This month, as Olea celebrates 50 years of innovation and craftsmanship, we wanted to mark the occasion in a way that feels true to who we are—not by looking back, but by looking around.
Because the best measure of our work isn’t just in what we’ve built over the decades. It’s in how often people encounter it in everyday life, usually without even realizing it.
Most days feel ordinary. We rush from one thing to the next, rarely stopping to notice the quiet technology that keeps the world moving. But if you pause for a moment, you might be surprised by how often you’ve crossed paths with an Olea kiosk over the course of a day and how much they help the people behind the counter focus on what matters most.
7:15 a.m. — The Morning Check-In
You’ve got an early doctor’s appointment before work. The lobby is busy, but no one’s waiting at the front desk. You step up to the sleek touchscreen, scan your ID, confirm your information, and within seconds, you’re checked in.
There’s no clipboard. No line. Just a simple, frictionless process.
That’s by design. Olea kiosks are built to handle high-volume environments where reliability and accessibility matter, and healthcare is one of the most important. When kiosks handle the administrative details, staff can focus on higher-value interactions: greeting patients, answering questions, or providing comfort instead of managing paperwork.
7:25 a.m.—Finding Your Way
After checking in, you use a wayfinding kiosk in the healthcare facility’s lobby to check office locations. The interface is bright and intuitive so it helps patients find their way without ever needing to ask for directions.
That frees the front-desk team to focus on guests who really need assistance. Someone who’s late, anxious, or has a special accessibility need, while everyone else moves confidently through the building.
8:30 a.m. — A DMV Stop That Doesn’t Feel Like the DMV
On your way to the office, you swing by the local Department of Motor Vehicles to renew your vehicle registration. Normally, that would mean taking a number and settling in for a long wait.
Not today. You walk up to the self-service kiosk, follow the prompts, pay your renewal fee, and walk out with new tags all in less than five minutes.
While you complete your renewal, DMV staff are assisting people with more complex needs like title transfers, testing appointments, and specialty services. Automation doesn’t replace them. It gives them time to provide better, more personalized help where it’s needed most.
You spot a food truck parked outside a nearby office building. The smell of espresso draws you in. Instead of waiting to order, you walk up to a bright, compact ordering kiosk mounted on the truck’s exterior.
A few taps, a card swipe, and your latte order is in the queue. Your drink is ready in a few minutes.
For operators, these mobile kiosks mean more orders processed in less time and fewer bottlenecks during rush hour. But they don’t replace the human touch. They enable it. Baristas can stay focused on crafting drinks and greeting customers instead of juggling a line of orders.
Self-service technology doesn’t have to be stationary, or impersonal, to be smart.
12:15 p.m. — Lunch at The Habit Burger Grill
Between meetings, you stop for lunch. You walk up to a kiosk, tap your order onto the touchscreen and within moments, it’s sent to the kitchen. Your food is ready before you finish your text messages.
Behind the scenes, that same technology is working nonstop processing orders, syncing with kitchen displays, keeping guests moving through the line quickly. And the team? They’re freed up to prep orders and keep the dining room running smoothly.
Convenience that feels effortless for both sides of the counter.
1:00 p.m. — The Corporate Check-In
You head downtown for a client meeting. In the lobby, there’s a self-service kiosk that checks you in, scans your ID, and prints a visitor badge while automatically alerting your host that you’ve arrived.
These visitor management systems are becoming standard in commercial spaces where security and professionalism matter equally. They don’t eliminate front-desk roles. They enhance them. With kiosks handling routine sign-ins, staff can greet guests personally, help with directions, or manage building operations more efficiently.
You clip on your badge and head upstairs, and your meeting starts right on time.
5:00 p.m. — Touchdown
You fly out for a quick business trip. After landing, you make your way toward baggage claim and grab a luggage cart from a sleek, intuitive rental kiosk. Swipe, authorize, and go.
Simple, fast, reliable. Exactly what you want after a flight.
At the hotel, you skip the front desk line and check in at a self-service kiosk. Scan your ID, confirm your reservation, and in under two minutes, you’re holding your room keys.
The automation isn’t about removing people. It’s about giving guests choices. You can check in quickly or talk with a team member if you need a room change or local recommendation. The front desk staff stays available for service that requires human attention, and that’s the kind that creates loyalty.
7:00 p.m. — Game Night Begins
Later that evening, you head to the stadium for a football game. The crowd is electric.
Halftime rolls around, and you head to the concession area for a drink. Instead of waiting in line, you grab what you want and use a self-checkout kiosk to pay and go.
No friction, no bottlenecks, just fast, dependable service that keeps fans focused on the action, not the line. The kiosks handle the transactions while concession staff can restock, assist with questions, or focus on hospitality that keeps the experience enjoyable.
11:00 p.m. — The Common Thread
From healthcare check-ins to government renewals, food trucks to fast-casual restaurants, corporate offices to hotels and stadiums, you’ve interacted with Olea kiosks all day long, maybe without realizing it.
That’s the beauty of good design. It’s not about being flashy or replacing people. It’s about enabling them. Creating space for staff to focus on service, for operators to focus on quality, and for guests to focus on experience.
Reliable, accessible, and seamlessly integrated into daily life. That’s what the best technology makes possible.
The Day in Review
We live in a world that runs on moments like these where technology connects people to what they need faster, easier, and more reliably. But what if, just for one day, all of it stopped working?
Flights delayed, lines growing, check-ins backing up, guests waiting. The day would suddenly feel slower, less connected, less human.
The truth is, great technology doesn’t just make our lives more efficient. It gives people time back to focus on service, creativity, care, and connection.
At Olea, that’s what we design for: experiences that empower people and enhance every interaction, quietly making each day better for everyone.
And as we celebrate 50 years of designing, engineering, and building kiosks right here in the U.S., we’re proud to know that our work has become part of everyday life helping brands use kiosks to enhance human interaction and deliver better experiences and focus on what people do best.
Here’s to the next 50 years of creating technology that quietly connects us all.
