Stef Thorarinson Of Pristine-Screen On Using Touchscreens In The Age Of COVID-19
March 18, 2020 by Dave Haynes
At the best of times, using an interactive screen can be a slightly dodgy experience because of the presence of dirt, grime, bacterial build-up and other stuff you really don’t even want to think about.
But in this new age we’re living in – hopefully temporary, but who knows – touching an interactive surface that’s already been used by dozens or scores of others that day could put you in a hospital bed, or coffin.
One of the counter-measures to the risk of transmission of contagions like COVID-19 is the regular cleaning of that screen, not to mention hand-washing or sanitizing after an interactive session.
Given everything that’s been going on – and having walked to the self-serve checkout at my local grocery and thought, “Hmmm, how do I do this safely … ” – it’s useful to get some insight from a business that’s all about clean screens.
Toronto-based Stefan Thorarinson runs North American Ops and Sales for Pristine-Screen, a UK-based company that’s specifically in the business of cleaning and protecting digital signage and digital out of home screens.
We chatted about how a global pandemic has raised awareness and attention for keeping screens clean, and what operators should be doing, and not doing.
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Dave, According to the podcast, it appears that there is no way to protect touch screen users from exposure to dangerous viruses. Viewer acceptance of touch screens is now in jeopardy. On November 20th, you posted a piece about a voice command solution that incorporates Alexa-style interactions. In the post, you expressed concerns about a lack of viewer acceptance of voice commands due to the fear of embarrassment and ambient noise. Our company has software technology that provides a voice-via-smartphone interface to media players without requiring speakers, microphones – or earphones. Digital signage viewers hold smartphones to their ears to privately listen and speak in the same way they make phone calls. Voice interactions are virus free.