Header Best Practice

Formulation:
Development of a multilingual touch screen application for exhibit marking
Target group: Architects, trade fair visitors interested in architecture

Initial Situation:
With its huge portfolio range of technologies and materials Schüco is the European number 1 in the realization of building exterior shells. Schüco is also broadly represented within the global market in over 70 countries where it offers its service provisions world-wide. 4,600 employees and over 12,000 partner enterprises are internationally active for the enterprise. Many technical developments of Schüco are regarded as trend-setting in the construction and building industry: They have been able to successfully integrate essential future topics such as, "saving energy" and "gaining energy" into attractive solutions for automation, security and design.

The presence at the important national and international architecture trade fairs, for example, BAU 2007, is therefore, consequently indispensable for Schüco. This is because a meaningful trade fair appearance is one of the main instruments for new customer acquisition as well as attracting interested parties and multipliers.

To be able to reduce this high number of trade fair appearances to a minimum which is also accompanied by a high level of time and effort, it is necessary to adopt a dynamic trade fair concept which provides the possibility of a flexible and simple exchange of content. Moreover, in the new presentation concept the multi-media ascertainment of data, facts and secondary information takes a more important role. This can be explained in that certain functions of the exhibits, for example, the concept of the decentralized façade ventilation, can only be represented clearly and in a generally intelligible way through the use of different media.

With the inclusion of all these prerequisites, five independent flash based applications have been created for five special façade exhibits including the façade "Energy squared" which saves and gains energy simultaneously. These innovative applications will for the very first time be presented to the trade fair public at the BAU 2007.

Target:
Whereby for Schüco the initial contact with potential customers mainly takes place at trade fairs like the BAU 2007, a system for the exhibit marking should be developed. This system should attract the highest possible number of trade fair visitors and be able to describe precisely the functions and innovations concerning the new Schüco exhibits in a short period of time. If then the interest has been aroused firstly for the product, the terminals on the stands can then serve the Schüco consultant as an interactive argumentation base and sales aid with which he can explain the specifications of the exhibits realistically. This is because certain thermal phenomena or unusual features of a new façade system can be depicted much more clearly by means of an interactive application.

These applications are not only versatile sales tools which actively support Schüco sales and marketing activities. They can also be used simultaneously for the sales preparation of the Schüco consultants.

The greatest challenge in the infinite implementation lies within the task of finding the correct balance between the product relevant wealth of information and an attractive, entertaining ascertainment form. The requirements as regards content were fixed in consultation with Schüco and should be fulfilled in every case. Simultaneously the interested party was not allowed, however, to be overtaxed. Therefore every visitor should require an average of at most 5 minutes to receive a comprehensive impression of the large exhibit which is being introduced.

Solution:
Simplified Access to Complex Topics
The most important prerequisite was an intuitive navigation concept which offers the trade fair visitor a fast orientation in the offered abundant topic. The main task in the area of information architecture was therefore a clear, logical structure of the applications. It had to be taken into account that the consultant at the terminal was ensured of a fast and selective access to an individual topic.

Furthermore the contents were reduced to the essential central statements (customer use) to ensure an easy ascertainment ability within a short period of time. Simultaneously, the user should be able to acquire facts in depth after a short mainly visually oriented product introduction concerning certain topics.

In comparison with the foil slideshows which have been utilized up till now the touch screen applications represent an explorative and user-friendly opportunity to arrange the specifications and technical backgrounds of the five exhibits. Realistic frame 3D animations and the coupling of different media make it possible for the trade fair visitor to easily comprehend the essential features of the Schüco exhibits.

Through the specific use of photographs, 3D animations, information graphics, illustrations and video sequences (genuine film) it was possible to use a suitable representation form for every topic. So for example, technically complex contents were represented in simplified terms and made more understandable through the use of Motion-Design.

Results:
Functional Experience on a Flexible Foundation
The demanding 3D animations drew the immediate interest of the trade fair visitors to the 23" touch screen. The careful processing of the contents as well as the attractive Screen-Design received a highly positive resonance. Due to the exceptional interest in the products the efficiency of the applications was quickly and consequently seen: The results attained here were specific and competent questions concerning the large exhibits which were presented.

The Schüco consultants who were present at the BAU 2007 were also highly enthusiastic about the new presentation and sales tools. They of course had the possibility at any time of supporting their explanations visually. A sitemap function for the direct access to the individual topics supported them with this function. "People are much more attentive if they can also directly see what one is describing, this is because they can interpret and understand it better. A Schüco consultant who described his experience with the new terminals said, “we did not have these versatile demonstration possibilities before at all."

Therefore, the feedback from the BAU 2007 was open and without exception positive. The touch screen application was not the only highlight at the Schüco stand but in future they additionally also offer the possibility of direct on the spot editing of contents. This flexibility and the proportionally low effort for the production of new contents for the upcoming trade fairs speak for the functionality of the developed frameworks.