In today's business world, touch screen displays are becoming an increasingly popular medium and window into more forms of customer service and interaction. A common question that arises when setting up a touchscreen properly for your business is whether to use it vertically or horizontally. Below, TITOTOUCH explores the advantages and disadvantages to inform your choice.
Portrait touchscreen
Vertical, also known as portrait mode, is when the touchscreen is set up so that the height is greater than the width. It is commonly used to display product catalogues, menus or service lists, etc.
Advantage:
To display longer content more naturally and comfortably, the vertical setting may be beneficial for users to read through lists or descriptions, as they can easily scroll through the content with a simple swipe gesture.
Portrait touchscreens are favoured for their ergonomic design. This orientation setting allows users to interact more comfortably and naturally, especially if they are standing in front of a touchscreen kiosk.
Disadvantages:
When you have a high outlook, vertical orientation can be poor when displaying visual content such as photos, videos, or commercials. These types of content should be delivered in a horizontal orientation because the resource itself is captured in a 16:9 or even wider ratio and is therefore more visually appealing to the user when displayed in a larger format and landscape.
Portrait touchscreens may not be the best choice for users entering large amounts of information, such as filling out a form or entering an email address. This is simply because virtual keyboards are typically narrower vertically and cannot accommodate a full 10-finger recording operation, which makes typing more difficult.
Landscape
Landscape mode means that the touchscreen is set to be wider than it is tall. This orientation is often popular in media displays and visual content, such as adverts, photos, videos or graphics in media.
Advantages:
Landscape touchscreen monitors are able to display visual content in the same larger format as the way it was filmed, making the media more visually appealing to the user through more elements, so the media can be more impressive. In addition, it aids in virtual keyboard input by having a size almost identical to a real 26 and 1-0 keyboard.
Disadvantages:
It displays fewer lines compared to portrait orientation, making it more difficult for users to read or interact with long lists or descriptions if they are displayed with it.
Landscape touchscreens may not be the most ergonomic option for users standing in front of the screen, as it may require more and longer hand movements to interact.
Application Example:
Restaurants: it is often best to use portrait touchscreens because it is easier for customers to view and interact with the menu. It is also more intuitive for customers to scroll through menu options using vertical gestures. However, for order tracking or other back office functions, horizontal orientation may be more practical.
Retail: In a shopping environment, there are better decisions for specific applications. touchscreens for POS transactions are often best used horizontally, as this provides a larger display of products and customers are more likely to interact with the screen. Vertical may be more practical for inventory management or other back-end functions.
Transport: touchscreens for airports and train stations are often used vertically to show larger displays of information and make it easier for travellers to access and process quickly.
Gaming: It varies depending on the particular game and how it is played. For games that require a wide field of view, horizontal orientation is usually best. For games that require more precise touch input, vertical orientation may be more practical.
Advertising: Touchscreens are well suited for interactive digital signage or advertising, placed vertically to display large amounts of information or video content, while vertical orientation may be more effective for displaying tall, narrow content such as product listings or social media feeds.
