If you’ve ever used a touchscreen before, you know the appeal. They’re innovative, engaging, intuitive - and with the right interface - stunning!
But how do you know if touchscreens are worth the investment? Let’s face it, there are a lot of innovative gadgets out there that don’t necessarily add much value to the workplace, especially if the technology isn’t adopted and used on a daily basis by the majority of the workforce.
Touchscreens, however - can be used in a wide variety of spaces throughout the office, from executive briefing centers and meetings rooms to flexible collaboration spaces like focus rooms.
Touchscreens - also known as digital displays, offer a physical space for hybrid teams to connect.
So - how do you make sure you get the most out of your touchscreen?
Focus on the content
With the right content, touchscreens are not only innovative - they are strategically beneficial. Interactive touchscreens are tools that provide your team with a way to enhance virtual workflows. Here are five ways touchscreens can actually improve performance in the workplace.
Collaboration is key
Touchscreens are one of the best tools to consolidate different types of media - like images, video, PDFs, web-browsers, or web-based applications like Google Workspace and O365 - across one platform. If you add visual collaboration to your touchscreens, they can serve as a single, active workspace where meeting participants connect multiple personal devices (think laptops, tablets, and mobile phones) - encouraging employees to work together safely and visualize content together.
What's more, people gravitate towards interactive surfaces. Body language changes and conversation is sparked when meeting participants can actively engage with the content they are working on. Zoom Fatigue is real - and simple video conferencing is not enough to support the complex needs of in-room and remote team collaboration. Research shows that people retain information at a much higher rate when they are interacting with their environment.
Creative agencies, project teams, and more could all take advantage of the brainstorming capabilities created by a joint workspace in which multiple ideas are displayed side by side to be viewed and modified by anyone present. T1V’s ThinkHub collaboration software is a visual collaboration tool often used on touchscreens that can support interactive workflows.
Engage + entertain
Who doesn't like a happy employee? Company meetings and corporate presentations become more entertaining when touchscreens are involved, boosting energy and morale in the workplace. Presentations run more smoothly without having to hook up a projector or crowd around a small screen. Touchscreens provide a great platform for comparing reports, budgets, timelines, etc.
Speed performance time
Forget about fumbling with cords and USB drives or digging out the old paper charts - with intuitive touchscreen software like ThinkHub, people can get right to work. For large corporations where employees work from various devices, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)-friendly software could lessen the learning curve and greatly reduce user error.
Stimulate creativity
Nothing sparks creativity more than seeing it expressed in others. By bringing people together in a new and dynamic work environment, touchscreens facilitate idea sharing. Imagine a room full of designers consolidating their ideas to a single screen where you could view and interact with their designs, see how concepts overlap, and regroup images based on certain factors. These designers can also connect with their remote team members via the touchscreen, uniting people working from anywhere in the world.
Communicate
At their core, touchscreens are a modern tool designed to communicate. Welcome guests, clients, or potential customers to your headquarters with your brand's story on a large format touchscreen. Or train employees with facts, history, and educational videos. The possibilities are limitless - whatever you want to communicate, the right software can help you to deliver your company-wide communications.
When evaluating touchscreens, remember these devices are only as good as their software. Whether you are designing a hybrid conference room, product development lab, product showroom, or simply want a better way to tell your company's story, make sure to find the software that is right for you.
ThinkHub visual collaboration software paired with a qualified touchscreen of your choice transforms team communication and supports all of the hybrid ways we work. Schedule your ThinkHub demo today.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance.
Additional Reading:
What Does a Focus Room Look Like?
How Zoom Fatigue Affects the Brain and Why Visual Collaboration Can Help
A Look Inside Today’s Typical Work Environment
A Simple Checklist to Enhance Your Hybrid Meeting Room
The Role of the Small Meeting Room in Hybrid Collaboration
Is It Safe to Touch A Touchscreen?
Originally published October 1st, 2015, updated February 18th, 2021