In the past few years since HP introduced the TouchSmart PC line, it's captured imaginations. Since the release of Windows 7 (with its native multi-touch display support) and the TouchSmart SDK we are starting to see a lot of cool, new applications being explored by developers.

Whether it's an app you can download and use or an inspired commercial program, we're talking with the developers to find out what they are up to and get their take on the touch community. It's a regular series and we're always on the lookout for new developers to profile.

This week’s Q&A is with José deCos. José is the Technology Advancement Advocate at Trellist Marketing | Technology in Wilmington, DE. Trellist provides standalone and integrated marketing and technology services. Trellist utilizes a horizontal internal structure that encourages collaboration and brings innovative ideas to life for their clients.
 
A little about Trellist’s most recent project:

A helpful and welcoming guide for the expected 80,000 attendees of this year's 20th annual Cinequest film festival in San Jose (2/23 – 3/7). The user-friendly interface includes an area map, ticket information, events, passes, a video about HP and information about touchscreen technology.

The application searches for films using multiple criteria. For example, you can search by country of origin, show date, and/or genre by means of easy to follow design elements like country flags you touch to select the countries you want, or unique Cinequest icons that depict genre. Also, a search by title option will bring up an on-screen keyboard. The “find a film” feature will allow a filmgoer to identify exactly what she/he is interested in, such as all the South American comedies showing on Thursday night. As you adjust search criteria, you will always be able to see the number of films available, so you’ll know if you should narrow your search or be less picky. Once you find the film that you want to see, you can display show times, ticket purchase sites and the theatre itself, which you can then locate on the festival map.

Or you can check it out in the video below:

1.    When / where was the first time you used a touchscreen – and what is the most unique touchscreen experience you’ve had?

Like many people, my first experience with a touchscreen was an ATM. However, the most unique initial experience, where I could really see the possibilities, was using the touch kiosks in the Hong Kong airport. Touch screens have made it to many airports now, but Hong Kong was ahead of its time. The application helped me get around in every way from bus/train/metro, to even taxi stands. It helped me find a hotel in the area and price range I wanted, found restaurants by type of cuisine, and, most impressively, helped me sort out all the tourist attractions. I could watch short video clips, browse imagery, tour times, and of course see transportation options that would get me to each location.

2.    When did you start working with touch technology?

Trellist began developing touch applications in the technology’s first incarnation in 1996 where touch-enabled CRTs housed in a huge kiosk and Windows 95 and Macromedia Director formed the basis of a touch solution.  Today we have the HP TouchSmart systems that are so much more advanced.  It is amazing to see how the technology’s changed over the years.

3.    What is your dream application with touch technology?

I envision the future with infrastructure related touch technology – making labor more efficient. For example, you go to a restaurant and your table top is an interactive display screen. You can scroll through the menu, browse images and nutritional data, touch what you would like to order, ask for options like salad dressing on the side and then submit your order. Maybe you could change your placemat or table top by touching through the different skins. You could move your cup to a certain area on the table to let the waiter know you need a refill, which is automatically added to your tab. How many times have you tried to find a waiter for a refill but given up? So this maximizes revenues for the restaurant as well. Later, you can pay by holding your card or token or phone against a certain section of the table and still enter your PIN if needed via touch. For me, part of the potential with touch is being part of the environment, something that you use when you need it, just like you’d use a water fountain or a parking spot. So you can have many people using a touchscreeen throughout the day, just as you would now in a museum or buying movie tickets, but it’s more individualized to what they need at that moment.
 
4.    What do you think will be the “Killer App” for touch screens?

Well, the gamers I know would probably say multiplayer games, just because it could be smoother than push-button consoles. But I think of the ability to render and view designs in 3D, by grabbing and pushing elements around, transforming objects, rotating, resizing…everything touch lets you do more quickly. Biosciences, engineering, architecture, interactive design, decision trees, programming…the possibilities are just endless. But 3D is at the heart of it all. When you can manipulate objects without a mouse between your hand and the object, that could be the beginning of a whole new way of working, with obvious advantages.

5.    What role do you think that slate devices will play in the future of touch? What would that slate need to have?  

I see some of the low-hanging fruit for slates in the on-site sales process. In most high end retail sales, for example, the salesperson typically checks a computer during a sale, for anything from checking inventory, possible colors/options not displayed, or to check the “catalog” of the product. Often, this entails physically leaving the customer, or the customer having to stand and wait in front of a counter. And the customer can’t see what information the salesperson is accessing. It’s a lack of transparency.

On the other hand, the salesperson could carry a touch slate. Though slates will save time and printing costs, the most important advantage is to give the customer all possible options so that the business can make the sale (and the customer can pay for it via the slate, too) but also that the sale better meets the need. There is also potential in being able to transact with one hand, or cradle the screen in one arm and have the other arm free, as opposed to a laptop that is more difficult to balance and protect when’ it’s hinged open. I can imagine a naturalist examining plants in the field or a musician turning a page in the score. Or a teacher in a remote village or walking around an urban classroom or subbing at a new school. Of course, this slate technology will need to be light, have a powerful wireless card and offer ample battery life to be best utilized. In some of these environments, solar cells would be best. Everyone is talking about technology in health care and with all the settings where care can be delivered, slates seem like a natural fit there as well.

6.    What are some of the design challenges people need to rethink after using mice for so long? Are there any?

With touch technology, actions are more fluid and take less precision to perform (just touch) than using a mouse. However, touch design should ensure that design elements have to be spread out to keep the interaction fluid, and avoid mis-clicks/touches. Also, without a right-click option, a navigation section or options panel is usually needed to keep all functionality just a click or touch away. Developers are beginning to factor in the precision and dexterity of how people can use their entire hand and fingers, which is good because thinking about ergonomics increases user speed as well as comfort.

7.  How do you feel touch screen technology is letting you do something unique with your app?

The flow of an application when using touch alone (or, in the future, letting a screen sense your motion as with HP’s new touchless technology on walls) is a nice departure from standard computer use. The comfort of having no hardware other than a screen with which you directly interact allows users to browse material naturally and comfortably. It’s some of what smartphones and e-readers offer but on a larger palette and with more functionality.  Essentially, it’s the best of both worlds – a powerful processor and a simpler, less intrusive interface.

8.    From what you’ve learned with this experience in touch technology, what would you like to see in your next application?

Obviously, that depends on what our clients wants to accomplish. But I would say generally, we hope to do more with use of the entire hand, leveraging everything that users can and want to do with the screen. A lot of it is thinking of the display more holistically, not just a port from another platform.

9.    How long did it take you to create your touch app? How easy was it to get done?

As with any platform, touchscreen application development time depends on the specs. Trellist has taken as little as three weeks to design, and develop a touchscreen application; however the standard application build takes around two months. The platform is well thought out and the capabilities that we have wanted to provide to users have been realistic so far. The hardest part may’ve been stopping when our budget was spent – there were so many great things we could have done.

 ****

HP thanks Jose' and the rest of his team for their time!