Editing Interactive kiosk (section)

{{Short description|Public computer terminal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}

[[File:Sauerlandstammtisch-Infoterminal1-Asio.JPG|thumb|250px|An Internet kiosk in [[Hemer]], [[Germany]]]]
[[File:Cyosce Interactive Kiosk - Pemerintah Kabupaten Sula Indonesia.jpg|alt=Cyosce Interactive Kiosk - Pemerintah Kabupaten Sula Indonesia|thumb|Cyosce Interactive Kiosk - Pemerintah Kabupaten Sula, Indonesia]]
[[File:Denton House LI 03 - Order kiosk.jpg|thumb|A [[McDonald's]] self-service kiosk in [[Nassau County, New York]]]]
An '''interactive kiosk''' is a [[computer terminal]] featuring specialized hardware and software that provides access to information and applications for communication, commerce, entertainment, or education.

By 2010, the largest bill pay kiosk network was AT&T, which allowed for phone customers to pay their bills. Verizon and Sprint have also introduced similar units over time.
[[File:Kiosk self service payment.jpg|thumb|Payment kiosk]]
Early interactive kiosks sometimes resembled [[telephone booth]]s, but have been embraced by retail, food service, and hospitality to improve customer service and streamline operations.  Interactive kiosks are typically placed in the high foot [[traffic]] settings such as shops, hotel lobbies, or [[airport]]s.

The integration of technology allows kiosks to perform a wide range of functions, evolving into self-service kiosks. For example, kiosks may enable users to order from a shop's catalog when items are not in stock, check out a library book, look up information about products, issue a hotel key card, enter a [[public utility]] bill account number to perform an online transaction, or collect cash in exchange for merchandise. Customized components such as coin hoppers, [[bill acceptor]]s, card readers, and [[thermal printer]]s enable kiosks to meet the owner's specialized needs.