Table of Contents Display + Touch + People = Interactive Experience 3 Displays 5 Touch Interfaces 7 Touch Technology 10 People 14 Examples 17 Summary 22 Additional Information 23 3
Display + Touch + People = Interactive Experience Touch, unlike any other sense that humans have, is a fully engaging experience. Every other sense is concentrated in the head, but touch is a part of every part of a person. Engaging people with content means engaging them fully and interactively. Interactive experiences create connection that can t be found in simple visual media. This ebook will explore how displays, touch interfaces, touch technology and people come together to create an interactive experience. No one component can be left out when planning for and implementing a touch display, whether it s a massive video wall or a single display. Ultimately, touch displays are about connecting people with information in a way that engages their senses as well as their minds. 3
ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Displays Displays from phones to video walls can be touch enabled. But simply adding touch doesn t make up for lackluster displays that may not respond quickly enough or be bright enough for the location. Matching the display to the application is essential for creating the best experience. Touch The heart of a touch-based interactive experience is the touch technology, but not all types of touch interfaces are the same. Think of the difference in writing between a pencil, a pen, a crayon, and a paint brush. All can put marks on paper, but all do it differently and are suited to their own, specific applications. People Without engaging people, displays and touch technology don t accomplish their purpose. The purpose is to connect content with people. The hardware that drives the content, the software that allows people to interact with it, and the way the entire system is presented all to help or hinder people to interact with the experience. 4
ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Displays The size and use of a display makes a big impact on what type of touch technology it can use and how people will interact with it. Smaller screens require fewer touch points because space limits the number of fingers that can fit on the display, but larger displays can be used by multiple people, so a high number of touch points becomes more important. Small Displays Up to 32 Single user Close viewing distance Maximum of 10 touch points Large Displays From 32 to 98 Single display Indoor or outdoor installations Public or private use Multiple users possible Video Wall Displays Made up of multiple displays joined together Primarily indoor installations Multiple users are standard 5
Touch The essence of touch is finding a way to communicate to a computer where fingers are on a display, but there are many different ways to do that, each with their own benefits and challenges. ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Single Touch Multi-Touch Resistive Touch Capacitive Touch Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Optical Infrared Gesture Second Screen 6
Touch Interfaces ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Single Touch vs. Multi-Touch Single touch systems can register only one input at a time. While few modern systems use a single touch interface, it s still found in legacy devices or when the software is unable to register multi-touch gestures. Some benefits of single-touch systems include simple software and the typically rugged nature of the hardware. Though the technology goes back into the 1970s, widespread use of multitouch technology came about with the launch of the original iphone in 2007. A multi-touch display can recognize at least two different touch points at the same time and use the interaction between those touch points to instruct the software. The pinch-to-zoom gesture is, perhaps, the most common and intuitive application of multitouch. 7
Touch Interfaces ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Gestures Gestures can be a feature of multi-touch interfaces, or like with Microsoft Kinect, can be an entirely different interface. Gestures rely on a script of movements that the software translates into commands. Usually gestures take some learning to use and are not as intuitive as some of the multi-touch interfaces (e.g. pinch-to-zoom). But what gestures lack in intuitiveness, they make up for with utility. For example, multi-finger dragging becomes a gesture for scrolling or swiping to a new page of content. Only touch interfaces with multi-touch can support gestures. 8
Touch Interfaces ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Second Screen One option for a touch interface is moving it off of the display to a second screen. Tools like Apple s AirPlay or Google s Chromecast allow for smartphones or tablets to control what s on a larger display. While most people have smartphones, it does mean that there will always be a second device necessary to drive the display. Additionally, second screen interfaces often have a short delay between the command on the device and its execution on the display. 9
Touch Technologies ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Resistive Resistive touch systems register the point of contact on a display when two sheets of resistive material are pushed together. Resistive touch systems are inexpensive, accurate, and liquid resistant, but the material reduces optical quality and is susceptible to damage. Resistive systems are best suited for small form factors (i.e. under 20 inches). 10
Touch Technologies Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Ultrasonic waves are sent across the surface of a display, then checked for any differences. Where differences appear, the SAW system registers a touch. The optical quality and accuracy of SAW systems is good, but anything on the display (such as liquid) can register false touches, and it does not allow for dragging or drawing applications. As with resistive touch, SAW is best suited for smaller displays. Image courtesy of Eizo Global: http://www.eizoglobal.com/library/basics/basic_understanding_of_touch_panel/ 11
Touch Technologies Capacitive ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays By far the most common touch technology in use today is capacitive (properly known as projected capacitive). It is used on nearly all handheld devices and most touch-screen computers. Capacitive touch uses conductive material to sense where a touch happens on the display. It supports multi-touch applications, does not require a bezel, can be used outdoors and has high optical quality, but it is expensive on larger displays (i.e. over 82 ) and only responds to conductive material (not gloves). On larger displays the visibility of the capacitive wires can become an issue. 12
