fish, Penguins, Sailing! Oh My.

• Video Categorieso Fix the Ocean o Research o Exploration o Marine Lifeo Danger Zoneo Go Fisho Featured

Pre-Research Research

• Smithsonian Institution o Visitors asked for seatingo More information for particular videoso More interactivity (6)

• John G. Shedd Aquarium and National Mississippi Museum and Aquarium o 12 responses to take home surveyo Hard to hear (sound focused speakers)o screen not immediately responsive (1)

5-ish Questions

1. Did the creators of the new version of the Ocean Today kiosk correct the flaws seen in the previous studies conducted at the Smithsonian and Mississippi Aquarium?

2. How can we make the survey process less daunting and what kind of questions should we ask? Should questions vary based on crowd size?

3. Are participants engaging with the kiosk while learning and retaining new information about the oceans?

5-ish Questions (cont.)

4. Is the kiosk in the right location, based on the number of visitors and their opinion? Are the sound and lighting conducive to kiosk use? Is the kiosk easy enough to use? Are the videos informative and are they the right length?

5. How does interaction time vary with the type of day, ex. weekend versus weekday, holiday etc.? What kind of people (old versus young, male versus female, Georgia natives versus out of state/country visitors) does the kiosk attract?

The Hypothesis

• The results of our surveys at the Georgia Aquarium will display the same results as the Smithsonian and the Shedd Aquariums.

• Results from Smithsonian and Shedd:• Problems: comfort, content, sound, lighting,

sensitivity, and interactivity• Will the new model correct this?

The Many, Many Methods

• Initial Meetingo Names and suggestionso Who to survey?

• Orientation o Necessary?

• Meeting with Roger (our project "advisor")

• Our survey!o http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z53TWKN

More Methods

• Technology• Take Home Survey?• iPads and Hotspots

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/products/large/126/1300358445apple_ipad2_black_01.jpg?1312559901http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-

WpbaKVWMoOY/TcRAHSqY2TI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/bUDkvSDWmsc/s1600/hotspot_mikrotik.jpg

Even MoreMethods

• The old fashioned way

Figure 1

Total Number of People who Stopped at Kiosk versus those who passed the Kiosk

Figure 2

Age Distribution of People who Interacted with the Kiosk

Figure 3

Kiosk Interaction Enjoyment

Figure 4

Effectiveness of the Kiosk Sound System

Figure 5

Seating Addendum

Figure 6

What Video Did You Watch?

Figure 7

Number of Videos Watched

Number of Videos Watching In Respect to Larger Categories in the Kiosk

What do the Numbers Mean?

1. Figure 1: Passed vs. Stoppeda. range: 4.69%-8.35% stopped

b. Time spent at kiosk2. Figure 2: Age Group

a. under 18 majority

b. touch screen interest3. Figure 3: Video Enjoyment

a. Why did those 7 not like it?4. Figure 4: Sound

a. 31% identified issues with other monitor's sound systems interfering

What do the Numbers Mean?

5. Figures 5: Seatinga. Standing preferred

6. Figures 6 and 7: Video Viewinga. Monitor positioning

Support or Reject?

• Using our original five questions as well as our own observations while surveying at the aquarium, we have collected evidence to support our hypothesis.

Research Question 1

1. Did the creators of the new version of the Ocean Today kiosk correct the flaws seen in the previous studies conducted at the Smithsonian and Mississippi Aquarium?

Review of Problems Identified: sound, comfort, content, and monitor sensitivity

What did we fix?

Comfort SoundSensitivityContent

Research Question 2

2. How can we make the survey process less daunting and what kind of questions should we ask? Should questions vary based on crowd size?

iPad vs paperSmiles"quick" and "easy"

Research Question 3

3. Are participants engaging with the kiosk while learning and retaining new information about the oceans?

We didn't answer this question.

Why?"Oh no, I hope this is not a quiz."

Research Question 4

LocationSound LightingUsability Length4. Is the kiosk in the right location, based on the number of visitors and their opinion? Are the sound

and lighting conducive to kiosk use? Is the kiosk easy enough to use? Are the videos informative and are they the right length?

Research Question 5

5. How does interaction time vary with the type of day, ex. weekend versus weekday, holiday etc.? What kind of people (old versus young, Georgia natives versus out of state/country visitors) does the kiosk attract?

Interaction time with type of day: slight variation if anyAge Trends: over 50% of kiosk interactions were with

visitors 18 years or youngerLocation Trends: over 50% Georgia natives

most exotic natives: Australia and Canada

So, Support or Reject

Major problems we identified with the Georgia Aquarium Kiosk

LocationSoundVideo LengthContent

3 out of 4 were mentioned in previous reports

Therefore, our results support our hypothesis as the same issues that existed at the Shedd Aquarium are still present at the Georgia Aquarium.

Advice to Other Aquariums and the Georgia Aquarium

• Location, Location, Location

• Improve sound quality

• Make videos short and sweet

The Aquarium Challenges

• Communication• Time/Money Consuming• Technology Accessibility • No Formal Meetings, No Structure

http://www.lavantgarde.com/media/catalog/category/49.jpghttp://cdn.briansolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/direct_communication_marketing.jpg

What Next?

• Continue Surveying• Better Surveying Technique • Make Technology More Accessible

http://www.eastaffingservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/survey-form.gif

What Does it All Mean?

• Tell other aquariums our results to help them improve their kiosks!

• The kiosk is a great addition to any aquarium to help increase visitors "ocean literacy."

http://conservationreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/ocean-acidification.jpg

Bibliography1. Beaumont, Lorrie, Ed.D. Evaluation of Ocean Today Kiosk for John G. Shedd Aquarium and National Mississippi Museum and Aquarium. Research rept. N.p.: Evergreene Research and Evaluation, 2011. Print.

2. Coastal America. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.coastalamerica.gov/>.

3. Morris-Zarneke, Kim. "Introduction to Ocean Today Kiosk." Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta, Georgia. Nov. 2012. Lecture.

4. Montiel, Roger, Jr. "Introduction to Ocean Today Kiosk." The Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta, Georgia. Nov. 2012. Lecture.

5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Ocean Today Kiosk. 2012. Kiosk with touch screen. Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta.

6. Neves, Carole, Ph.D. Ocean Today Kiosk: Final Summary Report. Research rept. N.p.: n.p., 2010. Print.

7. Ocean Today. NOAA, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://oceantoday.noaa.gov/ welcome.html>

8. "Visitor and Public Research." Association of Zoos and Aquariums. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.aza.org/visitor-and-public-research/>.