Membrane Switch Overlay: The Key to the User Experience

A membrane switch is the bridge that connects the user to a machine, device, or other equipment. It serves as the control panel, facilitating functionality and enabling the user to control and command the device.
But the graphic overlay, or the membrane switch overlay, is widely considered the most critical component of a membrane switch assembly. Why? It’s the control panel that’s visible to the user, defining each location for specific switches and controls, meaning it plays a significant role in the user experience.
User Experience Wasn’t Always a Priority in Membrane Switch Overlay Design 
Years ago, user experience wasn’t a key consideration in electronics design. Electronics were rather rudimentary, not to mention larger, bulkier, and generally not very user-friendly. It was up to the user to adapt to the machine. Today, an entire discipline has emerged dedicated to the design of the user experience, in part due to the increased functionality possible with electronic devices today.
This, in turn, requires product designers to incorporate adequate, user-friendly controls for dozens – even hundreds – of processes and commands, compared to the very basic functions and switches from decades ago. Membrane switch graphic overlays, in tandem, have become modern, sophisticated components that serve as the bridge between not just people and their devices, but people and the world around them as we use technology more and more to communicate, educate, and entertain.
Devices are Shrinking While Capabilities Expand
Not only are the functional capabilities of electronics devices expanding, but devices and machines themselves are getting smaller. This inverse correlation poses special challenges in designing the switch overlay, which must now accommodate many more functions and controls in a smaller physical space.
Additionally, the use of electronic devices has become a part of everyday life, both for everyday users relying on consumer electronics for entertainment, business, and household needs, and for business users, who are increasingly turning to sophisticated machines and devices to improve processes and boost productivity and accuracy.
Thus, the user experience becomes a more prominent concern, and the membrane switch overlay becomes a critical component in the membrane switch assembly design process. A few decades ago, it wasn’t a major concern if a device control panel wasn’t located in the most convenient place, or if individual switches were not intuitively laid out. Today, it’s these specific design elements that play a major role in whether consumers will readily adopt a new device or flock to competing products which place user experience at the forefront.
Membrane Switch Overlay Defines Your Product’s Identity
When a user interacts with a device or machine, the experience remembered is the interactive experience. When someone watches television, for instance, the experience consists of activating the television using a remote or the buttons on the television itself, followed by the act of consuming media.
The graphic overlay literally defines a product’s identity. It’s the visual layout, organization, and design of the visual interface that determines how easy or difficult a device is for the average user to operate. And it’s this same membrane switch overlay that plays a role in the visual appeal of a device and the brand identity of a device.
Think about smartphones: The reputation of any mobile device depends largely on ease of use. The visual image of a device that comes to mind for users is heavily focused on the design of the membrane switch overlay, because it’s the one component that users tend to interact with most, thereby committing this visualization to memory. (Some studies suggest that the use of multiple senses – e.g., touch and vision – boosts memory retention vs. a single-sensory experience.) This is the user experience – tied directly to brand identity.
The Entire User Experience Hinges on the User Interface 
When you use a device, such as a blood pressure monitor, the user experience involves the physical interaction with the device. This interaction occurs, predominantly, via the user interface. It’s the membrane switch overlay that provides the visual look of the user interface, as well as provides a layout and framework for the various switching components that comprise the user interface, or control panel, of a device.
In both of the examples cited previously, the user experience extends beyond the physical interaction with the user interface and membrane switch overlay. In the case of the television-watcher, the user is able to consume media without further intervention after initially interacting with the interface.
In the case of the blood pressure monitor, the device activates the cuff and calculates a blood pressure reading. But none of these subsequent events can happen without the user interface interaction. In other words, the entire user experience depends upon the user interface, defined by the membrane switch overlay, even after the initial interaction or activation.
Membrane Switch Overlay: Like a Window to a Home
You might compare it to a house, with the idea that one really awful-looking window can damage a home’s overall appeal and value. But it goes beyond mere appearance. A more accurate comparison would be if the single, shabby window was poorly sealed, allowing rain water, cold air, and other outdoor elements to enter the home. Not only would this render the window practically useless, but it damages the rest of the home, too, and subsequently decreases the value of the property.
Let’s take it a step further, and say that the window has been in poor condition for years, and the harsh outdoor elements have caused significant damage to the interior of the home – to the point of condemnation. That’s truly the level of the impact the user interface has on the entire functionality of a device or machine.
The user interface is critical to the design and functionality of any electronic device. The membrane switch overlay, therefore, is one of the most crucial components in the entire product design process, with everything hinging on the feasibility, ergonomics, functionality, and practicality of the membrane switch overlay design. The membrane switch design process is not one in which guesses are acceptable or “good enough” is good enough. Don’t take the membrane switch overlay design process lightly. Make it count, for the sake of the success of your products – and your company.
Looking for membrane switch product samples or would you like to set up a free design consultation? You can call us directly by phone (216) 475-6704 or email Customer_Service@Pannam.com