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Episode 20: Advancements in Gesture Interaction w/ Meghan Athavale

Welcome to another episode of the Design, Culture, and Experience Show. I am your host Bryan Meszaros and today I am joined by Meg Athavale the Founder and CEO of LUMOplay an interactive software development agency.

Discussion Topics:

Thank you to our guest: Meghan Athavale / Founder & CEO / LUMOplay / Twitter @lumoplay

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Episode 19: Reopening Strategies

Welcome to another episode of the Design, Culture, and Experience Show. I am your host Bryan Meszaros and today I am joined by a few good friends and respected industry colleagues. We always share and bounce our thoughts off one another but we took that a step further recently and teamed up to write an article around the balance of technology and design for physical spaces post covid. The article is in the June edition of SCN Magazine. 

Question: Re-opening strategies are top of mind for everyone but it’s more complicated than just “opening the doors.” From a DESIGN POV what observations or insights do you have that different environments should be doing to ensure a “safe” and “manageable” environment?

Key Points:

 

Question: The businesses that get it right and survive will understand that there needs to be a balance of design and technology. However it does come down to a question of investment and for a while a lot of businesses have been reluctant to invest in technology. Is this the catalyst?

Key Points:

 

Question: It’s a balance we are trying to create to make a space safe BUT what price does the customer / visitor have to pay with regards to their privacy? 

Key Points:

 

Question: The erosion of confidence we face at this moment in time will lead to trust being more critical than ever. What can businesses do to keep their promise of safety? How do they stay true to their “brand promise”

Key Points::

Thank you to our guests:

 

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Clear Skies Soon

This year has been challenging for us as an industry with questions still lingering as to what the new “normal” will be defined as. Though the climate has changed, we are still committed to operating as we always have and practicing our craft of designing unique experiences that matter. 

When we are able to see clear skies again and physically interact with our surroundings our focus (as it has always been) is to lend our creativity and innovative thinking to our clients helping them cautiously re-engage with their audience. 

As most of you know since we started in 2001, we have always operated as a virtual and nomadic agency. These attributes not only make up our DNA but have helped us to define our auspicious culture. 

However, like many of our colleagues, we are not entirely immune to the challenges this unfortunate situation has presented. We miss the opportunity to physically interact with our clients, partners and industry colleagues. 

We are all eager for the moment when we can grab a beer, share a laugh and roll up our sleeves once again in public. We will get there, but it can not be done alone, as I said earlier in a post on our Instagram feed…“We are in this together!” 

So what have we been up to during this time?!?! 

It’s not like us to keep our opinións to ourselves nor miss an opportunity to hang out in typical OEG style! We have been busy supporting several of our clients who remain open, helping to serve their respective customers as well as helping to be a positive voice in the industry. 

Here are a couple of highlights you may have missed over the past few weeks:


We must all do our part to keep this industry going and staying strong and this is us giving a lending hand.

If you find yourself looking for something to do during the week grab a pint and join us every Thursday around 7 pm (EST) for our OEG Happy Hour on Houseparty. 

For those who know us you know the kind of humor you’ll find and those who are just discovering us we hope you’ll join in and say hello!

Just because we are all working for home doesn’t mean we can’t still share a pint! 

Keep healthy, stay safe and wash those hands! 

– Bryan 

 

Have You Checked Your Temperature Today?

Do you remember a time you could gracefully walk into a store without having to wait in line or needing to use a face mask? It seems like only last month…oh wait it actually was.

The reality is that moment of “shopping simplicity” will be gone for a while replaced with new technologies designed to invoke a sense of safety when entering almost any environment. Instead of being greeted with a smile it will be a digital display asking to take your temperature.

For better or worse it will become the new norm. Some will argue it’s a violation of privacy while others will see it as a means to ensure public safety. I’m not forming an opinion as I can see the arguments on both sides. However it’s hard to ignore that you won’t encounter this situation given the amount of companies that have already developed “Temperature Sensing Kiosks.” Not to mention Disney has made recent headlines with regards to suggesting that they will be checking guest temperatures at their parks prior to entry.

Searching on Google for Temperature Kiosks will take you down the rabbit hole and force you to consume multiple cups of coffee to help decipher the differences between them. Here is list of the ones that have caught my attention and worth considering:

The Check In Podcast

The Big Cheese, a.k.a Bryan Meszaros was recently a guest on the “#RetailCheckInChat” that featured several industry experts discussing the current state of retail.

Overview:

Stay Calm. Let’s chat. Retail Industry folks talking about life during Coronavirus lock in and shut down. Grab a cup of dark roast and join us in your jammies from the comfort of your own home and let’s talk this out.

Host: Phil Lenger / President @ Show+Tell

Guests:

 

Human After All Podcast

Our own “Big Cheese” was invited back on the Digital Signage Digest to discuss what companies can do during this difficult time.
Overview: 
It is certainly an interesting time for the digital signage space. Most events have been cancelled or postponed, including Digital Signage Expo 2020, and many businesses are being worked on remotely by their employees at home. In this climate, what is there for businesses to do to stay afloat? On this month’s episode, we discuss how some companies are handling these developments, keeping in contact with your teams and staying cohesive as a company even though you are separated.

Host: Llanor Alleyne
Guests:
https://avnation.tv/podcast/digital-signage-digest-14-community-commitments/

Privacy and Experiences

Our CEO and past President of SEGD Bryan Meszaros, was invited to take part in a cross-association conversation on post-pandemic realities.

The conversation, which was recorded in partnership with ACE (Advocates for Connected Experience), focuses on the post-pandemic role of digital signage.

Digital signage has a critically important role in the ‘getting back to business’ ecosystem, and this session focused on things to consider regarding privacy and using technology for health, occupancy, and safety monitoring.

