Using the App Designer
Create Interactive, Retail and Menu Apps... Let's Get Started!
Here's what you need to start using the App Designer:
- Do you have an account on display.insteo.com? If not contact Insteo and request an account.
- Make sure you have background graphics for your new App - for example if you're making a Menu Board, be sure to review the help for that App to know how many graphics and what sizes you need
- Feeds - if you're making a social media App, you'll need your list of social accounts, and you may need to connect your account with Insteo
What can you change?
The App Designer allows you to customize the look and feel of your App. Each App is different, but most apps allow you to change:
- Wording of titles and headlines
- Colors of fonts throughout
- Layout colors
- Background images
- Item Details, like pricing
Adding a New App
From the dashboard (as shown above), Click Add a New App. This takes you to the list of available apps. Select the one you'd like, and click Add New.
You’ll be walked through a quick process which asks a few questions, such as what Content to include. Insteo’s HTML5 Apps are all built mobile ready – all of the complicated setup for various mobile browsers and digital signage players is already built in, and after a few clicks the App is ready to customize with your look and feel.
Adding a Feed
Your App will ask you if you want to create a new feed or use an existing one. Usually you want to make a new feed. This will load your App with placeholder content.
Editing Item Details
For Apps like Digital Menus, you can edit price and item detail right within the App Designer. Add or swap out images, edit nutritional information, and more.
Designing your App
The App Designer is an "edit everything in one place" UI. Without having to reload the page, or click away, you can do everything from naming your App, to changing colors, to previewing how it will look.
Features of the App Designer:
- Rename your app by clicking on the Rename button found in the top right corner of the App Designer. Renaming your apps will help you tell apps apart and aid in app management.
- Upload your background image. Clicking the Upload Graphics link at the top right of the screen will bring up an upload tool, drag and drop or click to browse to the image you'd like to upload.
- The Design Tab - Change elements, wording, colors and backgrounds for your template
- Preview your app by clicking the Launch button, or by copying the URL below it into your browsers address bar. Remember the small preview may not be accurate.
- The Items Tab - Edit your items directly from the Items tab within the App Designer.
Using the Item Editor
- Add New - adds a new item. Remember if you're building a 6 item combo menu, and already have 6 items, adding a new item means you have to remove one! A 6 item menu is custom built to only support 6 items.
- These are the items you've already added. Click one to edit it, scroll on the side to see them all.
- Here's where you edit the actual content. Click in each field and type away.
- If your Items support images, you can add or change them here, and upload new images right away.
- Don't forget, click Save to well, Save. Your screen will update within a few minutes, usually faster.
Finding your Apps once you've made them
Once you’ve customized the look of your App, you can quickly edit the data such as pricing or images within the Designer. You can configure as many Apps as you need in the Insteo App Designer. Your list of Apps you've already setup is available on the Current Apps page.
Image Sizing for Background
For background or full screen images the best sizes to use are
· Landscape: 1920px W by 1080px H
· Portrait: 1080px W by 1920px H
first always try the image sizes recommended in the App Designer, especially if your app is not full screen.