> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.goguardian.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Kiosk Check-In Experience

> What visitors, guardians, and students see and do at a GoGuardian Visitor kiosk, from the welcome screen to their badge, so front office staff can help them and Site Admins can plan forms.

At a GoGuardian Visitor kiosk, visitors, guardians, and students check themselves in and out by following the steps on screen. Knowing what they see helps front office staff answer questions at the counter and helps Site Admins plan forms that are quick to finish.

The steps come from your school's forms, so what a visitor or student sees depends on the form they choose. To set up kiosks, see [Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/kiosks.md). To change the steps, see [Create and Manage Forms](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/create-and-manage-forms.md).

## Follow a Check-In from Start to Finish

Every kiosk check-in follows the same path. Steps that a form doesn't include are skipped. Visitors checking out with their badge take a shorter path. See [Check Out at a Kiosk](#check-out-at-a-kiosk).

1. **Welcome:** The visitor or student taps who they are, then the form they need.
2. **Identity:** Visitors and guardians scan their government ID or enter their details. Students scan their badge, enter their student ID, or search for their name.
3. **Photo:** If the form asks for one, they take a photo.
4. **Form steps:** They answer the form's other steps, such as choosing a destination or host, answering questions, or agreeing to a document.
5. **Review:** If something needs a staff decision, the kiosk asks the visitor or student to wait. Most check-ins skip this, but pickups always wait for staff to confirm the students.
6. **Done:** The kiosk confirms they're done and prints their badge if the form includes one.

While a visitor or student moves through the form, the **Front Desk** shows their name and current step under **Kiosks**. See [Watch Your Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/front-desk.md#watch-your-kiosks).

## Start at the Welcome Screen

The welcome screen shows "Welcome to" and your site's name, with your site's logo and colors. See [Brand Your Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/kiosks.md#brand-your-kiosks).

Below the greeting, visitors and students tap who they are:

* **I'm a Student**
* **I'm a Parent, Guardian, or Visitor**

The kiosk shows only the choices its forms cover. A kiosk with only visitor forms shows only the second choice.

Next, "What do you need to do?" lists the forms for that choice by name, such as "Visitor Check-In" or "Volunteer Check-In." The list appears even when there's only 1 form, so when you create forms, name each one for what the visitor or student is there to do.

If any of the kiosk's visitor forms allow self check-out, a **Visitor Checkout** button appears below the choices. See [Check Out at a Kiosk](#check-out-at-a-kiosk).

![Kiosk welcome screen for a fictional school, with I'm a Student, I'm a Parent, Guardian, or Visitor, and Visitor Checkout in the school's brand colors](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/01-welcome.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=61ac8c817338d1b9464b5b96735f2235)

### Use the Buttons at the Top

The bar at the top of the kiosk has these buttons:

* **Back arrow:** Returns to the previous step. From the first step, it goes back to the form list. It doesn't appear on the welcome screen or after the last step.
* **Language:** Shows the current language. Tap it to switch. See [Choose a Language](#choose-a-language).
* **More (⋮):** **Start Over** cancels the check-in and returns to the welcome screen. It isn't available while the kiosk asks the visitor or student to wait for staff. **Edit Kiosk Settings** asks for a Site Admin's PIN, and **Sign Out** asks for a staff member's PIN. See [Change Kiosk Settings](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/kiosks.md#change-kiosk-settings).

## Choose a Language

Visitors and students can use the kiosk in English, Español, 中文, Tiếng Việt, or العربية, depending on the languages your forms include.

* On the welcome screen and form list, the language menu offers every language from the kiosk's forms.
* After they choose a form, the menu offers only that form's languages. If the form doesn't include the language they chose, the kiosk switches to English.

The kiosk's buttons and labels change language, and so does the text your school wrote for the form, such as headlines, questions, and choices. Documents in **Sign Document** steps stay as uploaded. To add languages to a form, see [Translate a Form](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/create-and-manage-forms.md#translate-a-form).

