There is more to buying an interactive display for your office than simply choosing the largest panel size that will fit. Chris Parker walks us through the steps to consider when buying a Sharp BIG PAD interactive display.
Introducing interactive digital tools to help people work together more effectively has become a hot topic for most companies. Interactivity allows for greater collaboration between colleagues, and increasingly frees the movement of digital data between staff and locations, ensuring we are working as effectively as possible.
Choosing the right interactive solution – perhaps to replace a projector or non-interactive display – can be daunting, especially if this technology and way of working is new to you and your business.
Right Room, Right Screen
Choosing the ideal location for your interactive display is very important. There was a time that the latest technology would always be found in the boardroom first, where it added prestige but was often used less frequently.
Now that interactive displays come in a range of price-points and panel sizes, choosing where the panel will sit is more about meeting the needs of those who will use it, rather just those who will see it.
Regardless of the panel size, the screen needs to work with the room. It may be that you have a number of rooms all of differing shapes and sizes that require interactive displays, so choosing a product range that works with the same software, in the same way, regardless of size should certainly be considered.
Think how people will use the screen – if it is mainly for presentations and larger meetings, then a larger screen in a meeting room works well. But if you have small teams who need to collaborate together, then a small ‘Huddle Space’ setup would be the most practical approach.
Getting Connected
We at Sharp believe that simplicity and ease of setup are vital to delivering a great interactive experience. After all, an interactive display that demands specific drivers, software licensing and a manual as long as your arm, simply won’t work in the modern office or business environment.
People want to be connected instantly, be able to collaborate with their colleagues, and generally get on with their day job as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Connections need to work first time, every time without the need to find the right cables, remote control, or special pen.
An interactive display that can offer a connection through the standard Windows interface simply by connecting a HDMI or USB cable is what is required. This is a solution that will work first time, every time with no additional setup.
For even greater flexibility, wireless connectivity gives your business the ability to add multiple participants regardless of device, making the sharing and managing of on-screen content even easier. This means that the interactive display that you invest in actually gets used and doesn’t just end up as a costly display screen in the corner of the room.
Touchscreen Options
Interactive touchscreen technology has come a long way in recent years and is now an everyday part of life – from smartphones and tablets, up to the latest large screen interactive displays, we all look for an intuitive and easy-to-use way of working.
What’s more, with the touch capabilities now available in your standard Windows operating system, users can annotate directly into the most popular and heavily used business software packages such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. So, at an entry-level there is no need to have any “special” interactive software installed on your computer – and the same should apply to your interactive display.
If additional features are required, such as dedicated brainstorming or detailed planning tools, then having intuitive, easy-to-use software available to users without additional licence costs required is definitely the way to go.
Bring Your Own Device
It is increasingly common practice for businesses of all sizes to issue employees with a laptop, and maybe even a smartphone, as soon as they join the company. However, these standardised tools may not suit all users, and as a result BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) has become an established part of the modern work space.
At one time, allowing employees to use a diverse range of devices would have been an IT nightmare. Not so with Sharp, as BIG PAD can interact with and collaborate with devices - be they Windows, IOS, Android or a mixture of all - and this is a huge benefit for many organisations.
Reducing Travel Costs
Meetings are an everyday fact of business life but that no longer means we must always meet face-to-face. Video conferencing as a way of collaborating with colleagues is becoming more and more popular. Not only does it help us reduce travel costs, and therefore also our carbon footprint, it helps make us better at handling time more effectively and therefore more productive.
To this end, choosing an interactive touch display that can seamlessly integrate with a video conferencing solution is vital to ensuring that collaborative working with colleagues is a success in your business.
Return on Investment
Finally, but certainly not in any way least, is the consideration of cost. Choosing the lowest cost solution is not always best practice. The interactive display you decide to buy is a considerable investment in your company’s collaborative future.
So, a brand known for quality is absolutely the sensible choice – the old adage ‘buy cheap - buy twice’ can be paraphrased here to read ‘buy cheap - go back to the old ways’.
Quality and simplicity of use will ensure successful adoption of your new equipment, and give you a genuine return on your investment. After all, your team will not embrace a new solution if it is difficult to use, fails them at the critical time, or is generally not making them more productive.
That is why all Sharp BIG PAD interactive displays come with an intuitive and easy-to-use set of software and on-screen tools, which will enhance your working environment.
If you would like to know more about how Sharp BIG PAD Interactive Displays can help your business work smarter and collaborate more effectively, then Get in Touch and arrange a demonstration.
