Kiosk Menu Mode

A menu is a kiosk config whose mode is Menu. The tablet opens on a Home screen of big tiles, and each visitor picks what they came to do. One tile checks a volunteer in for today’s shift, another opens your giving screen, another lists upcoming events to RSVP to. When the visitor finishes, the tablet clears what they entered and goes back to Home for the next person.

When you’d use this

One tablet in a lobby has to serve volunteers, donors and visitors.
Volunteers should check in by tapping their card instead of signing a sheet.
Visitors should be able to RSVP to a free event or fill in a form without asking staff.
People who want to volunteer should be able to apply, see upcoming shifts and sign up from the lobby.
You run the same lobby setup at several sites and want to copy it.

Get to it from Devices & Kiosk > Kiosk Configs. Open an existing menu by its name, or press Create Config to start a new one.

Press Create Config and pick one of the five starter menus:

Template	Tiles on Home
Food Pantry Lobby	Volunteer check-in, Donate, RSVP to an event, Forms, About us
Masjid Lobby	Donate, Events, Forms, Donor wall
Event Day Welcome Desk	Check in, Walk-in RSVP, Donate
Fundraising Gala	Live appeal, Donate, Donor wall, RSVP for our next event
School Front Office	Visitor and parent check-in, Forms, Events, Donate

A menu opens other screens, so the template asks where each tile should go:

This menu opens <n> other screens. Use ones you have, or we’ll create them from starters.

For each screen, choose Use existing and pick one of your kiosk configs, or Create new to make one from the starter. Then press Create menu.

The menu and every new screen are created together in one step. If any one of them cannot be created, nothing is created, and Muin names the tile that failed:

Nothing was created: <reason>. Fix it and try again.

Edit tiles

The Menu section of the kiosk config editor holds the tiles. It shows only when the config’s mode is Menu.

Turn this screen into a menu of big tiles so each visitor picks what they came to do.

An empty menu starts with three steps: add a tile, point it at a kiosk config or a live list, then preview each level and save. Press Add first tile to begin.

Presets. Add tile offers ready-made tiles: Check in, Donate, RSVP, Forms, Signage, Donor wall and Help. Each preset fills in the icon, color, label and tile type, so you only choose where it goes.

Three presets are for volunteers:

Preset	What it adds
Become a volunteer	A tile that opens your volunteer application form. It uses a forms kiosk config that already shows that form, or creates one from the Become a Volunteer starter.
Volunteer calendar	A list of upcoming volunteer shifts that visitors can sign up for.
Check in now	A volunteer check-in list that shows only shifts starting soon (from 30 minutes before the start until the end).

Become a volunteer needs a published volunteer application form. If you have none, the editor says so instead of adding the tile:

Add a volunteer application form first. Start from the Volunteering template.

Press Open form templates, create the form from the Volunteering template, publish it, and add the tile again.

Tile types.

Type	What the visitor gets
Kiosk config	Opens one of your kiosk configs, such as a giving screen, donor wall or signage
List	A live list to choose from, then the screen that handles the chosen item
Group	A second level of tiles
Help	A full-screen message, for example “Ask a volunteer at the front desk.”

List sources. A list tile shows one of these, refreshed every time the tablet syncs:

Source	What it lists	Opens
Events today	Today’s events that are public on your calendar	Check-in, or RSVP
Upcoming events	Upcoming events that are public on your calendar	RSVP, or check-in
Volunteer events	Volunteer shifts this tablet’s check-in screen offers	Check-in
Volunteer calendar (sign up)	Public volunteer shifts from now to two weeks ahead	The sign-up screen on the tablet
Campaigns	Active fundraising campaigns	The giving screen you pick
Forms	Published forms marked for kiosk use	The forms screen you pick

Only events that are public on your calendar appear in an event list. RSVP lists free events only; an event that charges for tickets is left off.

The volunteer calendar lists the same shifts as your public volunteer page. A Volunteer calendar tile needs no kiosk config behind it: the tablet shows its own sign-up screen.

Only show shifts starting soon. A list that opens check-in (Events today or Volunteer events) has a toggle, Only show shifts starting soon, with two fields:

Show from (minutes before start), 0 to 180. The default is 30.
Hide after (minutes after end), 0 to 360. The default is 0.

