Glossary A–ZLetter T
Touchscreen (interactive)
A touchscreen is a screen that responds to touch, so visitors can call up content themselves.
A pure display thus becomes an application that people operate.
Typical uses are a building map in the lobby, a menu, a product adviser in a shop, an information terminal in a public office or a short survey. While nobody is touching it, the screen often shows a loop of notices and returns there by itself after a period without touch. Controls must be large enough for fingers and within reach of wheelchair users as well.
In public places a touchscreen needs protection: locked settings, kiosk mode and, where applicable, blocklists for web addresses. Even a blocklist is an aid, not a guarantee. Operators should also think about cleaning the surface, about robust glass and about deleting any data entered after each session. An application nobody understands will not be used; a quick test with people who were not involved soon shows this.