5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Touchscreen

Touchscreens offer a convenient alternative to traditional input peripherals. Rather than using a keyboard and a mouse, for instance, you can tap the display interface. Touchscreens are defined by their support for touch-based commands such as this. Tappin the display interface will send signals to the touchscreen, essentially telling it what to do next. There are different types of touchscreens, however. When choosing a touchscreen, you may want to ask yourself the five following questions.

#1) What Size Do You Need?

Touchscreens are available in a wide range of sizes. Traditional touchscreen technologies like resistive and capacitive, support a variety of sizes. You can find touchscreen wearables, such as smartwatches, that measure just a few inches in diameter. Touchscreen computer monitors, on the other hand, can measure over 70 inches in diameter.

#2) Where Will You Be Using It?

You should consider the location in which you intend to use the touchscreen. If you’re planning to use it outdoors, you should choose a weather-resistant touchscreen. Some touchscreens can succumb to damage when exposed to moisture. But there are other touchscreens that can withstand humid and otherwise harsh environments. They typically featured a sealed design that protects their underlying electrical components from environmental damage.

#3) Will You Be Wearing Gloves?

If you’re going to wear gloves, you may want to avoid choosing a capacitive touchscreen. Capacitive touchscreens work by generating a uniform electrostatic field, which they measure during use. When exposed to a conductive object, the electrostatic field will change. The capacitive touchscreen will then register this change of capacitance as a touch command. Bare fingers are conductive. Gloved fingers, though are not conducive. You can control a capacitive touchscreen with a bare finger, but you can’t control it with a gloved finger.

#4) How Will You Use It?

When choosing a touchscreen, you should consider the application for which you intend to use it. Touchscreens support many different applications. Some businesses use them for point-of-sale (POS) systems. Other businesses use them to manage inventory, control machines, etc. Regardless, you should ask yourself how you intend to use the touchscreen. Only then will you be able to choose the right touchscreen.

#5) Do You Need Multi-Touch Support?

Touchscreens are available with multi-touch support. Multi-touch support means that they can register touch commands performed using two or more points of simultaneous contact. You can touch or tap the area in multiple places to perform touch commands. While some touchscreen technologies offer multi-touch support, others do not.