Project background —

Having impressed with the website redesign and rebuild, we were asked to create a solution for in-centre touch screens. The screens would work as an information point for visitors as well as a wayfinding tool to direct visitors to locations within the centre. 

 

Scoping and planning —

The client had identified the screens that were going to be installed, and I was tasked with the scoping, build, installation of the system and ongoing maintenance. As project lead and programmer, I approached this by firstly assessing the best solution that could utilise the information already present on the website and present this in the most appropriate format for the touch screens. This would mean that the ongoing maintenance would be relatively simple for the team to manage as it would be managed within a setup that they were already familiar with.  

While scoping the project we were informed that the number of screens had increased from 3 screens to 7 screens. Although this obviously had a significant impact on the project plan and deliverables, we were still able to launch all 7 screens within just a few weeks of the initial deadline date.

 

 

Design —

The design was crafted to create an immersive experience that felt more like and app and was tailored to the touch screen usage. The CTAs and buttons were designed to be bold and clear for the best usability, while still reflecting the style of the main website and also adhering to the design system and brand guidelines.

 

 

Build —

Once the system setup had been outlined and the user journey had been scoped out for a more simplified journey to that of the site, I then proceeded with the restructuring the website code to include the touch screen pages. Integrating the system into the existing website meant that the framework was already in place. Being able to also utilise the elements that were already in place on the site, also mean that additional resources were kept to a minimum, to reduce the impact on the size of the site.

 

Testing and launch —

As well as the usual internal and client testing, the snag tests for this project also involved testing the installation of the system onto the screens within the centre. Although we were able to access the site remotely, much of the testing required site visits in order to complete thorough user testing and also to confirm if any issues identified were with the site or the touch screen system. This meant that a strong collaborative approach with the screen management agency was extremely important in order to ensure that any issues were resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible and also to ensure that the client received accurate and joined up status updates.

 

Analyse and iterate —

Once the initial system was set up the ongoing maintenance was very smooth. The team members were trained on the system and updates were able to be completed across all screens within hours of the clients request.

 

Potential enhancements —

There are a number of potential enhancements that I feel could refine the software and also enhance the overall user experience, such as:

 

Redesigning the layout

Redesigning the layout of the user interface would offer a design that is more suited to the touch screen experience. The menu would be moved to the right-hand side where users could more comfortably reach all of the links, and the menu would be refined to keep the focus on the pages that are most useful to the visitor. Including the store location on the listing page and icons within the directions would also help to make the interface more user friendly.

I would also propose having a secondary screensaver view that could scroll through offers and highlight food and fashion inspiration. The video screensaver would appear if the screen has not been used for a significant amount of time, but before the main screensaver appears, the secondary screensaver would display for a shot a period - giving the user more information on the stores and offers available in an engaging format.

 

 

Reviewing the build

Although the current build was fit for purpose at the time, the updating and amending process could be improved and could be more efficient by having a single reference for all screens for the directions and routing. I would recommend using coordinates for each stor that could then be used to calculate and map the directions from each of the screens. This would involve less manual resource and would make updates much more efficient for the web management team which would also be benefitial to the client.