Volunteers see a shift from this many minutes before it starts until it ends. Use 30 and 0 for most lobbies.

A value outside the range shows “Use 0 to 180 minutes.” or “Use 0 to 360 minutes.” under the field, and nothing is saved. The tablet checks the time every minute, so a shift appears and disappears on its own.

Colors. Each tile’s color comes from your brand, set under your branding settings:

Color	Where it comes from
Brand accent	Your accent color, or your primary color if you have no accent
Brand primary	Your primary color
Brand secondary	Your secondary color
Neutral	A quiet grey

The color select shows a swatch of each one as the tablet will draw it.

Colors come from your brand. If a color is too dark to see on the tile, the kiosk uses a light grey instead.

Labels in more than one language. Each tile has an English label and optional Arabic, Urdu and Spanish labels.

Label: shown on the tile. Add Arabic, Urdu or Spanish so the language button can switch it.

Reorder tiles by dragging the handle, or with the up and down buttons beside each tile.

Limits.

Up to 6 tiles on Home, 8 in a group, 3 screens deep.

A list shows between 1 and 20 items. A menu also has to follow these rules when you save:

Every screen it opens is landscape, or every screen is portrait. Screens set to auto fit either.
A tile cannot open another menu.
A menu cannot be part of a tablet’s rotation.
The “Still there?” warning on a menu lasts at least 20 seconds.

When a rule is broken, the editor shows the problem next to the tile and nothing is saved. After a save you see:

Saved. Assign this menu to a screen.

A deleted screen. If a kiosk config a tile points at is deleted, the tile is marked in the editor and hidden on the tablet:

Unavailable: ‘<name>’ was deleted. Pick another config or remove the tile.

Forms on the tablet or by QR

A forms kiosk config, and every Forms list or Become a volunteer tile that opens it, has a setting under Smart Form:

How visitors fill this form

Choice	What the visitor gets
On this tablet or their phone (recommended)	Two buttons: Fill here on this screen and Scan to fill on your phone
On this tablet only	The form opens on the tablet
On their phone only (shows a QR code)	A QR code to scan; the form opens on the visitor’s phone

Phone filling keeps the line moving and keeps personal details off the shared screen.

The QR code opens the same public form as your website, so the answers land in the same place.

Preview each level

The preview beside the editor shows the menu the way the tablet will. Switch it between Home, a Group and a List to check each level before you save.

Clone for another site

Open the menu and use Clone in the editor header, or the Clone action on its row in the list.

Copied with all tiles. Rename it and point the tiles at this site’s configs.

The copy keeps every tile. Rename it, then point each tile at the kiosk configs that belong to the new site.

Assign to a tablet

Assign a menu the same way as any kiosk config: on the device page under Devices & Kiosk > Device Registry, from the bulk actions in the registry, or when you add a device. The device page shows Pending sync until the tablet picks the menu up, then Applied.

Tablet version. Menus need version 1.0.17 of the Muin app or newer. If the tablet runs an older version, Muin refuses the assignment and the tablet keeps what it was showing:

This tablet runs Muin <v>. Menus need <min> or newer. It updates itself during quiet hours; assign again after.

The same check runs when a tablet is paired with a setup code that carries a menu.

Menu or rotation. A tablet runs either a menu or a rotation of kiosk configs. A menu cannot be added to a rotation, and a tablet showing a menu has no rotation.

Rollout. If you roll a change out to some tablets first, the rollout applies to the menu itself. The screens its tiles open come along with it.

What visitors see

Home. The visitor sees “Welcome. What would you like to do?” above your tiles.

The bar. A bar along the bottom of every screen holds Back, Home and Cancel, in the same place every time. Back is hidden on Home. If the visitor has typed anything, Home and Cancel ask first:

Start over? What you entered will be cleared.

with Keep going and Start over. While a card payment is in progress the bar is locked and shows “Finishing payment…”. A small trail at the top, such as Home › Volunteer check-in, shows where the visitor is, and each step in it can be tapped.

