Content development represents one of the biggest challenges—and ongoing expenses—for digital signage networks. The type of content that you need to acquire for your network is driven by the nature of the venue. The challenge for networks is to understand why certain content works best, and find cost-effective resources.
Defining the View Mode
Let's assume you're developing a retail network. One of your primary goals is to think about the consumer's path to purchase in order to move shoppers to action. As shoppers move through a retail environment, they respond to visual stimuli that affects their behavior, shifting them into different modes of receptivity. With digital signage these modes are defined as the pass-by-mode, the dwell-time mode, and the interactive-mode. Each of these modes presents a different creative challenge for content developers, and an opportunity for marketers to engage with consumers.
When developing content for digital signage networks a clearly delineated usability plan should be developed that defines the traffic flow around each signage placement. This traffic flow plan defines the mode, which in turn defines the density of screen content that will be effective for delivering messages at a specific location. Logic holds that the less dwell-time there is, the simpler the screen content needs to be to engage effectively with a target audience.
To determine the correct view mode you need to consider what action is expected at each location. Pass-by-mode is defined as any area where the viewer is in motion. For example, a screen placed in a transportation concourse at an airport would leave little or no dwell-time for most viewers. This type of "pass-by" location requires short, simple messages to communicate effectively. By contrast, an area with high dwell-time, such as a waiting room, completely changes the presentation of information. Longer dwell-time enables longer messages and greater density of information on the screen. Multi-zone screen layouts where different content sources, such as news feeds, weather feeds, and video that are mixed together, work best with environments where the audience experiences longer wait times.
When consumers engage with a screen they have entered into the Interactive mode. The interactive mode enables content to become multi-layered, providing a richer, self-guided experience. Products like the iPhone have trained people to interact with the screen, and consumers have come to expect interactive experiences. Smartphones are rapidly being transformed into shopping tools that enable consumers to interact directly with digital signage networks to retrieve information, download virtual coupons, and capture Web address information. Enabling technologies such as QR codes, proximity sensors, and augmented reality are blurring the line between the virtual world and the real world, bridging the gap between the physical and the digital. These interactive experiences are deepening the connection between consumers and brands, and offer marketers a new path to reach their target audience.
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