Touch experience: creating effective Digital Signage interactions
Touch technologies have become an integral part of our daily lives. As a result, user expectations regarding their performance have significantly increased. Digital Signage must adapt to this evolution by offering seamless, responsive, and engaging interactive experiences. But how? By creating the right content and selecting the appropriate hardware.
Imagine retail stores, universities, and medical clinics being able to connect with customers, students, and patients, providing responses within seconds. Picture a museum offering a guided tour that brings gallery artworks to life.
It may sound like a utopian vision, but advanced Digital Signage systems capable of such interactions already exist.
These systems are utilized by companies that have chosen to invest in hardware, software, and content creation—because creating impactful interactive experiences requires resources.
Why invest in touch-enabled Digital Signage?
The reasons are numerous, starting with the fact that touch technology is now a ubiquitous part of daily life.
As such, Digital Signage must transcend its role as a simple digital poster.By integrating various touchscreen applications, it can provide customers with a more personalized and engaging shopping experience, fostering greater brand familiarity and enhancing the overall brand experience.
A memorable brand interaction significantly increases the likelihood of a customer returning to complete a purchase when faced with multiple alternatives.
Familiarity with touchscreen technology is not the only reason to invest in it. Here are six additional benefits:
- Attracts attention
- Saves time, space and money
- Improves the customer experience
- Offers more choices and insights
- A powerful promotional tool
- Low maintenance costs
1. Attracts attention
A touchscreen sparks curiosity—users want to see how it works and explore what lies beyond the welcome screen. This natural interaction with brands and products is far more intuitive than traditional advertising, increasing the likelihood of converting users into customers.
2. Saves time, space and money
Touch-enabled Digital Signage allows users to quickly interact with the information they need. This is particularly helpful for customer support or assistance services, where resolving an issue within seconds enhances your brand image. Large touchscreen monitors can also serve as catalogs or wayfinding tools, eliminating the need for physical signs or stands and consolidating everything into a single display.
3. Improves the shopping experience
Touchscreens capture the attention of increasingly distracted consumers. They enable personalized shopping experiences and facilitate direct communication with customers. Touch technology also supports surveys and polls, providing valuable insights for improving in-store experiences.
4. Gives the consumer more choice and analysis
Consumers today demand the freedom to compare products quickly, stay informed about current promotions, and filter irrelevant information. Interactive kiosks provide these capabilities, empowering customers to focus on what matters most to them.
5. Is an excellent promotional tool
While advertising might not be the primary reason users interact with a touchscreen, dynamic visuals and vivid colors are far more compelling than outdated printed flyers, effectively driving purchase decisions.
6. Has low maintenance costs
Digital Signage touch monitors are built for frequent use. High-quality models feature protective elements like anti-vandal glass, cooling systems, and durable enclosures, ensuring optimal performance in any weather condition. This minimizes maintenance needs and guarantees long-term reliability.
Touch Hardware: key features for a great experience
When selecting touch hardware, understanding the differences between resistive and capacitive screens is crucial.
Resistive touchscreens
These older models use two conductive plastic layers separated by an insulating layer. Pressure on the screen creates an electrical contact that determines the touch point. While durable, these screens are prone to scratches and wear and typically do not support multitouch unless designed with a grid structure.
Capacitive touchscreens
Capacitive screens feature a glass surface coated with a thin layer of metallic oxide. Touching the screen alters its uniform electrical field, with sensors in the corners detecting the touch coordinates. These screens support multitouch flawlessly and are highly resistant to wear.
In years past, resistive panels were not responsive enough to ensure smooth and immersive touch experiences, but over time there have been considerable developments in the field. Resistive technology has come to support modes of use that are now beyond the reach of capacitive. First and foremost, the possibility of using pens and nibs to interact with them, as in the case of interactive whiteboards. This is why the perfect places for resistive touch screens are corporate or educational environments such as classrooms, conference or meeting rooms.
Capacitive panels, on the other hand, react only to the touch of the finger so they are ideal in retail settings where very often the public does not have pointers or pens to use touch. Whichever technology you choose, it is certain that a good touch experience ensures greater engagement, increases the likelihood of customers returning to your shop and generates a positive feeling of trust in your business.
Touchscreen totems and monitors: 3 must-have features
Touchscreen technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. For younger generations, it’s not just expected—it’s essential.
Let’s put it this way: watch a child or teenager walk into an electronics store, and you’ll see them instinctively touch every screen, expecting it to respond. If it doesn’t, the product instantly loses their interest.
But that’s not all. Beyond assuming that every display is interactive, user expectations for touchscreen performance have skyrocketed. Today’s consumers demand the same fluidity and responsiveness they experience on their smartphones and tablets.
If a touchscreen fails to meet these standards, its content is ignored, leading to one inevitable outcome: you’ve just lost a potential customer.
To avoid this scenario, there are three key factors to consider when selecting touchscreen hardware:
- Brightness
- Weather Resistance
- Vandal Resistance
Brightness
Are you planning to install your touchscreen monitor or totem outdoors? If the answer is yes, make sure to choose a high-brightness model with an anti-glare panel.
For indoor installations with direct lighting, aim for at least 700 nits to ensure visibility. For storefront or outdoor setups, don’t go below 2,500 nits.
