Good day.
We've been using N-Scan for three seasons and implemented print at home in late 2009. We have a lot of positive feedback about the system from both staff and audience members.
I've been asked about the following options in N-Scan:
- Custom sounds/notifications- Confirmation of a good ticket beyond the audio
When our lobby is full, it is difficult at times for ticket takers to hear/notice failed, and even successful scans (and this is while wearing ear buds!).
On consecutive successful scans, only the patron's name changes on the scanner (there's no other visual indicator of a successful scan), so if they don't hear the successful audio, they're likely to not realize they have, scanned the ticket successfully. So they re-scan, which produces a "ticket already scanned" error; then, they aren't sure if there is a valid problem, or if they actually scanned it twice.
Just wondering if anyone else has found a way to address these kinds of issues. This doesn't happen often, but the issue came up earlier today and I wanted to follow-up.
Thanks.
Dan McLamb
UNC Chapel Hill
For clarity, this is what happens with N-Scan sound and screen wise:
· On successful READ of a bar code a sound is generated. This sound is customizable right now amount 5 different sounds.
· If the ticket is good, no additional sound is made. The screen does turn green with the customer name and seating locations in the appropriate places
· If the ticket is bad, an error sound is generated.
· If the ticket is bad, the screen turns red with the information from the ticket (name, seat location (if appropriate), etc) and an error message in the box.
· The screen does not auto clear for the next ticket scan under the assumption that the data on the screen is relevant to the usher until the next ticket scan.
· The next scan will produce the same sound in step one if the ticket is read. Again, if the ticket is good, no additional sound is made.
· If the previous ticket is good and the next ticket is good, the screen update will only be for the data on the screen.
We don’t have any customizations plugged in outside of the successful scan. I’m not sure what else could be done outside of an audio prompt (given) and a visual prompt (data on the screen, screen turning green) to let an usher know they have read the ticket and it is good. These particular scanners do not have a vibrate feature (which we considered).
If you have any suggestions for changes that would make it better for the ushers, we are open for suggestions. What are you thinking?
David,
Thanks for your quick response. I believe a huge part of the process is training and experience, but our ongoing challenge is turnover (student staff).
Beyond that, it would be great if we could upload our own custom sounds that could then be made available for N-Scan to use (ala ringtones, but "scantones" seems more appropriate).
That aside, the challenging scenario we've encountered has these qualities:
- Lots of noise in the lobby, so it's difficult or impossible to hear the selected audio sound for a successful barcode scan
- The same constituent has two or more tickets in the same zone and row, meaning only the seat number changes from one successful scan to the next
A visual cue of some sort to indicate a successful barcode scan could be very beneficial. Off the top of my head, something like one of the following:
- A very brief white flash to indicate the previous scan was cleared and you are now viewing the results of the next scan
- The previous scan results fall down, to the side, implode, etc. and are replaced by the current scan results
- Less effective, but something like a moving color bar on the screen that leaps from top -> side -> bottom -> side -> top on consecutive bar code scans
I'm happy to research visual cues a little more to give more details, if it would help.
Technically, you can upload your own sounds, you just have to name them the same as the sounds preprogrammed in. You would just replace the current .wav file on the Scanners with whatever sound you wanted. Adding the ability to use all sounds on the scanner was on the upgrade list, but a change in the way Microsoft had Windows Mobile access the sounds caused a problem with all the sounds, which has only recently been remedied.
As far as the potential visual clues, the only issue I can see with any of them is is you are not looking at the screen when it changes none of them will help. If we were to slow down the transition, this would only slow down scanning. I like the moving bar the best, but would a usher really remember from one scan to another where the bar was or if it has moved?
For those of you signed up for this group, any other comments about how we could give an usher a clue about a change in the screen? Do you like any of the ideas above better than any other? Different ideas or comments?