Running a Survey Kiosk

What a TIPS kiosk does

Kiosk mode turns one of your surveys into a self-running station. A walk-up taps Start, answers the questions full-screen, sees a brief thank-you, and the survey resets itself for the next person. There's no login, no email, no profile step — every response is anonymous, which is exactly what you want for an intercept survey at a bus stop or a public meeting.

• Auto-reset. After each submission the thank-you screen shows for a few seconds and then returns to the start, so the next person always begins fresh.
• Abandonment is handled. If someone walks off mid-survey, an "Are you still there?" prompt appears and then resets — discarding the partial answers. Only completed responses are recorded.
• Code-gated exit. A small corner control opens a prompt for an 8-digit staff code. Entering it leaves the survey and returns to the portal login; survey-takers can't get out on their own.
• Accessible by design. Large touch targets, a high-contrast layout, an optional dark-mode toggle, and an optional read-aloud button. On an iPad, the device's own VoiceOver remains available under Guided Access.

The one rule: the device is the cage, not the web page

This is the part that trips people up, so it's worth being blunt: a web page cannot lock down a browser. Browsers deliberately prevent any site from trapping you — that's a security feature, not a TIPS limitation. So the kiosk gives you the full-screen, auto-resetting, code-gated experience, but a determined person could still swipe or tap their way out of the browser if the operating system lets them.

That leads to a simple split:

• Supervised counter (staff present): the web kiosk on its own is fine. If anyone wanders off the survey, a staff member is right there to tap back.
• Unattended placement: you must lock the device at the OS level. This is non-negotiable for a tablet left alone at a station or lobby.

Locking down an iPad: Guided Access

Guided Access is the most popular real-world survey-kiosk setup, and it's built into iPadOS — no extra software.

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access and turn it on.
2. Tap Passcode Settings and set a Guided Access passcode (keep it separate from your survey exit code).
3. Open Safari and go to your kiosk URL (copy it from the Kiosk Mode panel, below).
4. Triple-click the side button (or home button on older iPads) to start Guided Access, then tap Start.

The iPad is now pinned to the survey. To get out, triple-click again and enter the Guided Access passcode. You can also disable hardware buttons and screen areas from the Guided Access options screen.

Locking down Windows: Assigned Access

On a Windows tablet or PC, use Assigned Access (Windows' built-in kiosk mode).

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Other users → Set up a kiosk.
2. Create or pick a kiosk account and choose Microsoft Edge as the kiosk app (a managed Chrome works too).
3. Select the "as a public browser" option and set your kiosk URL as the start page.

The device boots straight into that single browser locked to your survey, and leaving it requires signing in as an administrator. If you manage Chrome with policies instead, launching it with the --kiosk flag pointed at the kiosk URL achieves the same full-screen lock.

Setting up the kiosk in TIPS

Open the survey in the builder and find the Kiosk Mode panel:

1. Set an 8-digit exit code. TIPS suggests one when you enable kiosk mode; edit it to something your staff will remember, or click Regenerate. It's stored securely and gates the corner exit.
2. Tune the timers. The thank-you dwell (how long the thank-you shows before resetting) and the idle reset (how long before an abandoned survey resets) are both adjustable within safe ranges.
3. Pick the look. Choose a default light or dark theme, and decide whether takers can switch themes or use the read-aloud button.
4. Enable it and launch. Either copy the kiosk URL and open it on your tablet, or — if you're setting up on the tablet itself — use the Launch Kiosk button.

Why "Launch Kiosk" logs you out

The Launch Kiosk button does something deliberate: it signs you out of the portal on that device and stops trusting the device for future sign-ins, then drops straight into the full-screen survey. That way the kiosk holds zero access to your account. Even if someone escaped the survey and the OS lock, they'd land on a login screen that demands your full credentials and two-factor — never your live account. Setting up on a laptop instead? Just copy the kiosk URL and paste it on the tablet; same result.

A note on connectivity

Kiosk mode is online-only: the tablet needs a working internet connection for the whole session, just like any survey link. For a station or lobby placement, confirm reliable Wi-Fi or cellular before you leave the device, and do a full test run — start to thank-you to reset — on the actual hardware first.

Common questions about survey kiosks

What is kiosk mode in TIPS?

Kiosk mode runs one survey unattended and full-screen on a walk-up tablet — at a counter, transit station, or community event. Takers are anonymous, the survey resets itself for the next person after a short thank-you, and a hidden corner control requires an 8-digit staff code to exit. It is designed for in-person intercept collection where email or QR invitations aren't practical.

Is the web kiosk enough to leave a tablet unattended?

No. A web page cannot truly lock down the browser or operating system — browsers intentionally let users leave any page. The TIPS kiosk provides the experience (full-screen, auto-reset, anonymous, code-gated exit), but for an UNATTENDED placement you must also lock the device at the OS level: iPad Guided Access or Windows Assigned Access. A supervised counter where staff are present is fine on the web kiosk alone.

How do I lock down an iPad for kiosk use?

Use Guided Access. In Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, turn it on and set a passcode. Open the kiosk URL in Safari, then triple-click the side/home button to start Guided Access. This pins the iPad to that one app until someone enters the Guided Access passcode — the most common real-world survey-kiosk setup.

How do I lock down a Windows tablet or PC?

Use Assigned Access (kiosk mode) in Settings → Accounts → Other users → Set up a kiosk, pointing it at Microsoft Edge (or a managed Chrome) opened to the kiosk URL. The device boots into that single app and can't be exited without signing in as an administrator. Managed Chrome launched with the --kiosk flag is an alternative.

What happens to half-finished surveys at a kiosk?

They're discarded. If someone walks away mid-survey, an inactivity timer shows an "Are you still there?" prompt and then resets to the start without saving anything. Kiosk mode only records completed responses, so abandoned walk-ups never pollute your data.

Do kiosk responses count toward my plan limits?

Yes. A completed kiosk response counts toward your monthly survey-completion quota exactly like a response collected by email link or QR code. Kiosk responses are tagged with their source so you can still tell kiosk traffic apart from link traffic in your data.

Can someone reach my account from the kiosk?

No. Launching a kiosk on a device first logs you out of the portal AND stops trusting that device for sign-in, so the kiosk carries zero account access. The kiosk URL is public, like any survey share-link — the 8-digit code only controls leaving the survey, and getting back into the portal afterward requires full credentials and two-factor.