Historically, digital signage installations have used display screens with a separate Windows-or Linux-based media player/PC. The media player is the brain communicating with the server and network to tell the screen what media to play. However, around 2013, System on Chip (SoC) displays hit the market and have become more prevalent in recent years. SoC screens provide a compelling alternative to traditional digital signage with lower implementation costs, a multi-core processor inside, and eliminating the need for an external player and associated cables.

Donors are vital to the success of many organizations, including schools, hospitals, and non-profits. It takes a community of individuals and companies to ensure the success of these organizations, and it is crucial to recognize their contributions. A digital donor wall is one of many ways to recognize contributions from individuals, companies, and the community. 

The terms data and information are often used interchangeably, but there is a significant difference in meaning and usage. It is estimated that companies generate around 2,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes of data a day. However, a Forrester report estimates that between 60 and 73% of all data is never used for analytical purposes.

Fans are the fuel for a sports team. They are there to cheer, support, and share the highs and lows. Alvin Martin, former West Ham United Football Club captain, said, "When [fans] turn up at a game, they set the stage for you. They enhance the feeling of the game and the worth of it.

No More One Size Fits All Messaging

In recent years Amazon, Netflix, and Spotify have defined personalization. While seemingly subtle, these platforms serve up programs and products that cater to individual users' interests and needs. Personalization is now expected everywhere, from grocery stores to hospitals to airports. Everyone wants access to relevant real-time information. Digital signage is uniquely positioned to enable organizations to display personalized information to individuals or groups based on various triggers, including data, IoT sensors, and more.

Digital signage projects aren't uniquely complex, but they have many moving parts. Often they involve numerous stakeholders, a myriad of messages, and an assortment of technologies and data sources (often some or all of these competing with each other). Therefore, managing a digital signage project requires a good plan and process. 

There is a tendency for airports to use long-standing acronyms of FIDS, GIDS, BIDS, etc. when discussing passenger-facing screens. These screens represent the “last mile” of a key data system within the airport. Historically, airports have focused their purchasing decisions on the related key data systems – not the screen software. The display software was tailor made for singular purpose and propriety in nature with little functionality outside of that primary scope. As airports purchased more data systems, additional screen software came along for the ride.

Designing for digital signage is similar to designing for other mediums in many ways. For example, audience, content, and layout are all important considerations, along with digital signage-specific requirements such as data feeds, location, accessibility, and more.

You have decided your organization needs digital signage. Now what? Where do you start? Digital signage projects come with a unique set of challenges, including client stakeholder alignment, project management hurdles, content strategy, technology infrastructure, and resource availability.

There is a lot to think about, so let's dive into each area in detail: