Interactive kiosks to tour Ohio's historic and cinematic Mansfield Reformatory

Visitors to Mansfield Reformatory, a historical and cinematic Ohio prison (EU) You can participate with your opinions, see 3D maps and learn about its history with interactive kiosks, vintage style, de DRM Productions.

Mansfield Reformatory is a landmark in the Ohio city's history, in the Great Lakes region of the United States, and one of the biggest tourist attractions frequented by visitors, cinephiles (has appeared in four major Hollywood films, like 'life sentence') and researchers of paranormal environments from all over the world who want to tour this majestic facility.

This center, that opened its doors in 1886 as a prison for young offenders, It is now a tourist-historical attraction in which educational tours are also carried out and in whose Guard Room all types of events and business events are held..

The magnitude of this historic and cinematographic building has motivated different tours to be carried out and the need to install interactive guidance and digital signage systems., to also involve visitors in the tour, depending on the area you want to know, through interactive kiosks from the North American firm DRM Productions with an adapted design (vintage) to the characteristics of the place.

DRM is responsible for producing and updating the content for the eight interactive kiosks located at strategic points in the prison., in which the history of the same is shown, of its officials and inmates; 3D maps so that visitors can guide themselves on their tour.

Challenges accomplished

Yes ok, The installation of these kiosks and their connectivity for the transmission of images and content has not been easy, since the prison was closed in 1990, and after carrying out some renovations there were still spaces that were “taken over by animals.”, “that they had made their nests and dens and prevented the correct deployment of wiring or ate it”, point from DRM.

Added to this were moisture leaks., the dirt, the lack of electricity outlets in many areas and the lack of air conditioning systems, among other difficulties, such as the size of the building itself and a limited budget, which did not facilitate the use of the Internet for the distribution of content either..

DMR's option has been for each electronic kiosk to be managed independently of the rest to protect the electronics, ensure its operation and update it more quickly.

Another challenge has been the collection of images of the prison and testimonies to enrich the contents., since the list of guards and inmates who were there was small and they were not likely to talk; in addition to the continuous changes that occurred in the building during the almost century that it was open, with the correct uses of each room and space.

'Vintage' digital environment

Finally, These challenges have been resolved very satisfactorily even in the design of the digital kiosk itself., that imitates that of an old radio from the decade of the years 20 and that also responds to the aforementioned environmental challenges of the prison.

The large touch screens feature custom programming for each specific location of the interactive kiosk in the prison.; with a user-friendly menu for visitors, whose content is updated with a simple external USB connection and a flash drive.

Each of the interactive kiosks has an internal timer that starts or turns off the equipment at the appropriate time, and video content and data files are gradually updated as new stories from the prison are discovered.

In this sense, The contribution of visitors who have had some relationship with the prison has been fundamental, since “we have found grandparents, uncles or cousins ​​who have been barbers, guards, instructors and even inmates or those who are related, which has allowed us to add new data, images, etc. which at first were difficult to obtain”, those responsible for this project point out.

The advantages of this project have been evident from the first day of its installation, Since before, visitors who did not have a specific guide “wandered around the facilities with little sense and had no knowledge of the history and key elements of the prison.”. Large touch screens on each kiosk keep visitors engaged, who can leave their comments, with greater satisfaction in their journey”.

In addition to constant use of kiosks, Another fact that reflects its success is the sales of DVDs with the contents offered in these digital systems., which have increased significantly. This project won the DSE 2013 Apex Award bronze in the Arts category, entertainment and recreation.