"DS Fallen" is a memorial commissioned by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) that honors individuals who lost their lives in service to the agency. It is located at the agency's headquarters in Rosslyn Virginia just outside of Washington DC. The Memorial consists of a physical structure adorned with engraved plaques as well as an interactive, touchscreen kiosk that allows visitors to search and read biographies of the individuals and learn more about DS through an interactive timeline and other content.
Client
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security
Government Agency (as a subcontractor)
Audience & Topics
Federal Employees, Visitors and Guests
Government, Security, Public Education and Outreach
Launched
August 2015
Roles & Deliverables
User Interface (UI) Designer
Touchscreen user interface including initial prototype and final production version
Developer
Interactive HTML5 + JavaScript desktop application
Hardware Setup
Setup and configuration of Windows 8.1 desktop all-in-one touch application including security and other customizations
Technology & Tools
Features
Internet Free, Web Driven
For security reasons, the Memorial's kiosk system is blocked from accessing the Internet. The entire kiosk application runs locally without the Internet or any form of web access, although it relies on state-of-the-art web technologies for its features and functionality.
Tamper Proof
The kiosk uses a variety of software solutions and techniques to ensure that users can't exit the application or access other parts of the Windows-based machine.
Advanced, Searchable Database
One of the core offerings of the kiosk is the searchable database. Users can search by an individual's name, country of death, position, or year of death to bring up biographies and photographs.
Customized Touchscreen Timeline
The kiosk includes an interactive timeline that allows users to learn about the history of DS with a collection of images and commentary. The application combined an open-source timeline solution and heavy customizations to produce a unique content feature that is seamless with the rest of the kiosk software.
