When deciding on new interface technology, whether it is for professional or personal use, the touch screen component has become a popular option to consider. With a hard durable surface, with a thin plastic screen shield, touch-screen devices are less prone to screen damage than devices with keypads. Moreover, the resilient and easy-to-use nature of touch-screen devices make them suitable for users of all ages and skill levels.
Replacing the Mouse and keyboard
The process of using a touch screen monitor allows for the absence of the traditional computer mouse and keyboard. Without them, the touch screen functions and programs are directly accessible by touching areas of the screen. The absence of a mouse and keyboard also allows for easier transport and relocation of the device.
Reality Based Interaction
Having a more direct and natural interaction with electronic devices is an appeal of this technology. Lacking the multiple devices needed to communicate with traditional computers, touch screen technology creates a simpler and more intuitive interaction.
Space and Mobility
Standard computer systems that require a mouse and keyboard for operation take up more space than touch screen devices. Touch screen devices thus can be used with greater ease in areas where a user does not have a lot of room to place a computer system.
Durability
The devices with keypads are susceptible to damage. For instance, a keyboard or a keypad has separate keys and related circuits, any of which can break or become inoperable due to dirt, crumbs, water damage, etc. In contrast, touch screens can be protected more easily because they do not have as many parts. This means that touch screens have the potential to have a longer product life than standard monitors and computer systems.
Speed
The fact that icons can be used with touch screens greatly increases the speed at which the user can manipulate the system applications. It takes far less time for the brain to process an image than it does to read an entire sentence of text, so users can go through the application processes in a matter of seconds and be on their way faster. Speed also is increased because users don’t have to type out a response.
Improves Accessibility
Touch screens have the potential to be more comfortable for the user. Impaired individuals can use touch-screen technology, especially those who find using a mouse or keyboard difficult. For example, touch screens often organize information in a clear and simplified way, so visually-impaired individuals can operate them. Similarly, disabled patrons who have difficulty speaking or standing in long lines can take advantage of touch-screen technology to access information easily and at their own pace. In addition, touch-screen interfaces are often so easy to use that even people with little or no experience using computers can operate one with minimal or no supervision. They also can be more accessible for those with poor eyesight because icons sometimes can be easier to distinguish than text.
Easy User Interface
One of the major benefits of touch screens is the overall ease of use. Since the act of touching is instinctive, touch-screen devices are relatively simple to operate. A clearly defined set of menus is easy to navigate through when all the user has to do is touch the desired option. The user-friendly nature of the touch screen also helps save time.
Easy to Clean and Maintain
Touch screen devices have smooth, flat screens, which makes cleaning a much easier task. Devices which do not require a keyboard tend to collect less dust. The function of the computer mouse is eliminated as well–a device with many crevices that are hard to clean. The wireless nature of the touch screen also eliminates the mess of tangled power cords behind the desk.
Saves Time
Several businesses use touch-screen technology to accelerate their speed of service, allowing customers to serve themselves at touch-screen kiosks. Customers use these self-serve kiosks for simple services, such as purchasing movie tickets, paying bills or accessing account information quickly. As a result, businesses can offer shorter lines and reduced wait times for other customers, while reducing the need to hire, train and pay employees.
Thus we can conclude that Touch screen devices are user friendly and have many advantages that will be beneficial for the Touch Screen users.
Making the Human Touch More Powerful
Touchscreen technologies have improved immensely over the past decade. They offer a host of benefits for businesses that require building directories and wayfinding assistance, and that want to provide information or self-service options for employees, guests, and customers.
Some of the more common places you will find touchscreens being used are:
Each of these types of businesses utilizes touchscreens for different purposes, each with its own benefits over conventional methods.
Here are 11 ways touchscreen technology can enhance business operations.
1. No more strip lobby directory signage.
In the past, to update directories, you would have to open the display and replace strips to reflect current information. If you have multiple directory signage to update, you would have to spend time updating each one.
To illustrate, you manage a large shopping mall and have new stores opening, stores relocating to new locations, and a few stores closing. You have to visit each directory display in your mall and manually update each sign with the current information.
With digital directory signage systems, you just need to electronically update the information in the data directory once. Then you can replicate and share the same update with all of the digital signs in your mall.
Best of all, you do not have to walk to a sign display to make any changes and updates! You can make changes and updates or alter what information is displayed right from your desk.
2. Create a culture to attract new clients, customers and tenants.
You can customize your digital directories with the types of content relevant to your business or industry by implementing different apps and features. For instance, along the side of a digital wayfinding display, you could feature weather, traffic, local news, or stock reports.