Idle. The tablet goes back to Home on its own when a visitor walks away:

Screen	Quiet time before the warning
Home	No warning. The attract screen starts after 60 seconds, and a touch returns to Home.
A group of tiles, a list or a help message	45 seconds
A task screen: check-in, giving, a form or RSVP	90 seconds
A payment in progress	Paused until the payment finishes

The warning lasts 20 seconds:

Still there? We’ll clear this screen in <n> s to protect your information.

If nobody touches Keep going, the tablet clears the screen and returns to Home.

Nothing is kept for the next visitor. Home, Cancel and the idle reset all clear what the visitor typed, the name they searched for, who they were recognized as, and any language or text size they chose.

Language. A pill on Home and in the bar shows each language in its own name, for example English · العربية · Español. Switching between English and Spanish is instant. Switching to or from Arabic or Urdu restarts the screen and lands on Home in the new language:

Switching to العربية restarts the screen at the start.

When the tablet resets after a visitor leaves, it goes back to the kiosk config’s default language.

Accessibility. The accessibility button in the bar offers:

Reach: moves buttons lower. Large text. High contrast.

Large text applies to this visitor only and resets when the tablet returns to Home.

Volunteer check-in. The visitor picks the shift from the list, then checks in by tapping their card, scanning their QR code, or searching their name. Name search shows a masked contact, such as a partly hidden email, so the volunteer can confirm “Is this you?” without anyone else’s details on screen. A successful tap says “Welcome back, <first name>” and returns to Home after 4 seconds. If a shift has no kiosk campaign behind it, the screen offers card and QR only.

RSVP. The visitor picks an event, then enters first name, last name and email (phone is optional). Only free events are listed. Each tablet takes up to 30 RSVPs an hour by default; past that, the visitor is asked to see a volunteer or RSVP on your website. Your administrator can change the hourly number between 1 and 500.

Forms. Depending on the forms screen’s setting, the visitor picks Fill here on this screen or Scan to fill on your phone. Scanning shows a QR code with “Point your phone camera here. The form opens on your phone.” and a Done button.

Volunteer calendar. Shifts are grouped by day (Today, Tomorrow, then the weekday and date) and split into pages, so nothing scrolls off the screen. The visitor picks a shift, then a role if the shift has more than one, then enters first name, last name and email (phone is optional), and presses Sign me up.

You’re signed up for <shift>. Confirmation sent to <masked email>.

If the role is full, the visitor joins the waitlist:

This shift is full. You’re on the waitlist (#<n>).

Some shifts can only be signed up for on a phone: a shift that needs a signed waiver, a volunteer form with required questions, a minimum age or certification, a payment, an approved volunteer application, or more than eight roles. These shifts show a QR code to your public sign-up page instead of the form. Each tablet takes up to 30 volunteer sign-ups an hour by default; your administrator can change it between 1 and 500.

Check in now. The list shows only shifts inside the window you set. When none are, the screen says:

No shifts are starting soon. Check the volunteer calendar, or ask a volunteer.

with a Home button.

Offline. The menu and the last synced lists keep working without the internet. Check-in and sign-up need a connection and say so.

The check-in card reader

Volunteer cards are read by the tablet’s own NFC or by an ACR1555U reader. Staff choose which on the tablet:

Tap the exit chip above the bar and enter the exit PIN.
Choose Staff panel.
Under Check-in card reader, read cards with This device (the tablet’s own NFC) or with the paired ACR1555U card reader. Choosing the reader before it is paired starts a search for it.
Press Test tap and tap a volunteer card. When it reads, you’re ready.

This section is separate from the Card reader above it, which is the payment reader:

Where volunteer cards are read. Payment readers are set up above.

If the menu also takes tap-to-pay, use an ACR1555U for check-in:

This menu also takes tap-to-pay. Use an ACR1555U so payments and check-ins don’t compete for the tablet’s NFC.

Card tap side. On a landscape tablet the check-in screen shows the card tap on one side and the event on the other. To choose the side, go to Devices & Kiosk > Kiosk Configs, open the config, and set Advanced > Card Tap Side. Automatic puts the card tap next to the tablet’s built-in reader, on the corner set in Reader Indicator Position (top right on a Sunmi OrderPAD 3). On a tablet without a built-in reader it goes on the side the language reads from: left, or right for Arabic and Urdu. Choose Left or Right for an external reader. Left and right are the sides of the screen as you face it, in every language.

