As part of the DSE Advisory Board, Patricia gives her opinion about trends in digital signage in healthcare.

What is one piece of ‘getting started’ advice you would share with an end user who is installing his or her first digital signage system?

After your system is in place and embraced is not the time to work out the bugs. Get the person or team that will be doing the day-to-day uploading and content management to test drive and weigh in on your system choice before the final decision is made. Trust your gut- if the vendor/demonstrator or you have issues navigating around the interface, chances are those issues won’t go away once the system is installed. If possible bring your actual files to see them uploaded and utilized, not just the demo files from the vendor.

What should be considered when forming a budget for digital signage? What common parts are often overlooked?

Often overlooked are the costs associated with fresh content. The technical considerations of an install are more often resolved and budgeted for, but the ongoing cost of ownership as it relates to content design is left until last to address. Also not considered is that content needs and requests can change once screens are installed. Seeing the dynamic opportunities digital signage provides is sometimes what sways decision makers. The goals of your system will more than likely expand as will requests to add more screens or to include more content originally not anticipated.

What is your opinion and experience in screen layouts for digital signage? Do full-screen layouts work better than zoned layouts?

We initially had zoned layout screens, left side with local hospital marketing messages, right top with live-feed TV, lower right had weather and a scroll across the entire bottom. We found that dividing the screen in this way made it appear much smaller than the 55inches and it didn’t have the full wow effect a big flat screen can have on a viewer entering the area. The messaging tended to appear cluttered as if we couldn’t make up our mind what was most important. We soon converted to the billboard style full-screen layout and have had this format ever since. For a point of transit screen as ours is, we have only seconds (if that) to make a point.  The more succinct and streamlined the message (with good copywriting and an appropriate image) the greater the chance of a viewer recalling or remembering what they saw.

How has the use of interactivity (i.e., touch screens) evolved and where are the applications of these technologies headed?

Interactive interfaces will continue to be introduced and designed to conform to the user. Cleaning and disinfecting strategies will need to be more intensely explored. Antimicrobial technologies will continue to be incorporated into the touch screen surfaces used by the public. From my understanding, initially the technology was designed for cleanroom manufacturing with a resistive membrane permanently bonded to the touch screen surface making it virtually impossible for bacteria to grow on them. Now as supergerms like MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and the mutant super virus H1N1 continue to evolve, preventing their spread on touch surfaces is a critical public health issue.

What, if anything, are the major impediments to the deployment of digital signage/digital out-of-home networks?

Sometimes a quick directive comes to deploy signage. What was found with one project was the administrator (and project funder) envisioned a screen in a specific location but the department director stressed that it was not an area where staff congregated. Facilities also forbid drilling holes into the wall (a violation of a fire code). To keep the project on-time, the screen was repositioned near a swipe time clock before clearing it with the administrator (not smart). What was learned that communication and even overcommunication at every step would have lessened or prevented this deployment impediment.

What constitutes effective content and what underlying considerations need to be addressed to achieve it?

I would vote to air on the side of brevity and whet the whistles. Enticing your viewer works better than bombarding them with too much too fast. Effective content breathes simplicity yet it’s far from simple. With money and technology, the capacity to create awesome moving images is infinite. Yet a succinctly phrased message is worth its weight in gold.
For the internal content designer, raw material may be presented in paragraph format. If allowed, creative copywriting can refine and reduce the message into a digestible chunk. To succeed is to have the viewer walk away with one golden nugget of information rather than a litany of nondescript white noise.

What do you believe are the best practices in measuring viewership? Is employing a marketing analysis firm to determine viewership worth the cost?

I’m paying attention to all technologies that enable viewers to get additional screen information via their mobile devices or smart phones. Quick access via 5 digit short code, reader tag app, coupon or social media site, to me is the future of measurement and engagement in digital signage.

In what industries or vertical markets do you see digital signage expanding most in the next year and why?

From my own healthcare experience, we have been fielding many questions and educating staff regarding digital signage solutions and why each one is different. With limited resources (as compared to retail) the opportunity for a free-of-charge hardware installation is very appealing, yet many healthcare institutions want greater control of their content and advertising. Before analyzing hardware choices, we start with the audience and determine what the proper content would be for each install. Every situation is different (in dwell time as well as in patient diversity) and it is challenging to find a good fit.

In what ways can digital out-of-home fit into an overall advertising/marketing strategy?

Out-of-home presence is critical to reaching an audience that is not bound to a desktop or laptop computer and conducts buying decisions and other communications through their smart phones. A new marketing mix is emerging as online connectivity is changing traditional media significantly. Digital out of home strategy is crucial to providing compelling, educating, and persuading messages to its audience with real-time messages and texting calls to action.

What are the key considerations to successfully scale digital signage from a single-location or pilot project to a wide-scale rollout in multiple locations?

A key consideration of a multiple location signage system is maintaining the look of the screens with creative, concise copywriting and applied graphic design. Personally I have seen terrific, professionally created content in waiting rooms and restaurants, only to be less than impressed with the local community events or doctor specific content. Each location can benefit by working with a local content manager who can distill and mold a local announcement to conform to the wide-scale brand.

