“This Van de Graaf accelerator is way past its shelf life!” said a student while performing an atomic physics experiment in the 1970s. “Wish there was an easier way to do this”, said his friend as he went on to take measures from the x and y coordinate planes. The first student, frustrated as he was, decided to automate the process. He, along with some of his mates, managed to develop Teledeltos, a special kind of electrically conductive paper, which played a part in making the world’s first resistive touchscreen monitor. The student here is none other than Dr. George Sam Hurst, an alumnus of the University of Kentucky and founder of this revolutionary technology that is used today in smartphones, LEDs, laptops, and tablets. From the moment of inspiration to the final execution, Dr. Sam Hurst’s journey of inventing touchscreen has been incredible. Now it is hard to even imagine a world without touchscreen gadgets. They have established their dominancein every industry.
Massive interactive display screens are the most viable option when it comes to showcasing a slide deck. Touchscreen presentations are in quite a vogue these days; their popularity is growing at a rapid pace. Let’s explore what makes them any different from presentations that are shown on normal screens:
The Conversation is the key!
Ever sat in an immensely monotonous, never-ending slideshow that makes you want to hit your head somewhere? Don’t worry, we have all been there! Such presentations come under the category of traditional presentations. As the name suggests, they are traditional in every respect. The presenter comes, plays a slideshow, delivers a speech, and leaves. There is very little to no participation involved as far as the audience is concerned.
On the other end of the spectrum are conversational presentations. They involve a two-way exchange of data. Touchscreens improve the scope of conversation between the presenter and the audience. Do you know in some meeting rooms, there is an individual touchscreen unit available for each participant? They actively take part in quizzes, questionnaires, multiple-choice questions, and polls. The paper handouts lose their relevance as they can access every bit of information on their mini-screens digitally.
Human beings crave Aestheticism
Aristotle once said that art should be judged primarily in aesthetic terms. Have you noticed that every other creature on the earth also performs the same basic functions as human beings? They eat, sleep, reproduce and so do we. The only thing that sets us apart from them is that our brains can decipher complexities better than them; we are aware of what we are doing. Because of this difference, human beings prefer things to be aesthetically pleasing. Touchscreen presentations are indubitably aesthetic; they generate a sense of awe in the onlookers. The synchronized movement of fingers and the screen exhibits dynamism.
Trouble-free Annotation
Annotation is needed to demonstrate the concept further. With touch sensor displays, annotation becomes a piece of cake. You can write, draw, highlight or erase on the same screen using yourfingers or a smartpen. No separate whiteboard is required. It is quite easy to use a pointer during the whole time. Unfortunately, a normal screen will get damaged if you try to annotate.
Effortless Navigation
When everything is literally at your fingertips, how difficult would it be to navigate throughout the slide deck? Not at all! To get to a particular slide, you only have to swipe your finger and that’s it. But you need a separate “Table of Contents” slide.
One of the several touchscreen presentation tips is that your presentation need not be linear. Navigate when you have to. Let’s take an example: Suppose you are elucidating on industrial waste and its hazards. There is a mention of chemical pollutants in the first slides. This term has been elaborately described in the later slide. For your audience to have a holistic understanding, jump to that slide, explain the term and get back to the previous slide. In a traditional presentation, scrolling through the slides like this would have been challenging. But it is not so with interactive display screens.
Easy-Peasy Setup
As compared to other systems, touchscreens are easier to set up; there is absolutely no need for extra equipment like trackpads, remote controls, mouse, keyboard, projector, etc. Electrical supply is the only requisite.
Saves Time
It is a no-brainer that touchscreen presentations save time. With ease in navigation, annotation, and highlight, everything happens in a matter of seconds. Magnification is doable; just pinch your fingers to zoom- in or zoom- out. Instead of clicking on the mouse cursor or pressing remote control buttons, you can simply touch to play a video clip. To stop audio, to pause or resume a moving picture, one touch is enough.
Now is the time for some useful touchscreen presentation tips that come in handy:
- Fly on the wings of imagination:
Albert Einstein figured the importance of imagination when he uttered, “Logic will take you from A to B, imagination will take you everywhere.” Since you have the necessary resources to create a top-notch presentation, don’t hesitate to unleash your wild imagination. Experiment, take risks, learn and rectify your errors. There is no such thing as “too imaginative”.
- Never ignore the audience
Your audience is of paramount significance. What is the point of having a very impressive touch sensor display if you fail to involve the audience? Think of the exotic ways in which to get a response from the audience during and after the presentation.
- Use high- quality software
Needless to say, the quality of the software determines the quality of the presentation. You might be having a highly advanced touchscreen, but it will be deemed inconsequential in the light of a poor operating system.
Touchscreen presentations can be considered as an evolution of PowerPoint presentations. They are audience-friendly as well as user-friendly. Change in the medium of display produces a measurable impact on the overall outlook of a presentation. In keeping with its interesting origin, touchscreens help make the presentations absorbing, stimulating, and bewitching.
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