Nowadays, we use technology for so many of our day to day activities – probably more than most of us would even realise. The touch screen is no different, making its mark in recent years as an indispensable tool that is enhancing the business and consumer worlds. Cloud-based touch screen technology has revolutionised many sectors and companies now need to embrace the change just to keep up. From restaurants to doctors surgeries, the use of the touch screen is rising dramatically and starting to become the norm in our society.
Our team has looked at the top trends for intuitive touch screen and their practical applications in assisting customers to make smart purchasing decisions.
1 – Bars and Restaurants
Most people have probably experienced the new touch screen ordering systems at fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, where you can even play games on the screen. But now, more high end bars and restaurants have started implementing touch screens in ways that fit their character.
As an example, Inamo in Soho, London, have an intuitive touch screen system where the table doubles up as an easy-to-navigate User Interface, allowing customers to order their food and pay for it directly from the table itself. Using two small touch remotes, you can also play games, get to know the area, and change the ‘theme’ of your table while you wait for your food.
Hospitality tech like this is not only a lot of fun but actively improves the whole dining experience, helping restaurants exceed the expectation of even the most demanding consumer.
2 – Transport and Travel
Another sector that has been embracing touch screens is the transport and travel industry – though not always successfully, it must be said. Within the last decade, most train stations across the UK have been kitted out with touch screen systems for buying tickets and journey planning, and many airports and airlines have implemented touch screens for a significantly improved customer experience when it comes to checking in and collecting pre-ordered tickets.
There are even some station/airport kiosks that use touch screens for purchases such as Transport for London and Manchester’s famous tram network, making the process much simpler and more efficient for the customers. Similar touch screens also provide customers with maps and directions, as well as information about the place they are visiting. Check out our case study for Transport for London, where we made touch screens part of the user journey across main London stations.
3 – Doctors surgeries and hospital touch screens
It is now routine in a lot of areas when arriving at a doctor’s surgery for an appointment that you use a touch screen to sign in, which sends an alert to the consultant that the patient is in the building. Such experiences are quick, and the user interface typically simple to understand and use. However, the basic step of signing in electronically means that not only are the relevant staff members informed of a patient’s location, but this also builds up invaluable data – such as the time they checked in, how long they waited until they were seen, how often they have visited etc. It also helps to free up valuable human resources – in this case, the receptionist – to deal with other issues, such as calls for appointments, or handling patient questions. In addition to this, it also helps build up analytics on patients and the surgeries, allowing healthcare companies to make improvements for the care of patients as a whole.
Having cloud based touch screens in these environments significantly increases the opportunities to access big data and analytics within what looks like a relatively low-tech interface.
4 – Exhibitions and exhibition content
Exhibitions are a great venue to demonstrate your worth as a company to newcomers and existing clients alike. Having good spokespeople, brochures and presentations are all important, but when space is limited – and expensive – an innovative touchscreen experience can help act as another salesperson. Ideas for touchscreen usage range from basic PDF experiences through to quizzes and full video experiences as well as full immersive ‘smart’ experiences that allow technology to define a user’s experience, rather than just clicking on a screen. They can also act as great methods for collecting data.
5 – Around the home
Touch screens in the home are typically found in the form of either smartphones or tablets. These devices are multi-purpose and often found on a person. But smartphones have been around for a while now and people have often replaced one or two, without throwing the old one away. And why would you when you have a fully functioning internet enabled device that can be used for any purpose?
People are now using their old ipad as their library, or their old Android phones as remote controls for smart TVs or audio equipment like Sonos. Using old smartphones in this way can really add a new feature to a smart home. There are some great ideas here: http://www.techinsider.io/8-ways-to-transform-your-old-iphone-2015-9/#it-can-double-as-a-sleep-tracker-and-an-alarm-5
What Does It Mean for the Future?
The use of a simple user interface can greatly increase the productivity and speed of commercial industries across the world. With them, there is no need for additional support, and fewer staff are required to work in pay kiosks for example. In restaurants and industries like retail, touch screens can assist staff with their daily work. These interfaces can do so much for people, from helping them get from one transport hub to the other, to ordering their groceries on the underground (much like they do in Seoul).
In short, it means an easier and better future. One that is less complicated and troublesome to navigate through. An easy and friendly user interface brings relief and reduces stress. After all, there is enough of it in life without the added complication of difficult ordering systems. That, and sometimes people don’t want to talk to others, especially if they have had a rough day. Touch screen technology gives people options, and they want that.
