Where Digital Signage Goes

Wait, what’s digital signage again? It’s the site-based screen media we use for promotion — as opposed to the media we use for edutaining visitors.

There is one huge mistake everybody makes with digital signage. Want to avoid it? Just remember this:

Put digital signage where people already wait.

Simple, eh? But here’s how the conversation usually goes:

Senior Person: “Let’s get digital signage to promote programs. We’ll use all those empty hallway walls.”

Junior Person: “Uh, shouldn’t we put them where visitors wait? They walk past hallway walls.”

SP: “But places where visitors wait are already full of posters and bulletin boards!”

JP: “Isn’t that because that’s where promotions work best?”

SP: “We’ll go with the hallway walls. They’re empty.”

Digital signage almost always shows visual messages, with durations, and they appear sequentially over time. Visitors need to look for a while, or they’ll miss most messages. They can’t be hurrying past.

So what are some good spots for digital signage in a cultural venue?

- Elevator lobbies
- Elevator interiors
- Restroom lobbies
- Cafeterias

See the pattern? Add your own to the list.

Here’s the thing:
Digital signage content is time-based, like commercials. So it has to go where people stand still long enough to take it in.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:

Bubble diagram. A preliminary hand-drawn or digital sketch, using simple circles or bubble shapes, to show potential spatial relationships between zones of an exhibition. Early in the process, a bubble diagram helps planners and designers evaluate different ways to organize content and the flow of visitors.