Clients keep touching my screens!!!, suggestions?

Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum

Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PowerStroke79_PE

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 29, 2013
Messages
439
Reaction score
70
So I hope its ok I can ask this here. In my office I have my own PC (x99 build-6 cores, 980ti etc..) with two 27" Asus 1440p monitors. This is my setup, my boss is clueless about working with good computers and monitors, but clients keep touching my screens when I show them either CAD drawings or site pictures. Agreed it doesn't happen very often that clients meet with me in my work area, maybe once a week, but when they do they always put their hands or nails on my screens. I have signs on top that read "DO NOT TOUCH SCREEN", but they still do. I hate it and it really interrupts my flow. Not to mention it will REALLY piss me off if they scratch my screens. Granted its not the best system in the world, but hey I paid for it, and each monitor cost me $480. Any suggestions to make them aware of my signs? What do you all do when this happens? 

Thanks, 

 
I'm not really sure how you can approach this without either insulting your client or the client leaving thinking you're a bit of a wack job.  At my old job I had coworkers who constantly this did because they wanted to trace out with their fingers a drawing or model I was working on.  To be fair, the company purchased fairly good monitors for us so I didn't care since I had no out of pocket expense.

If it bothers you this much, you can prevent them from touching/scratching your monitors by installing screen guards/privacy guards on them.  

 
P.S. I would never spent $1000 on monitors for my job.  If it's something I need to work competently, the company should be supplying it.  If not, then I'll work as productively with the equipment you choose to provide.

 
Will it bother you just as much if they touch a privacy screen?

I have quirks too, though that's not one of them. But a lot of times I find that something like touching the screen is not the real problem. The fact that they even reach for it, arm next to your face and proximity might be a problem. It's kind of like someone getting in your bubble. There's a guy at work with the screen problem. He yelled at me once. I stopped doing it. He's still tense when I come by and get close to look at his screen.

Try the privacy screen and see if that works for you. I'd take down the sign and tell them straight up when they walk in to not touch the screen. People will talk about it and you'll be labeled ocd but everyone will learn to not do it to start with.

Sent from my SURTAB-722-3G-HD-1S using Tapatalk

 
So I hope its ok I can ask this here. In my office I have my own PC (x99 build-6 cores, 980ti etc..) with two 27" Asus 1440p monitors. This is my setup, my boss is clueless about working with good computers and monitors, but clients keep touching my screens when I show them either CAD drawings or site pictures. Agreed it doesn't happen very often that clients meet with me in my work area, maybe once a week, but when they do they always put their hands or nails on my screens. I have signs on top that read "DO NOT TOUCH SCREEN", but they still do. I hate it and it really interrupts my flow. Not to mention it will REALLY piss me off if they scratch my screens. Granted its not the best system in the world, but hey I paid for it, and each monitor cost me $480. Any suggestions to make them aware of my signs? What do you all do when this happens? 

Thanks, 
I can mostly relate.

But, hey, it's not nearly as bad as the glass boob tube monitors of yore.  Now those left noticeable fingerprints!

And, it is not nearly as bad as a guy I work with who uses his pen or pencil!  He does that to my monitor and paper plots.  Arrggh.

I can't believe you actually have signs!

And I also can't believe you purchased your own equipment!

Can you situate your office/cubicle so that guests sit in a certain location away from the monitor, but can still view it? 

If all else fails, how about handing each guest a stylus as they enter with a stylus drop box as they walk out?  Kind of like distributing/collecting 3D glasses to Star Tours riders.  ;)   

 
P.S. I would never spent $1000 on monitors for my job.  If it's something I need to work competently, the company should be supplying it.  If not, then I'll work as productively with the equipment you choose to provide.
Yeah, I know how you feel. I just really hate slow computers and old monitors. My 1440p monitors give me a lot more real estate to work on my risa models and it takes a lot of the frustration away. I will consider the screen guards for when they come in. 

Will it bother you just as much if they touch a privacy screen?

I have quirks too, though that's not one of them. But a lot of times I find that something like touching the screen is not the real problem. The fact that they even reach for it, arm next to your face and proximity might be a problem. It's kind of like someone getting in your bubble. There's a guy at work with the screen problem. He yelled at me once. I stopped doing it. He's still tense when I come by and get close to look at his screen.

Try the privacy screen and see if that works for you. I'd take down the sign and tell them straight up when they walk in to not touch the screen. People will talk about it and you'll be labeled ocd but everyone will learn to not do it to start with.

Sent from my SURTAB-722-3G-HD-1S using Tapatalk
No , not really. It bothers me because if they scratch the screen monitor then that's a ruined monitor and I know I'll just have to get another. I know its weird, but they're just issues I don't make time to deal with. :) 

I can mostly relate.

But, hey, it's not nearly as bad as the glass boob tube monitors of yore.  Now those left noticeable fingerprints!

And, it is not nearly as bad as a guy I work with who uses his pen or pencil!  He does that to my monitor and paper plots.  Arrggh.

I can't believe you actually have signs!

And I also can't believe you purchased your own equipment!

Can you situate your office/cubicle so that guests sit in a certain location away from the monitor, but can still view it? 

If all else fails, how about handing each guest a stylus as they enter with a stylus drop box as they walk out?  Kind of like distributing/collecting 3D glasses to Star Tours riders.  ;)   
lol,  yeah I have signs but I guess they feel exempt or something, it's so weird. Nobody reads them. At one point I installed a third monitor, this one was not of great quality, and I ran a screen saver on it that said "DO NOT TOUCH SCREENS, THEY COST OVER $500." It just kept bouncing on and off the third screen all day, and so I came to the conclusion they understood I meant THAT screen in particular. I mean seriously I feel ridiculous, but I've tried and tried. I will try the Stylus approach. I never thought of that. You know, the other thing I considered was setting up a 40" TV on one of our walls and mirror my main screen. This way they can just go crazy over the TV and not my personal monitors. Anyways, Thanks to all for the replies.  

 
If you have the ability to have a 3rd screen, grab a company supplied monitor and make that one the guest monitor that they can point to and touch.
ec6a12206cba01301d46001dd8b71c47


 
Personally, I would change the signs to "Screen is electrified, touch at own risk!" and then hook it up to a static generator. You gave them fair warning.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Shock-Anything-Fry-Electronics-with-a-Tou/

Now you just need to figure out how to isolate the charge to the screen and not fry your $500 monitor. It will only take each person one try and they will not touch it again, unless they like that sorta thing.

I have a client that draws on my screen every time we meet about her house plans. I have to spend a few minutes cleaning the screens off after she leaves. But they are company screens so it's not the same.

 
You are all approaching this wrong. You should rub your balls all over the screen so that if anyone touches it they are effectively touching your balls. 

Or you could put your hand in your ass crack and rub it with that like the guy in Mallrats. They will either get sick or pinkeye. 

Either way you have enacted revenge.

 
Agree with Dex 100%.  You're approaching it wrong.  Facts and logic don't matter: Psychology does.

Put up a sign that says "Please touch my screen. A lot. And hard. I'll tell you why after."  No one will ever touch your screen again.

Or, when they touch the screen, simply put your hand on them. Hip or upper thigh is best, but elbow works too.

 
I say just get behind them like Patrick Swayze in Ghost and grab their hands.

 
As they approach for review, hand them the mouse for pointing before they ever get a chance to look at anything.

 
Back
Top