Do you know my friend Mr. K?

Mike Emich
December 01st, 2006.

Recently, when enjoying an evening out, I realized that not only was I buying a movie ticket from an automated kiosk, but snacks as well. Nearby, I noticed that a group of teenagers, wearing iPods strapped to their biceps and text machines in hand, were complaining that they should have purchased their tickets online rather than wait in line for the credit card swiping kiosks to generate their ticket. I thought, wow! this “next” generation certainly is impatient. They expect everything to be self-serving and available on demand.

Later that evening, I returned home to print a boarding pass – online — for an upcoming flight. At the airport the next day, I approached a kiosk to receive a luggage tag. Then, recognizing that I didn’t have enough cash in my pocket for a cab, I stopped by a stand-alone ATM kiosk to get a few bucks. Next, I rented a car and printed some directions from the travel-friendly kiosk. As I arrived at my hotel, I checked in at a kiosk yet again. Suddenly, I thought, everywhere I go I keep seeing this cool, polite, customer-service friend, the kiosk — Mr. K!

Mr. K is definitely in my life to stay, and I think it defines much of what is happening around us. That is, if you think jobs are disappearing, look again! They are being reengineered, automated, and streamlined to give us a better quality of life. We are defining efficiency and performance by designing better machines and making them smarter. Mr. K isn’t necessarily a bad thing just because it is impersonal. This next generation of IPOD wearing, text messaging, MySpace group expects this lifestyle. So, why should I fight the system? I’m going to make friends with Mr. K.

Now, where else can I connect to Mr. K? Have you seen one lately? The next time you do, tell it to give me the change it owes me from the movie theater. By the way, “Borat” was a great flick. Check it out. And say hi to Mr. K for me.

Mike Emich
Associate Publisher
memich@designworldonline.com