You could also implement marketing and advertising features on the displays. For example, mall management companies could sell digital ads to retailers and play their ads on different displays throughout the mall. Not only could this help bring in new business for your mall tenants, but it also provides you an additional revenue stream aside from the rent you collect for retail spaces.
3. Easy scalability as your business grows and needs changes.
It is easy to add more digital signage throughout your property and tailor each touchscreen directory for specific purposes or functions. For instance, in a multi-practice healthcare facility, you could have one touchscreen in the main lobby area for patients to use to locate their physician’s office.
Within each physician’s office, you could have other video displays/touchscreens on which patients could watch content or utilize various apps while they are waiting to see their doctor. Did you know people perceive wait times to be thirty to fifty percent less than they actually are when there are touchscreens and video displays in use?
You could use apps like headline news, current weather, calendar of events, traffic conditions, social media feeds, and so on to keep people entertained anywhere in your healthcare facility. You could even use a display with various apps outside your pharmacy so people could view it while they waited for their prescriptions.
4. Adds value for people that have physical disabilities and need assistance.
Touchscreens are very user-friendly, even when that person has a physical disability. For example, a person with arthritis can still easily “tap” the screen while using a wayfinding directory to locate a store, doctor’s office, or another place of business they want to visit. Screen displays can also be adjusted for those with visual impairments, so the text and images are made larger, temporarily, to accommodate this individual.
5. Can be configured to offer multiple languages.
In popular tourist cities, like New York, Orlando, and Las Vegas, not everyone knows English. You can have tourists from Japan, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, or some other place where English is not the primary language. By offering multiple languages support, your guests can select the language they want to use while using the digital directory for assistance.
6. Easy to use by people of all ages.
Most people are already familiar with how to use touchscreen technologies because their smartphones and tablet devices are touchscreens. There is only a small learning curve for someone who might not be too familiar with touchscreens. You just tap the screen while looking for the information you require. Some displays can also be configured to allow a person to search using an onscreen keyboard.
7. Takes up less space and uses less energy than conventional directories.
Touchscreens are flat-paneled devices, much like today’s televisions. They are lightweight and thin and do not take up much space to install. Even the large digital display kiosks you find in malls take up less space than those bulky square-shaped “old-school” directories. Not to mention, they tend to use less energy compared to conventional back-lit directories.
8. Provides a wealth of informational content.
In addition to wayfinding information, our touchscreen displays can provide a great deal of information that will make your business a welcoming environment for your clients and customers. Our devices are able to display headline news, current local weather, even traffic conditions. The possibilities are nearly endless.
9. More convenient than traditional directories.
With a traditional directory, people have to look line by line to find the name of the business, office, or retailer they are looking for. Then, once they find it, look at the “map” on the display and scan numerous spaces to find the one they want.
With touchscreen technologies, people are able to accomplish desired tasks by as much as 20% faster. If Search is enabled, they just enter the name of the business and know right away where it is located within the building. They could even be provided with onscreen directions to know which way is the most efficient to get there.
10. Easier to maintain than conventional directories.
Maintaining conventional directories means cleaning the front and sides of the display to remove fingerprints and smudges. If there are any light bulbs burnt out, you would have to open the display and replace those, too.
Touchscreens will also be touched a lot throughout the day. Getting rid of all those fingerprints and smudges is easy to do with an approved screen cleaner. You just spray it on and wipe with a soft cloth. This is essentially the only “housekeeping” type of maintenance they require once they are installed, other than a quick dusting on the tops and sides.
11. Can be used in outdoor locations.
Touchscreen directories can be used in both indoor and outdoor locations. For outdoor areas, however, special types of hardware may be necessary to protect the display from the elements and help ensure proper operating conditions.
Yet, you still gain all the same benefits as you do with indoor digital directory systems. You can provide directions and show weather updates or other such information that is relevant.
For example, many government parks are installing our displays in outdoor areas to provide hikers and campers with trail maps, weather updates, approved camping locations, and other important information.
As you can see, there are many benefits your business could gain by using touchscreen technologies and displays. Touchscreens come in all different sizes, from small ones you can use in elevators to huge display panels you can mount to the wall or have installed as their own stand-alone display kiosks.
With the number of apps and customizations currently available, and continuing to expand and grow, there really is no limit to how you could use touchscreen and electronic directories in your business.
Isn’t it time to upgrade to modern technologies and say goodbye to your conventional displays?