Actalyst interactive overlays add finishing touch to Seattle Design Center's new building directories
Visitors use SMART's interactive technology to browse showroom, product and corporate information
Calgary, AB --- January 19, 2005 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces the installation of Actalyst™ interactive overlays as building directories at Seattle Design Center, a full-service design center for professional interior designers and their clients in Seattle, Washington. The interactive overlays are mounted on 37" (94-cm) LCDs, producing interactive kiosks where visitors can easily access and search showroom, product, manufacturer, tenant and special event information, and exact showroom or office locations light up on floor plans. The new directories are located at the main entrances to the buildings.
Before installing Actalyst interactive overlays, Seattle Design Center's directories only offered limited, static information. Now the new multimedia directories, created by Seattle's Advanced Method, feature text menus, on-screen keypads, floor plans and images that allow visitors to conduct in-depth, personalized information searches. The content is also updated instantly via the computer network, so the information is always current. To activate the directory system, visitors simply touch the directory's interactive surface.
“The touch-screen directory application aligns well with our forward-thinking approach to customer service,” says Kipepeo Brown, Seattle Design Center's marketing director. “The Actalyst interactive overlays enable our visitors to touch and retrieve information conveniently and in real time, and they make it easier for us to serve our clients and the unique needs of our customers.”
“We set out to design directories that are high-tech and fresh, and that have relevant content to meet the specific needs of users,” says Jennifer Jantzen, Advanced Method's executive producer. “The Actalyst interactive overlay allows the user to easily navigate and drill down through layers of information simply by touching the screen. This level of interactivity, which is becoming more mainstream, requires technology and software that is intuitive to use.”
“With the proliferation of technology in the retail space, first impressions are often made within a digital environment,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART's president and co-CEO. “The Actalyst interactive overlay's professional look and proven interactive technology make a high-tech impression while providing a highly useful service.”
About Actalyst interactive overlays
Actalyst interactive overlays attach to a plasma display or LCD and transform it into an interactive display. The overlay fastens easily and securely to the display and preserves its crisp, bright image. Simply by touching the overlay, users can access and control any customized multimedia content, computer application, website and CD-ROMs and DVDs, all via an attached computer. Actalyst interactive overlays are ideal for large, digital signage applications and self-service kiosks in retail stores, hotels, trade shows, airports, museums and lobbies. SMART offers interactive overlays for 17 popular brands of flat-panel displays, in sizes ranging from 37" (94 cm) to 63" (160 cm). For more information, visit www.smarttech.com/actalyst.
About Seattle Design Center
Seattle Design Center opened its doors in 1973 to serve the region's growing affluence and appreciation for quality design and home furnishings. Seattle Design Center is the only full-service design center in the Pacific Northwest serving professional interior designers and their clients. Nationally recognized as the premier marketplace for fine home furnishings and design services, Seattle Design Center includes 60 showrooms encompassing 360,000 square feet of designer furniture, fabrics, accessories, as well as architectural products, offices and restaurants.
About Advanced Method
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Advanced Method is an industry leader in the design and delivery of online audiovisual content. The company's professional team has more than 20 years of combined experience in broadcast media, new media, visual design, copywriting, marketing and advertising. Advanced Method's patent-pending technology and methodology provide users with productions that download in seconds, high-quality creative, cost-effective solutions and measurable results. For more information, visit www.advancedmethod.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Public Relations
SMART Technologies Inc.
300, 1207 - 11th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB CANADA T3C 0M5
Phone +1.403.802.2556 Fax +1.403.228.2500
pr@smarttech.com
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.