# Interactive timeline software built for a touchscreen

> Choosing interactive timeline software for a touchscreen? Build a tappable timeline with stories, photos and search, running in a web browser.

Source: https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/interactive-timeline-software · HistoryShowcase · Updated 2026-11-07

Most timeline tools make a graphic for a slide deck or a web page. If your timeline will live on a touchscreen in a lobby, you need software that handles tapping, searching, editing by a team and a weak network.

## What should interactive timeline software do for a touchscreen?

Interactive timeline software for a touchscreen should let visitors tap events, search and filter, and let staff edit without code. HistoryShowcase builds the timeline in a web browser, gives each event a full story with photos and scans, imports events from a spreadsheet, and runs on your own touchscreen full screen or as an installed app.

- Made for: curators, communications leads and project volunteers
- Where it goes: A touchscreen in your building, Your website, Talks and presentations
- Layouts: Timeline, Photo gallery, Profiles, Honors ledger
- Visitors can filter by: Era, Year
- Cost: Free to use. No payment details required.

## A slide timeline isn’t a touchscreen timeline

Online timeline makers do one job well: a neat row of dates you can drop into a presentation or embed in an article. Put that same timeline on a lobby touchscreen and the gaps show. Text is small, visitors can’t search for the name they came for, and if the page fails to load the screen shows an error.

Interactive timeline software for a touchscreen starts from the visitor standing in front of it. HistoryShowcase gives each event its own story, lets visitors filter by year and search by name, and saves the live site on the kiosk for offline use. If you only need a timeline for next week’s slides, a timeline maker is the faster choice.

## How does interactive timeline software compare with online timeline makers?

| What matters | Online timeline maker | HistoryShowcase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Best for | A quick timeline in a slide, report or blog post | A standing timeline on a touchscreen and online |
| Beyond the timeline | Usually a single chronological view | Timeline plus galleries, profiles and ledgers |
| Visitor tools | Scroll or click through in order | Search by name or word, filter by year |
| On a kiosk with weak Wi-Fi | Depends on the page loading each time | Saves the live site for offline use |
| Getting started | Fast for a handful of events | Also quick: start at /start with no account |

## What to look for in timeline software

- **Spreadsheet import.** Load dozens of events at once from Excel or CSV, and undo the import if the columns were off.
- **Full stories per event.** Title, year, subtitle, summary and a longer write-up, with photos and scanned documents attached.
- **Search and filters.** Visitors search by name or word and filter by year and up to two named filters, such as era.
- **More than one layout.** Put the timeline next to photo galleries, profiles and an honors ledger on the same home screen.
- **Design without code.** Set the logo, colors, fonts and motion in the built-in editor.
- **Team editing.** Add colleagues by email as owners, editors or viewers, with undo and change history.

## How a timeline project fits together

Use the timeline as the backbone, then give the material people ask about most its own collection.

Site: County Timeline

- **County timeline** (Timeline): Every event in order, imported from your spreadsheet.
- **Landmarks** (Photo gallery): Buildings and sites, each captioned with the year it was built.
- **Notable residents** (Profiles): People who appear on the timeline, with their own profiles.
- **Officeholders** (Honors ledger): A clean list of past officers with their years of service.

Visitors can filter by: Era, Year.

## How do you set up interactive timeline software?

1. **Put your events in a spreadsheet.** Columns for year, title, subtitle and summary. Most groups already have a list like this somewhere.
2. **Import, then fill in the stories.** Import the file to create every event, then add write-ups, photos and scans to the events people care about most.
3. **Set the look and open it on the touchscreen.** Choose your logo, colors and fonts, check Preview, then pair the touchscreen from the editor.

## Where will your timeline be seen?

- **A touchscreen in your building.** Where visitors stand and browse at their own pace.
- **Your website.** Link the live site so members and researchers can open it at home.
- **Talks and presentations.** Open the live site on a projector and click through the years with the audience.

## Interactive timeline software questions

### Do I need to know how to code?

No. Content, layouts, colors, fonts and motion are all set in the built-in editor.

### Can I bring in events I already have in a spreadsheet?

Yes. Import an Excel or CSV file to add many stories at once. If something comes in wrong, the import can be undone.

### Can I try it before creating an account?

Yes. Start at /start with no account. Your work stays in that browser until you create an account to save or share it.

### Does it work for a historical society or a company?

Yes, with one caveat: HistoryShowcase was built for schools, so setup asks for a school name and colors. Type your own organization’s name and colors there and everything else works the same.

## Related

- [Interactive Timeline Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/interactive-timeline-display): A touchscreen timeline where any year opens into the full story, with the photos and documents behind it.
- [Digital Timeline Wall](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/digital-timeline-wall): A wall-mounted touchscreen timeline for a lobby or corridor that you can correct and extend from your desk.
- [Interactive Display Software](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/interactive-display-software): Software for touch displays that show history and information visitors explore, instead of slides on a timer.
- [Historical Society Display Ideas](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/historical-society-display): Give donated photos and members’ research a home visitors can browse, not just the few items in the glass case.

Build a timeline people can tap through Free to use. No payment details required. Start building, no account needed: https://history-showcase.com/start