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Touch screen technology is used in varying forms from kiosks, PCs and monitors to digital signage.
There are a vast array of interactive displays in sectors such as hospitals, airports, supermarkets and libraries. But as the technology advances, car companies and designers across Europe are predicting that in the not-too-distant future, multi-touch windows in cars will exist.
A car window is simply a clear glass panel on the vehicle windscreen to keep the wind and noise out for the driver’s comfort and acts as a safety shield from road debris.
To date the car window is a non-interactive glass panel that is static but car industry experts expect that just as laptop and TV interfaces are fast becoming touch screen, so will the car window. So soon people will be looking at windows rather than just looking through them!
For example, Toyota has collaborated with the Copenhagen Institute of Interactive Design to create the concept “Window to the World” in which car windows add an interactive layer to the scenery outside. At times the window allows the passenger to trace for example the outline of a sheep or cow but in other modes the screen estimates the distance of various objects from outside of the car.
The concept envisions the interactive window recognising objects like barns and bikes and offering vocabulary lessons in other languages. And the popular ‘pinch screen’ mode on many smartphones, in which the user can ‘pinch’ the screen to zoom in, would be available so the passenger could zoom in on objects in the distance of the car.
Glasgow University is undertaking a similar project with Fiat called “heads-up displays” in which computer-screen like windshields for the car driver display data such as fuel levels and speed so the driver doesn’t have to take his or her eyes off the road.
Another example is with Cadillac and Fusion92 who are working on interactive touchscreen car window stickers. The scheme is targeted at enhancing show rooms and it works by displaying the price and car features ordinarily but then when the customer walks by the car window, it comes to life making the glass a fully interactive touch screen kiosk. The prospective buyer can watch videos of the car in action, share information about the car over social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and customise the car’s features.
Who knows what the future of touch screen technology will hold? Rest assured Protouch will keep you informed.
The concept of man vs. machines has been going on for years but only recently has it been catapulted to the forefront of mainstream media when President Obama took a swipe at kiosks and ATMs for world-wide unemployment numbers.
But yet this follows reports by McDonalds that despite deploying hundreds of kiosks across its branches throughout Europe it has no plans to cut employees.
The U.S President sat down in a Today show interview with Ann Curry a couple of weeks ago and slated the touch screen technology by saying how it had contributed to the nation’s unemployment figures.
But yet the restaurant chain has announced that reports predicting its wide deployment of self-service kiosks would replace human jobs- are false.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Europe said: “Self-order kiosks are not designed to replace front-counter service.
“Front counters remain a focal point of service where we have installed self-order kiosks, and customers can decide whether they wish to place their order at the counter or through kiosks. Staff are on hand in the dining area to assist customers using the kiosks.”
The fast food giant has installed more than 840 kiosks throughout Europe including France and the UK.
The spokesperson continued that deploying the kiosks wasn’t about cutting costs but rather to provide better customer service. McDonald’s explain that the kiosks are no intended to reduce staff numbers and in fact they expect overall staff figures at the restaurants to increase as the business grows.
They added that the restaurant relies on workers to man the machines and help customers unfamiliar with the kiosks on how to operate them as well as prepare food, assemble the order and deliver it to waiting customers.
The spokesman added: that the kiosks “give customers the opportunity to take the time that they need to consider and place their order…based on feedback from some customers that (said) they would appreciate more time during the ordering process.”
For more touch screen industry news click here.
Last year was a fantastic year for us; we won best use of technology in the hospitality and leisure sector in the Retail Systems Awards, Carnival UK deployed our kiosks at sea on their cruise ships, and retail store Matalan launched a concept store featuring our kiosks.
So it is no surprise that we are very excited about the upcoming year and what 2011 will bring!
In terms of the touch screen technology industry, businesses and companies are constantly looking for the next big thing to please the customers and better their experience to keep them coming back for more.
This is especially difficult to overcome, with the challenge of an already weakened economy and falling sales.
However, industry experts have agreed that the goal and top trend for 2011 is to combine kiosks, tablets and mobile technologies to keep the clients and consumers buying and using the technology.
