On Topic Episode 79: How do you put that on a button?

Sep 16

Written By AVSF

Recorded September 11, 2026

Touch panels are supposed to make AV systems easier to use, so why do so many of them look like somebody dumped every possible control onto a screen and called it finished?

In this episode, we dig into classroom and conference room GUI design: what really needs to be on the main page, what should be hidden, what should disappear entirely, and why “just because you can control it” doesn’t mean the user needs a button for it. We get into source selection, camera presets, tracking, volume controls, help buttons, advanced pages, live previews, multiple displays, and the dangers of letting AV programmers design interfaces without anyone stopping them.

Along the way, we confess our own interface crimes, argue over how many buttons are too many, uncover some truly questionable legacy designs, and arrive at one simple challenge: go look at your touch panels and delete something.

By the way, the show art for this episode is a real touch panel UI that Chris stumbled across at one of his many previous universities.

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