According to data from Statistics Korea and insights from the retail industry, as of 2023, approximately 2.62 million individuals in Korea were employed in sales, marking a decrease of 60,000 compared to the preceding year. The retail sector, a significant employer of sales personnel, witnesses a persistent decline in both the number of stores and employed staff, with unmanned checkouts, kiosks, and service robots progressively replacing human workers. In the accompanying image, a kiosk is showcased at a cafe located in Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 25 (Korea Bizwire) –The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has announced the launch of the ‘Kiosk UI Platform’ starting March 26, aimed at simplifying the development of accessible kiosks that ensure information access for the elderly and disabled communities.
To create user-friendly kiosks for all citizens, the MSIT has established UI design principles and developed an integrated UI development support tool, forming a comprehensive kiosk UI platform that manufacturers and operators can utilize free of charge.
The platform categorizes services into four main types: retail, ordering, ticketing, and information/others, providing ‘UI Guides’ with consistent design guidelines tailored to each service category.
In addition to offering audio guidance, Braille displays, and sign language instructions for users with hearing or visual impairments, the platform also supports a low-profile mode to accommodate wheelchair users.
The ‘UI Resource’ section provides copyright-free icons, sounds, and templates commonly used on kiosk screens to streamline development.
To promote the ‘Prioritized Procurement of Intelligent Information Products’ policy, whereby government agencies prioritize purchasing accessible products, the MSIT plans to regularly provide up-to-date product information through the Kiosk UI Platform.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