What constitutes effective content and what underlying considerations need to be addressed to achieve it?

I would vote to err on the side of brevity and whet the whistles. Enticing your viewer works better than bombarding them with too much too fast. Effective content breathes simplicity yet it’s far from simple. With money and technology, the capacity to create awesome moving images is infinite. Yet a succinctly phrased message is worth its weight in gold. For the internal content designer, raw material may be presented in paragraph format. If allowed, creative copywriting can refine and reduce the message into a digestible chunk. To succeed is to have the viewer walk away with one golden nugget rather than experiencing information overload.

How do you create legitimate differentiation between vendors? What kind of evaluative procedure would help determine the real differences among hardware, software and infrastructure vendors?

Conducting preliminary online research gleans considerable information about what vendors can provide. Vendors that share knowledge about their role in the industry and customer experience with their products provide a great value to the potential end user. Sticking to project goals and designing a grid to analyze solutions side-by-side has helped many in their decision making process.

What do content developers and network operators need to know in order to create more effective digital signage content for venues with different dwell times, such as medical waiting rooms, retail stores or transportation facilities, to name a few?

The content should be focused on the behavior of the audience. Communication for an audience in transit, at elevator lobbies or through hallways would require quick, succinct messages. One large image beats several small. Less is more, abbreviate when possible, 15 words or less is best. Introduce the information; for the whole story, a response to the call to action is necessary. To ensure the message is not too wordy, the designer should be able to read the text 5 times before the screen changes.

On the other side of the dwell time curve is the waiting room audience. The same quick messages with short loops would not work with stationary viewers. For example it would be excruciatingly painful to see the same ads 1,000 times during a 2 hour wait in a hospital emergency room.

For wait rooms, a good option could be planned programs from reputable content sources with time to intersperse customized site specific information. Unless there is access to an in-house production studio with actors, scriptwriters and subject matter experts, it would be extremely difficult to produce the type of content necessary to appeal to this audience.

What steps can I take to make my digital out-of-home (DOOH) network more effective and allow me to get more from my current investment?

We have contemplated the opportunities to get more from our investment by becoming an ad based network. I have read that in order successfully “monetize” your network, sales and marketing resources and a business model framework that rewards advertising acquisitions is needed. As an employee communications channel, this did not seem appropriate. 

We have chosen to focus on our content and design and to make the most succinct, effective messages for the DOOH /digital signage medium. We’ve developed recommendations to help with submissions. Our motto is “15 Words or Less” and “Think Billboard on the NJ Turnpike”. Our messages should garner a response of “Oh yeah, I heard something about this, let me find out more by reading the newsletter, checking the intranet or asking my manager.”

There can be an inverse relationship to the amount of words and the effectiveness of the communication. Getting the right balance where the announcement intended = the announcement received is always a challenge. Keeping abreast of the industry is also critical. Content analysis and feedback on contrast and creativity, legibility and comprehension, all contribute to the success of the screens.

How has the use of interactivity (i.e., touch screens, gestural, mobile) in various venues evolved and where are the applications of these technologies headed?

Interactive interfaces will continue to be introduced and designed to conform to the user. Cleaning and disinfecting strategies will need to be more intensely explored. Antimicrobial technologies will continue to be incorporated into the touch screen surfaces used by the public. From my understanding, initially the technology was designed for cleanroom manufacturing with a resistive membrane permanently bonded to the touch screen surface making it virtually impossible for bacteria to grow on them. Now as supergerms like MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and the mutant super virus H1N1 continue to evolve, preventing their spread on touch surfaces is a critical public health issue.

What was the most effective digital signage installation and/or digital out-of-home advertising campaign you saw in 2009, and what do you think made it so effective?

The past year has seen creative, innovative and inventive digital out of home installations and campaigns. One installation that was effective in its ability to surprise with a “Wow!” and then intrigue with a “How?” was in the billboard intense environment of the Atlantic City, New Jersey boardwalk. Installed over a pier jutting out into the sea was the brightest electronic billboard I had ever seen. With an early morning light behind it, it wowed me with the intensity of its image. Later around midday, the technology of the display was still strong enough to hold its ground in the sun---harsh conditions with intense challenges. As a bonus, the viewing distance was comfortable with well written, easy to read text.
As digital out of home will increasingly need to compete with on demand downloads on hand held personal electronic devices and smart phones, installations like this may become more prevalent. Its extreme visual impact, selective placement and pointedly clear content all worked together to gain this viewer’s attention.

What is the strongest trend you see emerging in digital out-of-home for 2010?

A strong trend I have noticed is the movement away from munificent flat panels to more appropriately sized displays that compliment their respective environments. If digital out-of-home is to contribute to the customer experience it should not call that much attention to itself. Work to elicit viewer appreciation of the content and not the technology. Surprise them with a clever digital message delivery, whether it a digital name-tag sized screen, a mobile phone or projected on the side of a building.

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