Coinciding with the release of our new website, for the month of January we’re exploring
✦ I N T E R A C T I V I T Y ✦
We’re delving into the world of interactive digital signage solutions; what consumers expect, practicality vs gamification, and what you need to know around development and deployment. We hope to leave you inspired as we share some of our favourite real-world case studies, product reviews & interviews.
This month we chatted to Alexandra from MultiTaction, world-leading developers of interactive display systems, on our theme of Interactivity. Hailing all the way from Illinois, U.S., here’s what Alex had to say.
Interactivity has changed me by opening up new ways of communication through technology. It is a totally different world with more possibilities now than there ever was.
What do you think is one of the biggest misconceptions about interactive development?
The biggest misconceptions about interactive development is the difficulty with working in other ways in an organisation. The intimidation of working in a different way than the norm and trying to feel confident in working in this new state. The hurdle for some may be daunting, but once practiced and used regularly then it becomes easier, almost second nature.
Where do you think interactivity will be in five years?
In five years, I think interactivity will be in a more advanced state where the norm would be communicating through touch technology, video chat and messaging all in real-time. There would be no latency in communicating with any parts of an organization or individual. Everyone would be more accessible and reachable at any moment’s notice. It would be considered the future workplace where interactivity is instant.
Seen any cool interactive applications lately that you can share with us?
Thanks for chatting with us, Alex! We’re proud to partner with MultiTaction and look forward to many more collaborations in 2019.
We’ve been playing around with Epson LightScene, the latest in a somewhat niche category of accent lighting projectors. Designed to simultaneously illuminate and project content, Epson LightScene can create a sense of interactivity within your environment…
Watch our YouTube video review below.
C O N T E N T C U R A T E D
Joel, our Lead Interactive Developer, has some insight to share on his favourite interactive project of late.
Favourite interactive project?
What I’m currently working on; Choices Flooring Inspiration Station.
Explain a little bit about it.
The Choices Flooring Inspiration Station has different types of interactivity depending on what functionality you’re using.
The functionality pushes what is typically achieved with web technology. For example, the ‘Your Floor’ section allows you to cut out the floor from a photo of your own home, and replace it with a product from Choices Flooring. Behind the scenes, this actually generates a full 3D environment that can be zoomed / rotated / panned, all with lighting and shadows. This development makes it work as seamlessly and intuitively as possible
from the users perspective.
Another example is the ‘Window Furnishings’ section. This required some clever ways of handling animations so that window furnishing material could easily be changed without creating a whole new set of animation files.
Enjoying it?
Absolutely. Learning new things and problem solving are all reasons why I love my job.
E A S Y R E A D S
How McDonald’s has made in-store interactivity the norm.
“…No matter the demographic of your audience, you’ll do well to consider the different forms of interactivity that you offer them. After all, today’s teens are tomorrows adults, are tomorrows elderly. As I very bluntly realised.”
What to expect when you’re expecting… an interactive digital signage solution.
“…Whatever it is you have in mind; we want to help you be aware of everything you need to know when investing in your interactive solution.”
T E C H T R E N D S
What’s trending?
Videowalls combine toughened glass-front LCD screens and touch overlay, to create one seamless large-format canvas. And now with multi-touch technology, they can be more interactive and cooler than ever.
Our favourites at the moment are Planar Multi-Touch Video Walls and MultiTaction Displays.
Why do we like it?
We’ve developed various interactive applications custom-built for multi-touch videowalls, and we love them. Besides the ultra-thin bezels and beautiful image quality, interactive multi-touch videowalls enable multiple users to simultaneously interact with the wall, without affecting other users. That means an endless number of people can be using the display at one time. Plus, users can interact with the content across bezels; dragging or stretching it from one screen to another.
What applications is it suitable for?
Best suited indoors away from direct sunlight, interactive multi-touch videowalls are perfect as teaching tools in classrooms, to present and map data in boardrooms, to display interactive art in galleries or to entertain a captured audience at events.
Where do I get it?
You can chat to us. At Prendi, we have a name for creating the weird & wonderful. We build interactive applications perfectly suited for multi-touch videowalls. And, better yet, we supply everything from the content and interactive development, to the screens themselves, installation and ongoing support.
Meet sisters & best pals, Bonnie and Amber.
After an unfortunate start to their lives, these two have now found their forever home with James & Emily at Prendi. So, naturally, they come in to the office each day. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on their office adventures in these monthly newsletters. You’re welcome.