Touch Technologies ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Optical Optical touch uses cameras located around the edge of the display in conjunction with infrared backlights to register touches on a display. Optical touch allows for low-cost, high-quality multi-touch applications, but is susceptible to the cameras becoming misaligned and to interference from sunlight. Though it can work on displays up to 120, the multi-touch application suffers on screens larger than 55. Infrared (IR) Using a series of IR emitters and receivers in a frame around the display, infrared touch technology analyzes the location of the touches to enable a multi-touch interface on large displays. Though it is higher in cost than other technologies, its reliability, ease of use and accuracy on displays as large as 300 makes it ideal for video walls and extra-large format displays. It is susceptible to false touches from contamination on the display(s) and bright sunlight can cause interference, meaning it is best suited for indoor applications. 13
People Purpose ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays When touch applications work the best, it s because they allow people to interact in a natural, intuitive manner. Touch interfaces have moved from a niche market to being expected everywhere from computers to cars to ticket kiosks to information booths. Allowing people to have a simple, easy way to access information, control devices and communicate with others lowers the barrier between humanity and technology and takes us one more step into the future we ve all dreamed about. 14
People Content ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays As more and more devices use a touch interface there is a growing expectation among people that content will be interactive. In the past it may have been acceptable to have static images on a display, but now people want to zoom, move and explore the content in a dynamic way that can only be accomplished through a touch interface. Content needs to be both deeper and more interactive to drive the overall experience that people are looking for. Deeper: Content that allows drilling down, discovery and exploration is deeper. There s a layer below the surface, all of the underlying research and thoughts, that allows people to choose how much of the content they consume. Interactive: When the content requires something from the person viewing it, there is meaningful interaction. Not simply tapping on the display to advance a slide, but marking up a document, moving pictures around and connecting ideas together. 15
People Connection ebook: The 3 Components of Interactive Touch Displays Nearly every human endeavor requires creating a connection. Marketing, politics, education and sales are all about attracting attention, engaging people and creating a connection. Interactive touch displays are another way to accomplish the same goals humanity has had for generations. Attract: Touch displays, especially large displays, have a magnetic force on people. Curiosity and delight draw them forward to experience controlling the content for themselves. Engage: Once people have approached the display, they need to be invited to engage with it, to begin touching it and experiencing what possibilities lie before them. Connect: After touching and engaging with the content, people need to have a reason to continue. In a museum it might be learning, in a hotel it might be finding a restaurant or it might be the sheer delight of exploring the content. 16
EXAMPLES: how touch-enabled displays connect people with content The goal of any tool is to reach the point where technology and humanity come together to create something more than the sum of the parts. Touch displays, on their own, are an interesting technology, but when paired with the inquisitive, creative, thoughtful nature of people the interface begins to unlock new and exciting ways of interacting, creating and thinking. Let the following examples inform and inspire you. They don t present the limits of what can be accomplished with a touch display, but merely the beginning. Your creativity will continue to explore the unique relationship between people and their tools. 17
Sports Venue University of Michigan Crisler Center Ann Arbor, Michigan The University of Michigan uses touch displays to let fans interact with information about the players, the teams and the history of sports at the school. 18
Corporate Gensler Los Angeles, California Mixing a large-format display with a gesture-based touch control (on the table) engages visitors to Gensler s corporate offices without any previous instruction or training on how to use the system. 19
Museum US National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC The US National Archives uses a touch table as a second display that can push content to a large video wall, allowing both the deep exploration of the content as well as interaction and connection with multiple people. 20
Hospitality Space Needle Seattle, Washington The iconic Space Needle uses a huge, interactive video wall to let people explore past pictures of the historic building, share their own, pictures and mark their home on an interactive world map showing all of the visitors to the top of the 520 foot tower since it opened in 1962. 21
Summary The variety of touch interfaces bring with them both challenges and opportunities. It takes some time to understand all of the options but, like a painter learning to use the full palate of colors, you can begin to create experiences that connect people and ideas in meaningful, transformative ways when you bring the strengths of touchscreen technology to bear. 22
Additional Information Planar, a Leyard company, is a global leader in display and digital signage technology, providing premier solutions for the world's most demanding environments. Retailers, educational institutions, government agencies, businesses, utilities and energy firms, and home theater enthusiasts all depend on Planar to provide superior performance when image experience is of the highest importance. Planar video walls, direct view LED offerings, large format LCD displays, interactive touch screen monitors and many other solutions are used by the world s leading organizations in applications ranging from digital signage to simulation and from interactive kiosks to large-scale data visualization. For more information, visit www.planar.com.