QCTouch

GE QCTouch Deployment Deployment of QCTouch for a GE Digital Event

QCTouch was our custom solution for interactive touch experiences to let people explore products and organizations. Designed to be flexible for various cases and industries (see here for it in action for a non-profit), we worked with clients to tell their story and develop ways to make interesting and human-centric experiences.

Software

  • Deployed as an Electron app
    • Primarily to enable filesystem access, among other benefits
  • Mix of React/Polymer/misc WebComponents to support client assets
  • Lots of vanilla JS mixed in
  • Cross platform
    • Deployed on Mac Mini, small PCs running Windows, Linux

Lessons Learned

Reaching the user

Among the many lessons, one of the most significant was how to prime people for interactive experiences. So many of our digital interactions, especially with large screens, are passive and it took some iterating to find techniques that indicated to the audience that they could engage with the screen. Even small indicators, like gentle pulses over interactive elements, had large a large impact on user engagement. Over time we developed metrics that tracked where on the screen the users were touching for each view, which enabled us to learn what they thought was interactive and refine our experiences.

Editorial Liberties

Another lesson related to adapting the source material, such as a client's product, to an interactive experience. In most cases the products themselves were not something we could ship embedded in the experience, so we had to mock the relevant parts. This was an interesting challenge, as we had to remain true to the source but also take into consideration how a user would interact with this proxied presentation. We quickly learned that it was not necessary to construct a true 1:1 representation, but rather focus on the pieces that spoke to our client's key points. This careful balance paid off, allowing us to remain flexible in the face of changing focus while also giving us more time to focus on the quality of the experience.