## Confirm Who's Checking In

The first step of every form confirms who's checking in or out. Visitors and guardians confirm their identity one way, and students another.

### Check In as a Visitor or Guardian

Visitors and guardians confirm their identity with the **Confirm Visitor Identity** step. Depending on the form, they scan a government ID, enter their details, or choose either one.

**To scan an ID:**

1. The kiosk asks the visitor to hold the front of their ID, photo side facing the camera.
2. They tap **Ready**, and the kiosk counts down while they hold the ID steady, then takes a picture.
3. They check the picture. **Try Again** retakes it, and **Looks Good** reads the ID.
4. The kiosk fills in their name and date of birth from the ID.

If the kiosk can't read the ID, it shows "Could not read your ID. Please try again or enter your information manually." When the form allows manual entry, the visitor can tap **Enter Manually** (or **Enter ID information instead** after taking a picture) at any time.

**Then they confirm their details:** Every visitor and guardian checks their details before continuing. The kiosk asks for their information as it appears on their government-issued ID: first name, middle name (optional), last name, and date of birth. Some forms also ask for a phone number. Details read from an ID are already filled in, and the visitor can correct them before tapping **Confirm**.

Visitors must be 16 or older. The kiosk shows "You must be 16 or older" and won't continue for a younger visitor. GoGuardian Visitor doesn't save the ID image of a visitor under 16.

Screening runs in the background as soon as the visitor finishes the identity step, after their photo if the form takes one. Visitors don't see that it's running or what it finds. See [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md).

![Kiosk Scan your government ID screen with a sample ID held up inside the camera frame, Enter Manually, and Ready](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/02-id-scan.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=d7a22b00ba8d9232fc4043649753167e)

![Kiosk details screen with a fictional visitor's first name, last name, and date of birth filled in, ready to Confirm](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/03-details.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=584f30cdab7186ed53037a3706125bca)

### Check In as a Student

Students confirm their identity with the **Confirm Student Identity** step. When the form allows more than 1 way, the kiosk asks them to choose one:

* **Scan Badge:** They hold their student badge up to the camera. The kiosk reads the QR code or barcode, then shows "Signed in as" and their name.
* **Enter Student ID:** They enter their student ID and tap **Continue**.
* **Search:** They search for their name, tap it, and tap **Continue**.

Students use the badges and student IDs they already have. **Scan Badge** accepts badges from **Settings** → **Badges**, the same badges students use at GoGuardian Hall Pass kiosks, and school ID cards whose barcode or QR code holds the student's ID. Student IDs are the ones synced from your roster, such as through Clever, ClassLink, or OneRoster. For setup, see [Set Up QR Codes and Badges](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/hall-pass/qr-codes-and-badges.md) and [Sync Rosters with Clever, ClassLink, or OneRoster](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/org-management/clever-classlink-sync.md).

If a badge doesn't match a student at your site, the kiosk asks them to try again. If a student ID doesn't match, it asks them to try again or ask a staff member for help.

Students aren't screened.

![Kiosk Scan your student ID screen with Scan Badge, Enter Student ID, and Search](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/04-student-method.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=8fc482631693bd2567632591fcda46ef)

### Take a Photo

If the form's identity step has **Capture Photo** on, the kiosk takes a photo next.

1. The kiosk shows a circle on the camera view and asks the visitor or student to align their face in it.
2. When it finds their face, it counts down and takes the photo. If it can't, a **Take Photo** button appears after 5 seconds.
3. They check the photo. **Try Again** retakes it, and **Looks Good** continues.

Site Admins and staff assigned to the check-in point see the photo on the **Front Desk** and in the **Activity Log**, and it prints on the badge if the form includes it. Photos and ID images are encrypted when stored. See [Understand How Visitor Protects Screening Data](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md#understand-how-visitor-protects-screening-data).

