Posts Tagged ‘Technology’


Don’t touch me there…

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Touch screen kiosks are becoming more popular at trade shows. Here at D2 Creative we’ve done a few, using various types of display devices, and we’ve learned a thing or two.

Here are five rules for creating great touch screen presentations:
D2 Touchscreen

  • KEEP IT SHORT.
    Average length of time spent at a trade show display is shorter than you think.  So focus your message and make sure you get it to the user within half that time.
  • KEEP IT SIMPLE.
    Create a road map of where you want the user to go, and help them get there by making the route as uncomplicated as possible. It’s easy to imagine that because you have assets, (testimonials, case studies, data), including them into your interactive piece will make it better. Au contraire, mon frere. Think of this as a poem where every word and every cadence supports the central idea.
  • KEEP IT FUN.
    It’s a touch screen, it should be engaging. Think outside the box when you create your user interface. Examples we’ve seen or done:
    -When the screen is touched, water ripples across the screen
    -Use a real word object (a key, a cell phone, a face) and interacting with it via a camera.
    -Using technology that allows hand gestures to take the place of a mouse
  • WAIT LOOP TELLS ALL.
    Your wait loop will be running just like a screen saver whenever no one is using the display.  It should not be an afterthought. The wait loop needs to arouse curiosity.  It also needs to tell your story, in case people don’t have time to stop.
  • DON’T FORGET THE TAKEAWAY.
    Give people something to take home to remember their kiosk experience. It allows them to explore at their leisure, and spread the word.

What has your product done for me lately?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

I recently test drove a Volvo.  On the drive the salesman asked a few questions and after I answered them he immediately told me that Volvo has no peer when it comes to safety. Who didn’t see that one coming?

The Volvo brand reputation has been built on safety.  If you’re talking cars and mention safety - Volvo always comes up.  The two are synonymous.  Despite that, I’m probably not going to buy the Volvo.  That’s because the other car I am looking at is also very safe and it has a whole host of other attractive benefits like…

  • It get’s better MPG
  • It employs greener engine technology
  • It has more convenience features
  • It has a few more cubic feet of space
  • Finally, it costs less

I understand that safety is a selling point (a very important one) but if that’s all you really have to offer (and competitors offer it too) maybe it’s time to start finding out more about what your customer wants and needs.

It may be a cliche but it always comes back to the same refrain,

“What have you done for me lately”?

If your product isn’t continually improved, no matter how fantastic it is, competitors will catch up.  The shift from leader to contender happens much faster than you might think.  Just ask GM.

Whatever happened to John King’s multi-touch collaboration wall?

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Remember John King of CNN delving into polling and election stats last fall with his magic Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall?  The wall was created by Jeff Han of Perceptive Pixel. Shortly after the elections we heard that this cool device was for sale at Neiman Marcus for a mere $100,000. What ever happened to this technology of the future? Is it a victim of our economic reversal?