Project snapshot after snapshot reveals the most elaborate home theater or automation system with a table-top or in-wall touch panel as the center piece of attraction, yet touch panel graphics almost always seem drab and unworthy of their surrounding interior design.

I took a vow almost two years ago to rid the world of touch panel eyesores, to give life and warmth to the technology that integrators are installing in today’s homes.   Out with the solid backgrounds, mismatched colors, and unaligned buttons . . . and in with easy navigation, design consistency, and an array of touch panel themes made for any living room, home theater or master suite.

Time to Design

Unlike the world of web design, the state of touch panel design really hasn’t changed much in the past 5 years.  Problems remain the same with integrators around the world: who has time to produce professional touch panel designs and who in the company made more than a C+ in art class?

Touch panel design can equal 50 percent of the project programming.  The programmer is usually more concerned with making the system work in the end and less focused on the fact that bright reds and yellows on a panel will make the homeowner dizzy.   While the system must function properly, most homeowners do not spend hours admiring their equipment rack.  Their impression of their state-of-the-art control system weighs heavily on the user interface and its ease of use.

The Creative Team

Integrators need to spend more time and resources creating professional-quality touch panel pages.  Developing a Creative Team can ensure user interfaces are easy-to-use, and page designs are consistent and esthetically pleasing.  An integrator may be able to build a team from internal resources or outsource their touch panel page design to independent design and programming firms.  A creative team might consist of:

• a graphic artist

• a system designer

• a programmer

• a touch panel tester

Some individuals may take on multiple roles in an organization, but the goal is the same: dedicating the right amount of time (resources) to produce great-looking touch panel designs.