The following is a segment from the conversation, and the full version is available on the Digital Signage Federation website.

Creating a Frictionless Experience

Technology plays a critical role in influencing the design of an experience and the physical environment. Designers are now tasked with a unique set of challenges to explore solutions that create a frictionless customer experience that ensures a healthy and safe environment. The following approach (and technologies) are what we have been researching and integrating into re-opening strategies for our clients:

#1 / Digital Signage

Digital signage can be used to visualize critical and relative information. Real-time messaging on what services are available to methods on how to facilitate quicker transactions are just the starting point. Digital signage is a visual channel that can be used to adapt to the changing conditions in a space.

Recommendations: There are a multitude of Digital Signage platforms available each with their own unique set of features. Currently we have been working with and testing the following:

 

#2 / Occupancy Visualization

Occupancy signage will be useful to communicate to your customers that you are in compliance with certain standards. Visualizing wait times to enter a particular environment or, at the very least, visualizing current occupancy limits will will put people at ease and give them confidence to enter an establishment.

Visual Example:

Recommendations:

 

#3 / Education before Entering

As we reach our destinations, comfort and safety reassurances will become something people expect — affecting architecture, placemaking, interior design and operations of all types of establishments. The concern amongst us will revolve around these questions:

It is critical to educate your customers about health standards and expectations before entering the environment. Exterior signage such as a digital sandwich board provides an excellent (mobile) vehicle to control the flow of traffic and make people aware of current conditions.

Visual Example:

Recommendations:

 

#4 / Voice User Interfaces (VUI)

Not only do Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) introduce a change in the way consumers will interact with a touch display, they will help ease anxiety. Voice-based experiences differ entirely from typical graphics-based UIs as they assume the user knows the correct commands to ask and the system can decipher. VUI’s like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s SIRI, and Samsung’s Bixby have greater than 90% accuracy. Recent statistics show that 1 in 2 smartphone users use voice technology on their phones, and voice search will exceed 50% of all searches by 2021. This technology can be leveraged to create powerful new ways to consume.

Recommendations: 

 

#5 / Sanitized Interactions

At existing public and private facilities, transaction points and points of purchase will need to be redesigned so that consumers feel safe. Facilities are already starting to reconfigure the circulation to limit engagement, including creating separate entry and exit doors, one-way aisles, six-foot distance markers, and allowing limited occupancy. Facilities may need to integrate “sanitation stations” at entrances, exits, and even transaction points, so people have a level of comfort with the human engagement within the facility.

Perception is critical — it influences behavior, and over the past several weeks, we have been exposed to numerous facts on how viruses are transmitted and how long they can live on a variety of surfaces. With that understanding, we can’t dismiss the reaction people will have when they come back into contact with a touch display, but the reality is that some level of personal interaction is and will continue to be a necessity. The awareness of sanitation will not be limited to behaviors of movement in a space but the way in which you interact with technology to facilitate transactions. Self checkouts, ATMs and interactive displays will not be avoidable, and each environment must maintain a level of cleanliness for those devices.

Recommendations: We have pulled together a list of suggested cleaning methods:

  1. Use only non-abrasive cleaning cloths to avoid scratches / do not use paper towels or harsh materials.
  2. Be careful in the cleaning liquid you use. Avoid highly concentrated alcohol (>70%) solutions.
    • Windex works but for only removing smudges and fingerprints.
    • Pristine Screen also offers several screen cleaning solutions and services.
    • A mild soapy solution is also an option.
  3. When cleaning, apply the solution first to the cloth (do not over-saturate) and start with the perimeter working towards the center.
  4. Do not apply the liquid solution to the display as it could cause damage by seeping in through gaps along the edges.
  5. There is no need to apply an exorbitant amount of pressure when cleaning.
  6. Instruct users to use hand sanitizer before and after use. Though some liquids can kill germs on the display they can not guarantee that the surface will stay sanitized throughout the day. A good suggestion would be to either place antibacterial wipes or a hand sanitizer dispenser nearby.
  7. Maintain a consistent cleaning schedule, think of it this way how often do you wash your hands during the day? (Hopefully more than once!!!)

 

#6 / Simplified UI/UX Experience 

Customers will be reluctant to interact with a display for an extended period; therefore, designers must look to create a simplified experience. It is less about browsing and more about being efficient in completing a transaction or search. Designers should observe the Laws of UX and apply two rules: Hick’s Law and Miller’s Law.

Hick’s Law states that “the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices,” so minimalist, uncomplicated designs are best when people need to make a decision.

Miller’s Law states that “the average person can only keep around seven items in their working memory.” When both rules are disregarded, people will think more than they should be culminating in a poorly designed user experience or what is known as cognitive overload.

Getting back to work.

Our CEO and past President of SEGD Bryan Meszaros, was recently invited to take part in a conversation focusing on the challenges of getting people back to work, and what the means for connected experiences and technology. The conversation was recorded in partnership with ACE (Advocates for Connected Experience) and moderated by Dave Haynes from the Sixteen-Nine Blog Included in the conversation was: – Kim Sarubbi, ACE
– Joe’ Lloyd, AVIXA
– Trent Oliver, Themed Entertainment Association
– Debbie Hauss, Retail Touchpoints
– Cybelle Jones, SEGD
– Bryan Meszaros, SEGD
– Kym Frank, Geopath
– David Drain, ICX Association
– Beth Warren from CRIhttps://vimeo.com/426032026

Adapting in the Time of COVID

Our CEO Bryan Meszaros was recently invited onto Q Division’s TechTalks livestream to share his insights on how businesses should be thinking when it comes to integrating digital and physical customer experiences.

Q Division is a global team of business management consultants, connected commerce experts and retail tech engineers who provide clients with digital transformation services, data driven customer experiences and connected commerce solutions.

https://vimeo.com/445532973