![Kiosk Take a Photo screen with a fictional visitor's face inside the circle and a countdown before the photo](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/05-photo.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=71e83ab77904afcae944fbdf54c3837a)

## Complete the Form's Steps

After identity, visitors and students answer the form's other steps in order. Each step shows the headline or instructions your school wrote for it.

| Step | What they see and do |
| - | - |
| **Choose Destination** | Tap a suggested room. If the form allows it, they can tap **Find a Room** to search for another, or tap **Skip**. |
| **Choose Host** | Tap a suggested staff member. If the form allows it, they can tap **Find a Staff Member** to search for another, or tap **Skip**. |
| **Ask Question (Choice)** | Tap an answer. The kiosk moves on right away. |
| **Ask Question (Text)** | Enter an answer and tap **Continue**. |
| **Sign Document** | Read the PDF, using the page buttons for longer documents, and tap **Agree**. There's no signature to draw. |
| **Select Students** | Guardians tap each student they're picking up, then tap **Continue**. Students associated with them are listed. If the form allows it, **Search for Another Student** finds other students at your site. |
| **Create Hall Pass** | Shown only to students checking themselves in, when the form has no destination step or their destination can't be used for a pass. They choose where their pass goes, starting from their current or next class. The pass appears in GoGuardian Hall Pass, so staff don't write one. |

Searches open full screen with the device's keyboard.

A step with **Save answer and skip for future visits** on is skipped for returning visitors and students who already answered it on that form. See [Save Answers for Returning Visitors](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/form-steps-reference.md#save-answers-for-returning-visitors).

If a guardian has no associated students and the form doesn't allow searching, the kiosk shows "No Students Found" and asks them to see the front desk. It returns to the welcome screen after 20 seconds.

**Print Badge** isn't a step visitors see. The badge prints when they finish. For every option on each step, see [Form Steps Reference](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/form-steps-reference.md).

![Kiosk Who are you here to see? screen with 3 suggested staff members and Find a Staff Member search](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/06-choose-host.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=d81520a5451cad9fbe865fc8e994312f)

## Wait for Staff Review

Most check-ins finish as soon as the last step is done, sometimes after a moment of "Please wait." The kiosk asks the visitor or student to keep waiting only when something needs a staff decision or screening hasn't finished:

* A possible sex offender registry or watchlist match
* A flagged answer
* Students selected for a pickup, which staff confirm every time
* A screening check that didn't run, which staff retry or skip

The kiosk shows "Please wait" and "A staff member is reviewing your check-in. You can continue when they're finished." It doesn't say why. The same message appears for pickups and check-outs.

On the **Front Desk**, Site Admins and staff assigned to the check-in point see the alert right away. When they decide, the kiosk updates on its own. See [Review Screening Alerts](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/review-screening-alerts.md).

* **If staff approve,** the kiosk shows the done screen.
* **If staff deny the check-in,** the kiosk shows "You could not check in" and "Please see the front desk." It returns to the welcome screen after 20 seconds. The kiosk never shows the reason, so the conversation happens at the counter.

![Kiosk Please wait screen saying a staff member is reviewing the check-in](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/07-please-wait.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=4759074edc4382071e071325d608404b)

## Finish and Print a Badge

When the check-in or check-out is complete, the kiosk shows "You're all done!" and returns to the welcome screen after 20 seconds. **Return to Start** returns right away.

If the form prints a badge, the done screen also shows a preview of the badge, "Printing your badge...," and the instructions from the form's **Print Badge** step, such as where to wear it. If the print fails, the kiosk shows "Print failed. Please see the front desk." Staff can reprint it from the **Front Desk**. See [Print Badges](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/front-desk.md#print-badges).

With **Staff Print Only** on in the form's **Print Badge** step, the kiosk doesn't print, and staff print the badge from the **Front Desk**.

A check-in from the kiosk appears on the **Front Desk** under **Currently Checked In** right away, and the host is notified if the form has a **Choose Host** step. See [Notifications](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notifications.md).

![Kiosk You're all done! screen with the badge instructions, a badge preview with the visitor's name and photo, and Printing your badge](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/08-done.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=6915768906c322d0c91403e3abaaef1e)

## Check Out at a Kiosk

Visitors and students check out at a kiosk in different ways.