This level of brightness minimizes screen reflections, ensuring your content remains clear and engaging. After all, capturing customer attention is already challenging—they won’t spend extra time trying to decipher what’s on your screen.
Weather resistance
Most touchscreen monitors are installed outdoors, exposed 24/7 to harsh weather conditions. That’s why waterproof hardware with a proper IP certification is non-negotiable.
But being waterproof isn’t enough. Many touchscreens resist water yet become unusable in the rain. Instead, opt for models designed to work flawlessly even with wet screens. This ensures a smooth, responsive user experience—every time.
Picture yourself at a tourist info kiosk during a downpour. If the touchscreen doesn’t respond instantly, frustration mounts quickly.
Another crucial feature for high-brightness monitors (2,500 nits or more) is a cooling system, such as built-in fans, to prevent overheating under prolonged sunlight exposure. This guarantees consistent performance over time, even in extreme conditions.
Resistance to accidental damage and vandalism
Here’s a sad truth: any monitor or totem placed in high-traffic areas risks accidental damage or intentional vandalism.
For monitors, the best protection is an enclosure—a robust “armor” made of steel that encases the screen. Most enclosures also include laminated, shatterproof glass, which prevents the screen from breaking into shards upon impact. This added layer not only safeguards your hardware but also deters theft.
For outdoor totems, the concept is the same. These are essentially enclosures anchored to the ground rather than mounted on a wall. They offer the same benefits: steel construction and vandal-proof glass.
By making these initial investments, you’ll avoid replacing screens every few months. More importantly, you’ll deliver a reliable, high-quality touch experience to every user.
When it comes to touchscreen hardware, cutting corners isn’t worth the risk. By prioritizing brightness, durability, and protection, you’ll ensure your investment delivers exceptional performance and a lasting impression.
Creating effective touch experiences: 8 key tips
We think we have given you a fairly complete overview of what features you should look for when deciding to purchase a totem or touch monitor.
Now we can delve into the content creation part to create an intuitive, engaging and effective touch experience.
In fact, if the user is faced with a UX that is difficult to understand and confusing, he will hardly continue the experience that will lead him to complete the purchase.
To avoid this happening, we have decided to summarise in 8 points the most important aspects to consider when creating a touch experience using Digital Signage.
- Take into account the different levels of engagement
- Create concise messages
- Create a user-friendly experience
- Pay attention to design
- Surprise them
- Be clear
- Create intuitive buttons
- Remember it’s not training
1. Take into account the different levels of engagement
Users experience it with different intentions and levels of engagement. There will be those who take a quick look to see what products and services you offer. Those, on the other hand, were really looking for you and will go all the way. Still others will only take a glance and then realise that they were interested in something else entirely. Although you have created the interactive experience with a specific goal in mind, make sure that you meet all these different needs.
For example, you could provide a summary screen of all your products for those who are just passing through, or a contact page for those who want to write or call you directly without navigating through all the pages.
2. Create concise messages
People never have time. Especially if they are inside a trade fair or a supermarket. To make sure you gain their attention for even a few seconds, create messages that are short and concise. That in four words they say everything important you need to know. In this way, even a glance will be enough to leave a memory of your brand in the user’s mind.
3. Create a user-friendly experience
Looking at the touch experience you have created, the user should be in no doubt as to how it should be used. Minimal designs are wonderful, but some more guidance on how to navigate the touchscreen is to be preferred. Especially when it comes to large screens.
4. Pay attention to design
An aesthetically well thought-out design is just as important as a user-friendly experience. No one will approach the kiosk if images and graphics do not attract attention.
5. Surprise them
Our brain gets bored and distracted very easily. The moment something no longer attracts it, its focus immediately shifts to another stimulus. That is why it is important to include elements within the touch experience that create interest or surprise. Animations, moving elements or small pop-ups are sufficient. These with their dynamism will immediately attract the user’s eye.
6. Be clear
People who approach a touch screen to see how it works do not want to spend too much time thinking about how it might work. They want clear indications of what they have to do and a reduced number of alteratives to choose from. Remove all those elements that could create confusion in the evolution of the experience.
7. Create intuitive buttons
The rule here is simple: the bigger the screen, the bigger the buttons must be. If they are too small, the user will not notice them and will not even approach the monitor to touch them.
8. Remember it’s not training
If you use touch monitors larger than 55’, avoid placing buttons scattered in the four corners of the screen. Concentrate them all in one area so that they can be reached by all users. The penalty is that after a couple of touches the person will abandon the touch experience because it is too inconvenient to reach the various touch points.
Digital Signage touch: the trends of the future
If for smartphones, tablets and PCs the touchscreen is a technology that will not be replaced any time soon, in the case of Digital Signage the situation is very different.
So-called ‘touchless touchscreens’ are gaining ground. Interaction modes that do not involve contact between screen and user. In fact, hand gestures, prolonged standing in front of the monitor or voice commands are sufficient.
Click here to find out how touchless touchscreens will evolve.
If you were planning to install monitors or interactive totems in your business, we hope we have given you the information you need to choose the perfect one to meet your needs.
If, on the other hand, you already have touch screens but don’t know where to start when it comes to content creation, you now have all the guidelines to create fluid, emotional and engaging touch experiences.