The Touch screen tablet, such as the iPad, is said to rise in the market this year alongside app developers, as a definite trend to watch out for that impacts the kiosk industry.
This is exampled by the news story we previously reported upon, in which kiosks were installed at New York’s John F Kennedy and La Guardia airports where the consumer could order a meal deal on an iPad.
And only last week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office made public Apple’s patent “Social Networking in Shopping Environments” which described how in-store kiosks would allow customers to access an item list and information on their phones and then share.
As stated, it is expected the mobile and kiosk industries will also work together, with the convergence of all technologies helping to engage the customer in its fullest.
Shoppers will be able to log in to their accounts via store kiosks but also online or on their mobile phones; with the kiosk acting as the focal point as it coordinates the overall customer experience.
It seems the public is more accepting now than ever of self-service machines, with them being so user friendly.
Tom Quarry, Managing Director of Protouch, said: “We are very proud of the success we have had over the past year and are more determined than ever to have a fantastic 2011. Touch screen kiosks are having a massive impact on businesses and will only become greater and more influential as the year progresses. To meet with this extremely wide need for self service, our kiosks are continually evolving and utilising the many innovative devices that are in demand across all industry sectors.”
To install a Touch screen kiosk in your business, contact Protouch today.
We have previously talked about the benefits of touch screen kiosk in the retail sector and how self-service units are fast becoming popular and a common sight in the settings.
Once installed, they replicate the advantages of online shopping at home but in-store, and give staff more time to concentrate on assisting the customers and their needs.
In many cases more than 50 per cent of transactions take place at self-service kiosks and customers spend more at kiosks than at tills due to cross selling methods, so surely these units are easing the strain when shopping at Christmas time?
We all know what it is like when you are rushing around doing some of that last minute buying, whether it is for presents or Christmas Day grub. The shops are bustling with people trying to find that great gift with queues backing up to the end of aisle and overall, it can be a very stressful ordeal.
By deploying touch screen kiosks, the on-screen software allows merchants to streamline their sales and information process quickly and efficiently; meaning less queuing time, fewer dissatisfied customers and more sales handled for the pre-holiday season.
They are ideal for queue management and with minimal on-screen information it makes them both accessible and easy to use; increasing the customer experience.
Away from the concept of payment, the retail kiosks will also be aiding the Christmas shoppers in malls where they haven’t been before. They are perfect for interactivity on way-finding for consumers who get lost or do not know where to go.
To install a Touch screen kiosk in your retail business, visit www.protouch.co.uk now.
We have already talked about how touch screen technology can benefit your business and which industries are blossoming due to its advantages but how are payment kiosks helping the government’s prison sector?
Kiosks in prisons are not a new thing, with computer technology existing in there to keep the inmates connected with the world and benefit from keeping up-to-date with new information.
They are heavy-duty kiosks with a toughened glass screen to cope with all the hustle and bustle of every-day life in prison; offering information on prison job vacancies, health and wellbeing, legality and available courses.
But what about payment kiosks?
Over in America, in as many as 30 states, the jails have installed payment kiosk, credit card machines and signed agreements with phone centres to process bail payments.
The third parties charge seven per cent of the total bail to defendants and some of the contractors are giving back a small fee to the government.
Advantages of the payment kiosks in the prisons include;
- Helps reduce jail crowding because less time is spent behind bars
- Allows people to free themselves faster without burdening family relatives
Opposition to the touch screen technology, mainly bail agents and bounty hunters, argue against the change to the justice system reporting their distress at the third-party companies operating lawfully without licences and their decline in business.
One concern bail agents have raised is that defendants who post bail electronically by plastic may be less accountable with no one taking responsibility for the criminals.
The Pinellas County Sheriff, of Florida, has set the maximum bail inmates can post using credit cards at $750.
Supposedly eight to ten people a week are using the kiosks to bail themselves out.
So could it be the future of UK prisons that they too will install the payment kiosks into the British justice system? We do not have the same system as to paying for bail, but could the payment kiosks be used for a different function?
Interactive technology is fast becoming an essential commodity and popular trend in all industry sectors due to the need to provide easily accessible information and services in a compact form.
