What are your options if you want to develop a touchscreen experience for your business?

Are you thinking about investing in an interactive touchscreen experience, but want to know more about your options first?

We often get approached by businesses who love the idea of being able to showcase their products, services or content in a new, innovative way that’s easy for anyone to access.

But at the same time, they just don’t know where to start, what’s involved, or even the type of interactivity that’s possible. That’s why we wanted to put together this blog post.

As touchscreen specialists, we believe in creating memorable, fun and engaging experiences, and we always say you should never be afraid to dream, or push boundaries – the possibilities are virtually endless!

Below, we’ve highlighted the two main considerations to think about when developing an interactive touchscreen experience, along with just a taste of the features and functionality that’s possible.

What are your options for an interactive touchscreen experience?

There are many different options for creating the perfect innovative touchscreen experience that will truly resonate with your intended audience.

The one you choose should really come down to your intended audience, and what they’re going to find comfortable and engaging to use.

Before you decide on your solution, ask yourself the following questions:

• Why do you need it – what is your main goal?
• Who is going to be using it?
• How will they be interacting with it?
• Where is it going to be placed?
• How big is the space?
• Does it need to be portable?
• Will I need to update content?

The two main considerations when developing an interactive touchscreen solution or experience are split into the hardware and software/experience.

1. Choosing the right hardware

When looking at hardware, it soon becomes apparent there’s a wide variety of options to suit just about any scenario. These include:

• Tables
• Kiosks
• Podiums
• Bespoke screens
• Standalone solutions
• Integrated solutions
• Indoor or outdoor solutions
• Interactive video walls

The hardware doesn’t even have to be limited to the touchscreen itself; your solution can also interact with objects outside of the experience – e.g. changing the lighting in an area, or changing the content on a video wall.

TIP: Your chosen interactive touchscreen specialist should be able to help you decide on which hardware is right for you.

2. Developing the experience/software

This is by far the most important element of your overall solution. For a truly engaging and memorable solution, the visual experience should be developed with the end user in mind – rather than simply treating your touchscreen as another way to showcase your website or content.

People tend to interact with touchscreens in a different way than they would smartphones and computers, so you have to make the content and narrative clear, easy to navigate, and consider the actions you want users to take.

For instance, on large screens, it’s important to ensure people can easily read the touchpoints and access important information – without becoming lost or overwhelmed with the amount of stuff going on.

As for software, there are a few different options available in terms of applications. These include Intuilab (a specialised multi-touch solution), or developing an experience in HTML – however, these involve going to a specialist developer.

What about features/functionality?

In terms of features and functionality, you can pretty much go as far as your imagination will take you!

Some of the potential options include anything from stunning visuals and PDFs, to videos and interactive visuals, 3D modelling, interactive games and gamification, gesture control (such as Microsoft Kinetic), facial recognition, and augmented reality.

Shape recognition is great for museums. You could have a flat touchscreen table where a visitor picks up a certain object, and the touchscreen experience will instantly recognise that shape. It can show you things around that object, or completely change its content when you pick up a different object instead.

iBeacons allow you to pick up a tagged product or object, and when you go near the touchscreen, it brings up all the information about that particular product. This is especially handy if you still want people to be able to have something to touch or feel.

Demographic recognition can even judge a) how many people in front of the screen b) whether they’re looking at the display and c) whether those people are male or female. It can even have a guess at your age (if you’re brave), and customise the content depending on who’s looking!

Again, the options you choose for your own touchscreen experience will very much depend on your objects, goals, and who is likely to be interacting with it.

Advice from an interactive touchscreen specialist

The best advice we can give you is to consult with an interactive touchscreen specialist, or interactive agency who specialises in creating touchscreen experiences, rather than a software or web developer.

This is because a touchscreen experience is completely different from creating a website, or even a smartphone app – it has to be engaging and provide clear navigation, along with plenty of opportunities for users to interact in fun and innovative ways.

Ask to see examples of their previous work, and speak to them about what you’re ultimately trying to achieve. They should be able to listen to your needs, and ask all the right questions to help guide you in finding out the best option for you and your business.

We find this is one of the most important stages with our clients, as a lot of them are simply unaware of the possibilities that could really shape their experience, and how those features could be implemented into an innovative and enjoyable solution.

Finally, if there’s a feature you’d love to be able to have, but you’re just not sure if it’s achievable – don’t be afraid to ask! You might be surprised.

Conclusion

We hope you’ve found this blog helpful. There are so many possibilities when creating an interactive touchscreen solution for your business, so don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild!

We always recommend seeking out a touchscreen specialist, or an agency who specialises in developing interactive touchscreen solutions – rather than a hardware provider – so you can create a memorable and engaging experience your customers will love to interact with.

Is there anything you’d like to know about the different options for interactive touchscreen solutions? Simply download our eBook or get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!