The device page in the console shows a Menu use card for a tablet running a menu:

Which tiles visitors tap, and how many finish (last 7 days).

For each tile it shows taps, how many finished, and how many left early (cancelled or timed out). A new menu shows “No visits yet. Counts start with the first tap.”

The tablet records tile ids only. No names, no event or campaign titles, and nothing a visitor typed. Records are kept for 90 days.

When it goes wrong

What you see	What it means	What to do
This tablet runs Muin <v>. Menus need <min> or newer.	The tablet’s app is older than the first version with menus.	Leave the tablet on overnight so it updates during quiet hours, then assign again.
Nothing was created: <reason>.	One screen in a template could not be created, so none were.	Fix what the reason names and press Create menu again.
Unavailable: ‘<name>’ was deleted.	A tile points at a kiosk config that was deleted.	Pick another kiosk config for the tile, or remove the tile.
An error under a tile on save	The menu breaks a rule: too many tiles, too deep, mixed orientation, a menu inside a menu, or a warning under 20 seconds.	Fix the tile the error sits under, then save again.
No volunteer shifts today. Ask a volunteer, or check our website.	No volunteer shift is on today for this tablet’s check-in screen.	Create today’s shift and pin it to the check-in kiosk config.
We don’t recognize this card. Search your name, or ask a volunteer to link it.	The card is not linked to a person.	The volunteer searches their name, or staff link the card to their record.
You’re already checked in, <first>. Have a great shift!	The volunteer already checked in for this shift.	Nothing. No second check-in is recorded.
You’re on the waitlist (#1). Please see a staff member.	The volunteer is waitlisted for this shift.	A staff member confirms the volunteer’s place on the shift.
Check-in for this event isn’t open on this screen. Please ask a volunteer.	The event is not offered by any screen on this tablet’s menu.	Pin the event to the check-in kiosk config the menu uses.
Check-in needs the internet. A volunteer can check you in.	The tablet is offline.	Restore the tablet’s connection. Until then, staff check volunteers in.
This event is full.	The event has no places left.	The visitor can join the waitlist when the event has one.
This screen has taken many sign-ups. Please ask a volunteer or RSVP on our website.	The tablet reached its RSVP limit for the hour.	Wait for the hour to pass, or raise the hourly limit.
Finishing payment… on the bar	A card payment is in progress.	Wait for the result. The bar unlocks after it.
Test tap does not read a card	NFC is off, or the ACR1555U is not paired.	Turn NFC on in Android settings, or pair the ACR1555U, or switch to This device. Then test again.
Menu use shows No visits yet	Nobody has tapped a tile in the last 7 days.	Nothing. Counts start with the first tap.
Add a volunteer application form first.	The Become a volunteer preset found no published volunteer application form.	Press Open form templates, create one from the Volunteering template and publish it.
Nothing was created: there is no published volunteer application form.	A template with a Become a volunteer screen had no form to show.	Publish a volunteer application form, then try again.
Use 0 to 180 minutes. or Use 0 to 360 minutes.	A check-in window value is out of range.	Enter a value in the range. 30 and 0 suit most lobbies.
No shifts are starting soon.	No shift on this tablet’s check-in screen is inside the window.	Nothing, if that is right. Otherwise widen Show from, or check the shift’s start time.
You’re already signed up for this shift.	The same email already holds a place in this role.	Nothing. No second sign-up is recorded.
This shift can’t take sign-ups here. Scan to sign up on your phone.	The shift needs something the tablet cannot collect, such as a waiver, or sign-up is closed.	The visitor scans the QR code and signs up on the public page.
This screen has taken many sign-ups. Please sign up on your phone.	The tablet reached its sign-up limit for the hour.	Wait for the hour to pass, or raise the hourly limit.
A tile’s color shows as light grey	The brand color is too dark to see on the tile.	Nothing, or pick a different color for the tile.

Next step

Pair the tablet first: Kiosk configs and devices, or set it up from the Muin app on the tablet itself: Getting it onto a tablet. To set up the giving screen a Donate tile opens, see Kiosk campaigns.