Touch screen technology has beem embraced by business owners and government officials and used for automated back office and staff facing systems.
Now that self-service is also so integral within business, touch screens have evolved and more and more sectors, from retail to transport, are seeing the value of providing the customers with self service touch screen kiosks.
You can install virtually any application into an industry and there are many factors and considerations to cover. You need to bear in mind who will be using it and what height it should be i.e. can it be accessed by a wheelchair user? What is its purpose; are you displaying information for advertising and marketing or is it simply for human resources?
But, out of all the factors and considerations there are a few that all units share…
The common Factors:
- Screen size – 15-19” for privacy – no one wants their information presented to passers-by.
- Attractor screen – to attract the user and promote the service clearly and concisely.
- Journey – the process the user has to go through to complete their desired outcome should be seamless and intuitive.
- On screen design – simple design with buttons large enough to touch
- Branding / messaging – outside messaging make the customer aware of the kiosk.
The common Considerations:
- DDA compliance – height of screen and accessories, on screen colour options, location – the idea is that all users can use the kiosk
- Additional panels for screen and sound privacy – depending on the function of the kiosk the user may require a high or low level of privacy.
- Accessories – what items will aid the user? Keyboard? Phone? Microphone?
- Touch screen technology – depending on where and how the touch screen will be used, it will require a different type of screen technology such as Surface Acoustic Wave, which provides great screen clarity or Resistive which can be operated by a number of touch methods such as a finger or stylus.
According to a report by Gartner, who deliver global technology research, touch-enabled devices will increasingly become more popular and commonplace in industry sectors in the future.
We saw ZDNet Asia blog featuring these report results and had to include them in a post, because as Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen equipment, we care about the future of such devices.
Amongst a growing market for applications that cater to both consumers and users, touchscreens are emerging as the dominant user interface for large screen handsets and are said to be included in over 60 per cent of mobile devices shipped in Western Europe and North America in 2011.
Gartner’s report, which was published in March and April, reveals that touch-enabled devices will also make increasing use of techniques such as haptics to enhance user experience.
Figures revealed that by 2015 more than half of the PCs purchased for users aged below 15 would be touchscreen-enabled.
Craig Skinner, Senior consultant at Ovum, said in a phone interview with ZDNet Asia, that there will be more demand for portable touchscreen devices as opposed to “fixed” devices such as desktop PCs, particularly in the office.
It also states that worldwide sales of touchscreen mobile devices will exceed 362.7 million units in 2010, with sales growing by 97 per cent. These devices would account for 58 per cent of all global mobile device sales by 2013.
Back in September of this year, we reported that TAT – The Astonishing Tribe – came up with a video to where they thought touch screen technology would be in years to come. The video was to show case their research and user feedback at the Open Innovation Experiment.
The video showed the adoption of multi-screens, mirror screens, expandable screens, e-ink screens and transparent screens.
So it seems the future of touch screen technology is definitely looking bright! So get your business involved with a touch screen kiosk from Protouch today.
Xen X5
Interactive technology is fast becoming a core asset in any industry sector. Touch screens in all their glory from monitors to PC to kiosks to digital signage have gradually developed over time and are now an essential commodity and popular trend in businesses, in the retail and exhibition sector.
Offering easily accessible information and services in a compact form; touch screen and kiosks are being embraced by business owners and government officials.
More and more sectors are seeing the value of touch screen technology due to its’ potential to replace most functions of the mouse and keyboard.
These touch screen solutions are perfect for airports and retail as they specialise in self-service payment, ticket collection and much more.
Exhibition
Exhibition kiosks have varying functions from interactive product demonstration and display to show information kiosks.
They deliver information, multimedia presentations, provide Internet access, show stand finders, registration points, survey or poll stations and many other exhibition kiosk applications.
Example;
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The Xen X5 kiosks appeared as part of a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle’s interactive exhibition stand.
The interactive feature, on the stand at the MCN London Motorcycle Show, included a Fit Shop and a photo opportunity as well as being able to find out more about the motorcycles on display and enter a competition.
Retail
Self-service kiosks are quickly becoming a common sight in retail settings.
