8 Interactive Display Features That Improve Collaboration

The most useful interactive display is not necessarily the one with the longest specification sheet. It is the one whose features solve real workplace problems.

Here are the features organisations should pay close attention to.

1. Multi-Touch Interaction

Multi-touch allows more than one person to interact with the display at the same time. This is particularly useful during brainstorming, design reviews, planning sessions and training.

For example, two employees could move different objects on a digital workspace while another participant adds notes.

Some current professional displays support dozens of simultaneous touch points. Samsung’s WAFX-P, for example, supports up to 50-point multi-touch when running Windows through an OPS or external PC configuration.

The important point for buyers is not simply the maximum number of touch points. Ask whether the touch experience is responsive enough for the way your team actually works.

2. Digital Whiteboarding

A digital whiteboard gives teams a shared space for brainstorming, planning and problem-solving.

Instead of writing ideas on a physical board and photographing them at the end of a meeting, teams can work digitally and save or share the resulting content.

Microsoft Whiteboard can be used on compatible Teams Rooms devices, with interactive functionality available through supported touch displays.

This can be especially useful for:

• Brainstorming sessions
• Project planning
• Strategy meetings
• Design reviews
• Training
• Process mapping
• Workshops

3. Wireless Screen Sharing

Wireless screen sharing allows employees to present content from laptops, tablets or smartphones without repeatedly connecting cables.

This sounds like a small convenience, but it can significantly improve meeting flow.

Consider a meeting where four departments need to present. Instead of passing one laptop around or changing HDMI connections repeatedly, participants can share their screens directly when it is their turn.

Samsung’s current WAFX-P series, for example, supports screen sharing from multiple devices across operating systems including Windows, Android and iOS.

For IT managers, compatibility is particularly important. Check which operating systems, protocols and security controls the display supports before deployment.

4. Real-Time Annotation

Annotation allows participants to write directly over presentations, documents, webpages or other displayed content.

This is useful when the goal of the meeting is not simply to view information but to work on it.

For example, an architect could mark changes on a drawing. A manager could highlight figures in a report. A project team could identify risks on a process diagram.

Samsung’s WAFX-P includes an annotation function that lets users write on-screen without first taking a screenshot or leaving the displayed content.

The best implementations make annotation quick enough that it does not interrupt the conversation.

5. Split-Screen and Multi-Window Functionality

Meetings often require participants to compare information.

A split-screen feature allows teams to place two or more pieces of content beside each other.

For example:

Left: Current sales performance
Right: Sales target

Or:

Left: Existing process
Right: Proposed process

This is particularly useful during reviews because participants do not have to switch repeatedly between different windows.

Modern interactive displays can offer multi-window functionality, although the exact number of simultaneous applications depends on the display’s hardware and operating environment. Samsung’s WAFX-P, for instance, supports multiple windows through its multi-window functionality.

6. Easy Device Connectivity

An interactive display should not create another technology problem for the IT department.

Connectivity options such as USB-C, HDMI, USB and wireless networking can make it easier to connect laptops and other devices.

USB-C is particularly useful when supported because a single connection can potentially handle video, touch control and charging. Samsung’s WAFX-P, for example, provides a 3-in-1 USB-C connection supporting touch control, screen connection and device charging.

Before purchasing, however, confirm exactly what each port supports. A USB-C port does not automatically mean that every device will provide the same functionality.

7. Video-Conferencing Integration

Hybrid meetings require more than a large touchscreen.

The display should work effectively with the organisation’s video-conferencing environment, whether that involves Microsoft Teams, Zoom or another platform.

Microsoft Teams Rooms is designed around integrated meeting experiences that allow participants to collaborate and share content in real time.

An interactive display can complement this environment by giving people in the room a shared surface for whiteboarding, annotation and content interaction.

The result is a meeting where remote participants are not merely watching the room. They can become part of the collaborative workflow.

8. Remote Management and IT Administration

This feature is easy to overlook during procurement.

An organisation with one interactive display may be able to manage it manually. An organisation with 20 meeting rooms has a different problem.

IT teams need to think about:

• Software updates
• Application management
• Device configuration
• Network access
• Security
• Troubleshooting
• Usage monitoring
• Remote administration

Some professional displays offer device management capabilities for this reason. Samsung’s WAF series, for example, includes device-management functionality intended to support remote administration.

For larger deployments, manageability can be just as important as screen resolution.