Silicone keypads vs. touch screens: everyone seems to have their own opinion on which is better. But we know silicone keypads have distinct advantages over touch screens from a functionality, durability, and usage perspective. Here are the top reasons why your business should choose silicone over touch screens for your products.
More Responsive
In a variety of industries, silicone rubber keypads are much easier to operate than touch screens. For example, if workers have to wear gloves, whether in the case of winter gloves to protect them from cold, or in the case of latex gloves to protect them from germs, it’s much easier to press physical buttons. With touch screens, in many cases, the gloves have to come off in order for the screen to register touch. This isn’t practical in many industries. And with COVID-19 concerns demanding the use of latex gloves in even more businesses, silicone keypads are in much higher demand now than ever before.
Better Accuracy
Silicone keypads are much more accurate than touchscreens, which can be difficult to use and respond to. It’s a common occurrence to type out a command or sentence, only to hit unnecessary keys by accident or have the system autocorrect what it thinks you were going to say. Mechanical keypads, on the other hand, have distinguishable barriers and other physical characteristics that separate the keys, making mistakes less likely.
No Smudges
Touch screens are certainly a popular choice these days, but one big drawback? Smudges and fingerprints can make it tough to decipher the screen, view your selections or press the right buttons. To combat this, it becomes necessary to clean off the screen regularly, which takes time and leads to loss of productivity. With silicone keypads, this is not an issue, as fingerprints and smudges on the actual keys won’t affect function.
Low Cost
Silicone keypads cost less to make than touch screens. Plus, they don’t cost as much when it comes to ongoing maintenance. Whereas touch screens are tough to fix or replace, requiring a technician’s assistance, silicone keypads represent a durable, inexpensive, and long-lasting interface solution that has a much longer life span than touch screens.
Click Response
For those of us who need to hear the satisfying click of a button, silicone keypads are clearly the better choice. You won’t get a physical click response from a touch screen, even if you have the sound on. This may cause you to repeatedly press a button to be sure it was clicked. Silicone button depression features a distinct click or snap so you’re sure you received the right response.
Contact Si-Tech
To find out more about our silicone keypad benefits, get in touch with us at 757-887-8488.
