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Using solid-state switches to trigger media content

July 2, 2013 by Jim Stoklosa — Director of Digital Signage, InReality

Making a digital sign "interactive" is a great way to engage the viewer and provide for a truly immersive experience. By providing the viewer with a way of choosing what media gets played and when, we personalize the experience and make it more meaningful. We also engage the viewer and offer a way of making them part of the experience.

The key is to provide an interactive experience that is easy to use, is not too difficult to navigate and doesn't require a lot of time to complete.

Touchscreen

When most people think "interactive" they think touchscreen. It makes sense and is a very good solution in the right environment (kiosk, web content). We have designed many interactive displays that used a touchscreen monitor to trigger content, but over time we found that unless the user experience required multiple buttons and multiple layers, the benefits went unused. As a result, this solution may not product the kind of return on investment that we're looking for.

This lead us to search for a simpler, lower cost alternative to a touchscreen.

Press Here

It's two simple words, but with the right display they can be very powerful. By providing a push-button switch, we can offer a call to action that could well prompt the viewer to press a button and start an "Engaged" content loop.

It's also a good compromise between the monotony of non-interactive looping content and a full-blown, touchscreen-based kiosk experience.

In many cases, this is the best design because it offers a simple way to transition from the "Attract" content loop and still produce a personalized experience.

But how should the button be designed and where should it be? Usually, there are limitations to push-button switches found in the market with restrictions on the button characteristics. Things like button size, color and graphics are limited, and custom switches are rarely cost effective. I happened to have a touch-lamp in our lab and wondered if we could find a similar technology for our purposes. What we found were solid-state switch sensors.

These switches can be a great alternative to mechanical switches because they can be placed almost anywhere and mounted behind any surface that suits the design. They are very reliable and, if designed properly, should last for many years even in a dusty or dirty environment.

Unlimited Design Options

A typical solid-state switch assembly is a few inches square, very thin (about .5 inches) and can read through almost any material. For example, it can be placed under material .75 inches thick and still have a reliable "read" area. The options for adding graphics, lighting and other elements are endless. We have even created designs using multiple sensors that allowed us to trigger different media content. One example of a design had a pictorial representation of the videos available and allowed the user to choose based on the graphic.

If the goal is to find a technology that can be completely customizable from a design standpoint and still offer significant cost advantages over touchscreen, than solid-state switch sensors may be the perfect choice.

About Jim Stoklosa

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