Installed with the purpose of replicating the advantages on online shopping in-store and of freeing staff to focus on customers, the kiosks have achieved their goals effectively. Customers are spending more at the kiosks than at the tills and over 50% of transactions are self-service, giving staff the ability to focus on customer assistance.
A range of factors influence the value of these kiosks installations. On-screen software allows merchants to streamline their sales and information process. Similar to the direct sales process, kiosk software is designed to guide customers through a clear on-screen journey.
Multi-purpose kiosks, one of the most effective tools for increasing ROI, benefit most from relatively minimal on-screen information and grounded navigational buttons that support the functions of the kiosk.
Example;
- UK baby products giant Kiddicare has implemented the Xen X5 EPoS kiosk into its superstore.
Visit Protouch today, the leading distributor and manufacturer of touch screen equipment in Europe, for ways in which you can adopt a self-service kiosk into your business.
Apple is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls “our latest creation,” which is thought to be a tablet-style touch-screen computer. 
The company email offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only January 27 event in San Francisco.
But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling the gadget that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a standard laptop.
Tablets are one-piece computers with big screens and no keyboards. Such devices have been around since the early 1990s, but haven’t seen much success in the mainstream.
The real questions will be asked after the launch, when focus will fall on who will be providing what types of content (music, magazines, video, games, books etc) for Apple’s new slate.
Recent rumours have suggested that Apple is currently in talks with HarperCollins and a number of other major book publishers suggesting the tablet will be looking to straddle the eReader market.
We know all about how touch screen kiosks, once a novelty reserved for high-end museum exhibits, are rapidly becoming an ultra-popular addition to public settings, educational areas, and businesses. Offering easily accessible information in a compact form, touch screen PCs are being embraced by business owners looking to provide easy access, restaurants looking for a foolproof ordering system, and museums requiring a simple solution for exhibit information.
These seven settings demand quick informational access, which is reason no.1 for their success with touch screen monitors. From heavy industry to education providers, with more and more people seeing the value of touch screen technology, expect to see more touch screens kiosks in the following locations: 
Educational and Training Organizations
When it comes to education, the name of the game is quick and easy access to information. In the early 1990s, computing – and later the internet – revolutionized education. Access to data became quick, simple, and inexpensive. Now there’s a new revolution going on. Offering simple access for disabled students, attention-grabbing displays for young children, and accessible information for elderly users, touch screen displays are quickly becoming the most popular means of communicating digital information for educators.
Museums
Touch screens have historically been popular in museum displays. Their ability to convey large amounts of information quickly and easily has made them a fantastic alternative to the traditional mouse-and-keyboard style PC display. Offering durability, simple access, and slick aesthetics, touch screen displays are highly popular with museums and public exhibitions.
Industry
Touch screens offer more than just simple access to information. The very design of a mouse and keyboard makes them highly exposed to potential damage or wear. A touch screen, however, is significantly more durable, able to function even when exposed to dirt and grime. This durability makes touch screens a worthwhile investment for industrial settings and potentially unclean areas.
Restaurants and Retail
Using a keyboard and mouse for thousands of transactions a day is hardly efficient. In a busy restaurant, the last thing any employee 
needs is a cumbersome billing and payment interface. Touch screen digital signage allows employees to input and process payments significantly more quickly than a standard PC interface.
Travel Information and Public Transport
From airports to bus stations, touch screens are quickly becoming the norm for transport related transactions and processes. Printing and processing tickets is made simple with an automated machine display, lowering operating costs for public transportation services. Airports are also benefiting from the use of touch screen machines, which are lowering staffing needs in customs and immigration, and allowing airlines to simplify the check-in process.
Business
With a simple addition from a touch screen kiosk manufacturer, a business presentation can be supercharged and made significantly
more effective. The most effective presentations demand two things – simplicity and control – and a touch screen display gives business presenters both.
Medical Settings
With the medical world demanding clean and quick access to information on demand, touch screens are quickly finding a large new audience. From operating theatres to patient booking rooms, the medical industry is embracing touch screens as a sanitary, ultra-efficient alternative to traditional PC displays.
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