**Visitors:** If their form has **Allow Self Check-Out** on, their badge has a QR code.

1. On the welcome screen, the visitor taps **Visitor Checkout**.
2. They hold the QR code on their badge up to the camera.
3. The kiosk shows "You're checked out" and returns to the welcome screen after 20 seconds.

The **Activity Log** shows "Checked out by scanning their badge." Visitors can't check out by name at a kiosk, so staff check out a visitor without their badge from the **Front Desk**. A badge works for 1 check-out. See [Allow Self Check-Out](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/create-and-manage-forms.md#allow-self-check-out).

**Students:** Students check out with a form made from the **Student Self Check-Out** template. They tap **I'm a Student**, choose the form, and confirm their identity.

**Guardians picking up a student** use a **Parent/Guardian Pickup** form, which checks the students out after staff confirm them.

![Kiosk Self Check-Out screen with a printed visitor badge held up inside the camera frame](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/09-self-check-out.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=59d01401c31004caf5f8839ef346ca94)

## Help Visitors and Students at the Kiosk

| What happens | What to do |
| - | - |
| A visitor or student is stuck on a step | On the **Front Desk**, click **Edit Check-In** on the kiosk's card to finish it for them, or click **Cancel Check-in** to start over. See [Watch Your Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/front-desk.md#watch-your-kiosks). |
| A visitor or student walked away partway through | On the **Front Desk**, click **Edit Check-In** on the kiosk's card, then click **Cancel Check-in**. The kiosk returns to the welcome screen right away. At the kiosk, you can also tap **More (⋮)**, then **Start Over**. If no one clears it, the kiosk returns to the welcome screen on its own after a few minutes unused, so the next visitor doesn't see their details. GoGuardian Visitor records the check-in as canceled. |
| The kiosk can't read a visitor's ID | Ask them to tap **Enter Manually** and enter their details. If the form doesn't allow manual entry, check them in from the **Front Desk**. |
| A visitor under 16 can't continue | GoGuardian Visitor doesn't check in visitors under 16, at a kiosk or the **Front Desk**. Follow your school's procedures. |
| The kiosk can't identify a student's badge | Ask them to enter their student ID or search for their name, if the form allows it. Make sure the badge is active in **Settings** → **Badges**. |
| A visitor doesn't see their language | The form they chose doesn't include it. Ask a Site Admin to add it. See [Translate a Form](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/create-and-manage-forms.md#translate-a-form). |
| A guardian sees "No Students Found" | Start the pickup from the **Front Desk**, where you can search for any student at your site. |
| The kiosk shows "Please wait" for a long time | Check the **Front Desk** for an alert or students to confirm at that kiosk's check-in point. **Start Over** isn't available while the kiosk waits. |
| A visitor says they could not check in | A staff member denied the check-in on the **Front Desk**. Follow your school's procedures. See [Review Screening Alerts](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/review-screening-alerts.md). |
| A visitor's badge didn't print | Reprint it from the **Front Desk**. See [Troubleshoot Badge Printing](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/troubleshoot-badge-printing.md). |
| A visitor's QR code doesn't check them out | The badge is from a form without **Allow Self Check-Out**, or they're already checked out. Check them out from the **Front Desk**. |
| The kiosk shows **This Kiosk Isn't Ready** | The kiosk needs a printer, camera access, or local network access. Check visitors and students in from the **Front Desk**, and tell IT which kiosk shows the message and what it says is missing. See [Troubleshoot Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/troubleshoot-kiosks.md). |

## Resources

* [Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/kiosks.md)
* [Use the Front Desk](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/front-desk.md)
* [Form Steps Reference](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/form-steps-reference.md)
* [Create and Manage Forms](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/create-and-manage-forms.md)
* [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md)
* [Review Screening Alerts](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/review-screening-alerts.md)
* [Troubleshoot Kiosks](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/troubleshoot-kiosks.md)


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