For quite some time it seemed like the idea of an interactive touch screen TV was futuristic. Well, the future is here. The world of interactivity, by loose definition, involves a transfer of information from the communication system to the user. This world is increasing in feasibility and function.  Growing up in the 90’s I thought the best source of interactivity I was going to see was that of a human interaction followed by a response from a small, fury creature: Furby.

After hiding that thing in the closet until it no longer cooed strange phrases, I was able to move on to bigger and better things. When I say bigger I am referring to the 7 foot kiosk we have sitting in our office right now, when I say better I don’t feel like I need an explanation. This 7 foot hunk of technology has so many functions that hiding it in the closet was out of the question. You want to rent a movie, check-in for a flight, find your way around a museum, locate a room or that store you were looking for? An interactive kiosk gives the user the ability to assume the position of the pilot when making each decision. Control is at your fingertips- pun intended.

Here is one of my favorite uses- the touchscreen vending machine. The user can now select their option without pressing in that sticky button and hoping to avoid the “Sold Out” response.

The future where we can go up and touch just about any screen is here. Its bright, its bold, and its beautiful.