Advantages of Touch Screen Digital Signage

Digital signage has advanced dramatically in the last decade or so. What was once just the preserve of shopping malls and airports, digital signage screens are now found everywhere, from gas stations and pharmacies to high streets as outdoor digital signage; even the giant billboards that line the side of roads are becoming digital.

Just as digital signage has begun to replace static signs, standard digital signage is increasingly giving way to touch screens and other forms of interactive displays.

Touch screen technology is now ubiquitous in modern technologies; most mobile phones and modern tablet computers all us touch screen as a form of interface, and people are well used to interacting with such technology. Indeed, if you ever see a non-touch screen digital signage display when it is off, fingerprints often cover the screen face, as people are now making assumptions that all public screens are touch screen.

Because of this assumption and the growth and improvements of touch screen technology, more and more digital signage displays are utilizing touch screen technology. But do Touch Screen Digital Signage displays provide any advantages over standard displays?

Encouraging Interaction

While you could argue that touch screens are still a novelty, in fact, touch screen technology has been around for decades, and it is only in recent years with the rise of smart phones and tablet computers that touch screen have become so popular. At the moment, people love interacting with touch screen displays. Place a touch screen anywhere and it will attract people to interact with it, increasing the likelihood of getting across the message the screen is designed to convey.

Of course, the content needs to be enticing. For interactivity to appeal to an audience, the screen needs to offer something, such as information or entertainment.

Audience Calculations

Unlike standard digital signage where viewing figures are nothing but best guesses, touch screens actually provide hard data, which makes calculating the effectiveness of the screen easier. By logging every interaction with a touch screen, it is possible to calculate how popular the screen was in comparison to the estimated footfall of the location, enabling a more accurate estimation of return on investment (ROI).

Applications for Touch Screen Digital Signage

The other great advantage of touch screens is the number of applications that serve both the customer and the provider. For providing information, touch screens enable a user to find more in-depth content, such as detailed navigation on maps or detailed information under exhibits in museums or galleries.

Touch screens also offer service providers with many benefits. Self-service in supermarkets or ordering from interactive restaurant menus provides both efficiency and saves labor for service industries.