Touch Screen GUI

Designing content for interactive touch is crucial for the success of any information project. Herein is the key to a customer focused touch kiosk touchscreen experience: the software that drives it.

Keep the following points in mind as you design or specifiy a touch screen interface.

• Make sure you have clear instructions and easy-to-follow commands. This will reduce user frustration and perhaps even vandalism.
• Make the touchable areas obvious, Distiquish backround layers from touch and non touch components.
• Limit choices the user has to make. Do not overwhelm the user with to much choice. Consider using sub layers.
• Guide the user as much as possible. Make it obvious as to what the user should eb doing.
• Have simple navigation buttons like back, forward, start – do not loose the user in trying to be to clever.
• There should be no indication of the operating system underneath (users shouldn’t feel it’s a computer) The OS should be locked off bounds.
• No double-clicking, no pull-down menus, no scrolling or dragging. This would be normal for you standard kiosk however the growing use of multi touch experiences is allow a wide range of new gesture styles.
• Offer large buttons. Remember the user is no longer using a pointing mouse.
• Have bright colors (avoid reflective black) and use a textured background. There are many guides available that show how colours work with each other.
• Make sure the user focuses on the entire screen, not just the arrow. Use the entire canvas.
• Cursors shouldn’t be needed. The only exception is possibilly when you type in your name.
• Give users immediate feedback so they know it’s working (sound effects or visual highlights) Already patents are being filed so that the screen will give a physical vibration, so the user can feel the touch reaction.
• Try “fun” squishy, 3-D buttons. Creating a virtual depression when touching a virtual button is reassuring the touch has been actioned correctly
• Use customers’ language. Make it age and audience relevant.
• Use funny sounds on touch. Use audio that adds to the expereince, there are more sounds available than just “ding”
• Make action fast to prevent frustration.

Today’s user is time poor and if it’s not easy to use and appealing to look at, people won’t use it. Period.”