government     central gov     e-government

Kiosks designed for social inclusion

NeoProducts explores how Jobcentre Plus maximised on design aesthetics, engineering reliability and social requirements in their Jobpoint solutions

In consultation with and using guidelines laid down by Jobcentre Plus and EDS, NeoProducts embarked on a design process to deliver an interactive platform for an automated job search facility.

Throughout the development of this project, Neo was responsible for the design, engineering and manufacture of the resultant Jobpoint kiosks. The strategic combination of design and manufacture created an exceptional resource, offering significant advantages not otherwise provided by information technology manufacturers. This approach ensured that the Jobpoints exactly met the requirements of Jobcentre Plus. NeoProducts was able to extend that design capability to match the aesthetic layout and décor of the environment in which the units were to be deployed.

Design Ethos
NeoProducts’ design ethos incorporates industrial, electronic, mechanical and creative design. This ensured that all aspects of product design, development and manufacture for the Jobpoint were addressed in a thoroughly disciplined and professional manner. As a result, the Jobpoint terminals were manufactured incorporating all aspects of design quality, attractiveness, ergonomic appropriateness, safety, robustness, ease of maintenance, fit for purpose, and value for money.

Key to this is the philosophy that quality is built into the kiosks at every stage of the development process. NeoProducts’ Quality Management System has been ISO approved since 1994 and was recently upgraded in 2002 by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance to international standard ISO 9001:2000, covering both design and manufacture.

Building for Social Inclusion
At the heart of the design of any kiosks provided by NeoProducts is a full understanding of the client requirements. It was important for the Jobpoint to be suitable for use by all individuals and thereby satisfy the goals of social inclusion and empowering the citizen to help themselves. This included being easy to use, self-serviceable and useable by 100 per cent of the community.

A fundamental element of this was its suitability for use by disabled users. The side mounted display module enabled easy wheelchair access. The Jobpoints equally needed to help Jobcentre Plus by enhancing the jobseekers experience, and enabling staff to spend quality time with their clients.

Engineered to Last
As a result of the principles adopted above, the Jobpoint is an attractive, robust design. It has been highly engineered using cost efficient techniques that do not compromise its aesthetics, performance and reliability. It incorporates a number of sophisticated features including The Guardian, a kiosk enhancement module capable of monitoring the key functions of the kiosk and automatically alerting of any found faults. It is also capable of allowing timed and remote start up and shut down. The kiosk is designed with the ability to be disassembled into a number of discreet modules in the field, within minutes. This operation can be carried out using minimal tools and in most cases no tools at all. Most importantly, the Jobpoint is easy to install and to maintain. With a modular, front access serviceability is painless.

Going Forward
Following on from this initiative, NeoProducts has continued to be an active participant within the central and local government environment, delivering keynote speeches at touring seminars and presenting at forums focused on the future of technology in the employment services. Similarly, this product is now being used and monitored by a number of other government agencies throughout the world.

To date, Jobcentre Plus in the UK has implemented a network of over 9,000 kiosks in 1,100 locations throughout the UK.

For further information visit www.neoproducts.co.uk