Design in clear Scandinavian themes The designer behind the stylistically pure and almost artistically floating Information Kiosk is a Dane by the name of Claus Nielsen. He is a man firmly rooted in the Scandinavian design tradition with its propensity for simplistic forms and light, cool materials.
Educated as an architect specialising in acoustics, Claus Nielsen has since the 1990s devoted himself to industrial design. “The First Impression Info Kiosks are produced in Denmark in a very strong and durable material. Right from the start I focused on durability. The Info Kiosks are intended for many different environments where they must stand the strain of being in use around the clock, 365 days a year,” says Claus Nielsen about his registered design, which he began to sketch in themid-90s.
“I also wanted the Info Kiosk to appear as slimline as possible. That is why I gave it the characteristic backward-pointing lines that give it the appearance of being suspended in the air.”
Claus Nielsen further explains that, to stress the impression of lightness, he has emphasised the front of the Info Kiosk, but toned down everything behind it.
“If this had been an ordinary computer for personal use, the design would have been a failure,” Claus Nielsen claims. He argues that a PC is not expected to last for years, while this is certainly the case with an Info Kiosk of this type. “So apart from the aesthetic impression the big mantra was that the Info Kiosk must be able to run for days on end without breakdown,” Claus Nielsen states.
USED FOR A NEW DANISH PORTAL
Apart from their exclusive design, the Info Kiosks from First Impression also feature user-friendly and reliable computer technology.
These characteristics attracted the attention of the Danish Pharmacy Association when, over a year ago, they decided to buy First Impression’s Info Kiosk for their nation-wide project to install them with a custom-built information portal at the pharmacies as a free customer service.
Poul Bundgaard, chairman of the Association, explains: “We finally decided on First Impression as the supplier for our project, because they met the numerous criteria we’d specified. They included a smart design, a user-friendly interface with touch screen technology that makes it easy to implement and update the custom-built info portal of sundhed.dk (now an independent company) and, finally, optimum accessibility. The Info Kiosk must be easily accessible, whether the user is elderly, walking-impaired or in a wheelchair.
Moreover, as DataPharm Manager Henrik Fabricius points out, design and quality must be of the highest standard throughout. “We are responsible for the technical maintenance and operation of the installations in the Info Kiosks now being mounted also at hospitals and public administration offices.
The Info Kiosks must be able to run without breakdown. And although they did have some teething trouble at first, they now seem to be in the best of health.
With First Impression we have the support of a competent advisor. As the producer they ensure that quality processes run according to plan. They also provide efficient support and deliver spare parts as soon as they are needed.”
Henrik Fabricius adds that in DataPharm’s choice of Info Kiosk it was essential to purchase a future-proof product that is easy to upgrade, for instance when faster performance or more power is needed.
“In itself, that is a very sound reason for having a strong development firm like First Impression behind you,” states the manager of the pharmacies’ IT supplier.