Kiosk Solutions Aug-Sept 2018 | Page 41

screen technology Interactive kiosks benefit from optical bonding to overcome application limitations in commercial environments By Richard Murton, Managing Director, Display Technology Ltd – www.displaytechnology.co.uk Even though mobile devices are becoming more and more capable, they still have a number of key limitations restricting their usefulness to businesses aiming to provide maximum customer service at minimal cost. Instead, the implementation of interactive kiosk displays is increasing to allow customers to serve themselves as much as reasonably possible, thereby freeing up human staff without any reduction in customer satisfaction. Interactive kiosk displays have numerous applications and benefits, but also some challenges. It’s very easy to assume that the display and touch element is a simple desktop monitor with a touchscreen. However, there are many more factors that should be considered to ensure a quality product that both looks good, and is reliable. Practical considerations Some of the considerations are: who will be using it? Where will it be used? Will it be used in direct sunlight? What’s the support structure? What’s the expected life of the kiosk? All these factors will have an influence on the design and components used. It’s these considerations that make a good or bad kiosk and deployment. Once an interactive kiosk display has been successfully installed, the next challenge is keeping it in one piece. Many interactive kiosk displays are designed for use by members of the public, with some being heavy-handed and, of course, you can’t risk the glass breaking and injuring them. Even if the kiosk is intended for use only by internal employees who, in principle, can be trained, employers have a duty of care towards them, which means the kiosk display needs to be appropriately robust. It’s critical to ensure the screen is readable, looks good and operates well. Ambient light, be it sunlight or artificial light, can reflect on the screen making it harder to read. Displays are notorious for washout in high ambient light conditions. This effect is where the contrast reduces dramatically through front surface reflection and internal light refraction. In some environments, you may be able to limit the extent but it’s much better using the correct components and construction in the initial design. There’s no point in having a kiosk in direct sunlight where the user has to shroud their arm around the display to read the information or if the touchscreen response is slow. Another consideration is protecting the interactive kiosk display from everyday wear and tear. Dirt and dust in the atmosphere can eat into the surface of displays, as can liquids which includes soft drinks. In some locations you can, in theory at least, try to prevent people from going near the kiosk display when they have food. In practice, however, this is never guaranteed, and in some locations it’s unavoidable that some users will have food or drink in their hands while they’re operating the kiosk display. A major issue, particularly in countries such as the UK, is that it’s easy for damp air to get behind the glass where it becomes visible as fog or condensation. This, of course, makes it harder to read the content on the display. The final major challenge is to deal with parallax, which is basically an optical illusion that makes it look as though pixels shift position depending on where you stand in relation to the screen. This effect is only possible where there’s a gap between the cover glass and the actual display. Optical bonding to the rescue The basic idea behind optical bonding is that an optical-grade is used to seal the gap between the cover glass and the actual display. There are various options available, but by far the most common is silicone, which is non-reactive and can withstand moisture. This is usually enhanced by an anti-reflective coating or anti-glare surface finish. Optical bonding can eliminate all the issues currently associated with interactive display kiosks making them both more robust and more effective, giving users a much more KIOSK solutions 41