Digital Signs / Kiosks

Digital signs are an increasingly popular way to make information available to passers-by in public spaces like lobbies, atriums, and hallways. (ECN has called them kiosks, but the more recent "Purdue-speak" is digital signs.) These are typically flat-panel TVs of various sizes, often with computer- or Web-based content, and sometimes with touch screen- or mouse-based interactive features.

Creating a new digital sign is a larger, more complex project than you might think -- and it's essential to recognize that content maintenance needs to have ongoing attention. 

ECN's User and Desktop Services group has assisted with several kiosks over the years. It's an evolving process ... but here's a summary of our experience.

Content is paramount. The single most important ingredient to the initial and ongoing success of a digital sign project is its content. If you spend thousands of dollars to install the hardware but use poorly-designed content on its screen, it will look out of place. If the content on your kiosk never changes, passers-by will learn to ignore it.

Assuming your digital sign is computer-based (that is, a hidden computer is connected to the flat-panel television, essentially making the TV into a large computer monitor), you'll need to run software which can be set to start automatically, take over the full screen (hiding menubars, task bars, the desktop, etc.), and change the displayed content at timed intervals. Web browsers with a kiosk plug-in (e.g. Firefox), presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint), and media players (e.g. VLC Player) can do this. Other thoughts regarding content:

• The more costly and/or visible your project's hardware, the more frequently your content should be updated.
• One or more people in your department should be assigned the responsibility of regularly updating content as part of his/her job. Whether you update daily, weekly, or monthly is your call ... but the more often content is updated, the more likely your digital sign will be perceived as useful -- and thus make your investment worthwhile.
• Have your content ready, or very nearly so, before you begin approving the first hardware purchases for your digital sign project.
• Professional visual design grabs attention! If your department / college / center has an established visual design for marketing / branding purposes, your digital sign's content should be made to match.
• Pay attention to resolution, readability, and time on screen. Modern TVs display 1920 x 1080 pixels, so your content should be designed for that or to match the resolution and aspect ratio of your display. Illustrations designed for print might not work on a digital sign. If there's so much material (text or otherwise) on one page / slide than can easily be read before the next one appears, simplify it.
• If you are designing interactive content, pay special attention to ADA requirements (see below).

Audiences. Who do you want to see and use your digital sign? Possible audiences include visitors from off-campus who are new to Purdue; visitors from on campus; undergraduate students; graduate students; faculty; and staff.

Some content has crossover appeal to many audiences, but certain material might be valuable only to small subsets. For every specific portion of your kiosk's content, consider the time and effort involved in creating and maintaining it versus the audience(s) likely to benefit and/or the frequency with which the audience(s) might even see it.

Location, location, location. including Purdue guidelines (from Julie Kercher-Updike) for quantity of digital signs per department or area.

Networked or standalone.

Interactive or not.

Hardware requirements and physical design, including where to put PC, PIC & power considerations, case for the TV, etc. Scale up your investment to higher-traffic, more public spaces; simplify your design for lower-traffic, less-visible locations. Use commercial-grade TVs, if possible.

ADA requirements, über-important for interactivity, including Purdue guidelines (from Julie Kercher-Updike)

Who handles what? ECN-supported PC (vs not); site design templates for consistency of marketing & branding (from the department's web or communication team); content ownership (by someone in the department who wanted the digital sign in the first place!).

Photos of existing kiosks.

ECE, above left: School of ECE interactive kiosk, 1st floor north end at room 183(?), EE Bldg. The monitor and computer are behind a glass wall. A touchpad mouse has been mounted inside a custom enclosure on a horizontal bar outside the glass, with the cable for the touchpad routed down and under an adjacent door. CIVL (lobby), above right: School of Civil Engineering interactive kiosk, west lobby, Hampton Hall. A wood enclosure was built to house a computer and touch-sensitive monitor.

CIVL (balcony), above left: School of Civil Engineering interactive kiosk, Hampton Hall room 1110 (?). In the foreground, mounted at a standing adult's waist-height, is a touch-sensitive display which is wired to a hidden computer controlling the content on the widescreen display on the wall in the background (opposite the balcony). Above right: Close-up view of the touch-sensitive display. It mirrors the content of the wall-mounted widescreen display.

- IE (GRIS 1st floor)

- Tech Ofce of Globalization (KNOY 1st floor)

- CGT (KNOY 3rd floor)

- TLI (YONG 3rd floor)

Guidelines for the purchase and use of flat-screen monitors and digital signage

Flat screen monitors and digital signs can be an efficient technological solution to provide information and in certain uses may be more effective and cost-efficient than overhead projectors. However, at times their use can be ineffective or simply not necessary. The purchase and installation of flat-screen monitors and digital signage is to be done in collaboration and with the approval of the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology.

Purchase approval for flat-screen monitors:

• In classrooms, flat-screen monitors for instructional use are approved and no further explanation or approval is needed. These monitors should be appropriately sized according to installation standards and based on room size. (Standards are listed below).
• In conference rooms, flat-screen monitors are less expensive than traditional projectors and may replace projectors.  The monitors must be sized according to installation standards based on room size.  No more than one flat panel per conference room can be approved.  Appropriately sized monitors to replace projectors are approved and no further explanation or approval is needed as long as they replace an existing projector. 
• Flat screen monitors and digital signage purchased using sponsored funds are approved and do not need to move through the approval process. These monitors must also follow the standard installation standards. 
• In lobbies, entranceways, public areas, and other uses (i.e. all requests that don't fall into one of the categories above) the purchase and use of flat-screen monitors and digital signs will need to be approved by the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology. To request approval, provide a written request and include a clear and specific business need as well as the justification for the expense. Approval of these requests will be quite limited.
• Digital signage will be limited to one flat-panel monitor per department and one per building floor unless the need for additional monitors is approved.  No two digital signs or monitors are to be placed within 100 feet of each other. 

Installation standards and guidelines for flat-screen monitors and digital signage:

• Flat-panel monitors should not be used to replace a projector if the distance to the viewers is greater than 25 feet. 
• Flat-monitor screen size standards for smaller rooms are:
  • 80-inch monitors for viewing from 16 feet to 25 feet
  • 75-inch monitors are recommended for viewing from 14 feet to 16 feet 
  • 70-inch monitors are recommended for viewing from 12 feet to 14 feet
  • 60-inch monitors are recommended for viewing from 8 feet to 12 feet
• In learning spaces or conference rooms that use videoconferencing or video capture, flat-screen monitors are a better choice than projectors. Full room lighting still allows viewers to see flat-screen monitors, but projectors require that the room lights be dimmed which makes video capture difficult.
• Flat panels installed for general signage should have images centered at least 5 feet above the floor.  
• Conference room and food service digital signage should ensure that user sight lines are maximized for each space.
• Digital signage that is “touch based” (informational or interactive) is required to have a wheelchair patron ADA solution.  ADA maximum height is 48 inches,  which is a viewing height that is too low for non-wheelchair patrons.
•