Summit Research Associates, Inc.

Summit Research Associates, Inc., a woman-owned firm, was formed in the spring of 1994 to perform custom consulting and technology assessment on a wide range of information-related disciplines. It is the only consulting firm devoted to the kiosk and self-service industry. The company consultants are recognized experts in their fields of technology; each with more than 20 years of high-level research experience.

Kiosk research has evolved into the largest segment of the company’s business. In addition to personally visiting and testing kiosks, Summit staff interview the developers, the sponsoring organizations, and most important of all, the customers.

The research includes assessing the kiosk’s intended purpose; ease of use; presentation of information; speed of data access; kiosk design and attract mechanisms; the suitability of location and functionality to desired results; user reactions; and the average time it takes the customer to complete the transaction. Follow-up questions and clarifications are made with all affected parties--developers, sponsors, and customers. Recommendations/suggestions for improvements are then delivered to the client.

Company clients, for whom consulting services--including strategic planning, state-of-the-industry briefings, usability testing, competitive analysis, report writing and technology assessment have been performed--include:

Wal-Mart

Best Buy

National World War II Memorial

Target

General Electric

IBM

Hilton Hotels

Home Depot

Philips NV

Hewlett-Packard

FedEx Corporation

US Postal Service

Olympus America

Pitney-Bowes

British Telecom

NCR

Bank of America

Marks & Spencer

New York City Department of Probation

GTECH Holdings

Allstate Insurance

Perot Systems