Reflections on the long-term use of an experimental digital signage system

Abstract

In this paper we reflect on our long-term experiences of developing, deploying and supporting an experimental digital signage system. Existing public display systems almost always feature a single point of control that is responsible for scheduling content for presentation on the network and provide sophisticated mechanisms for controlling play-out timing and relative ordering. Our experiences suggest that such complex feature-sets are unnecessary in many cases and may be counter productive in signage systems. We describe an alternative, simpler paradigm for encouraging widespread use of signage systems based on shared 'content channels' between content providers and display owners. Our system has been in continuous use for approximately 3 years. We reflect and draw lessons from how our user community has adopted and used the resulting public display network. We believe that these reflections will be of benefit to future developers of ubiquitous display networks.

Community-led Digital Exhibits Service at the Edmonton Public Library: Research and Consultation

“…As well, the role of emotion in the content displayed cannot be overlooked. Specifically Clinch, Davies, Friday & Efstratiou (2011) state that people typically pay attention to displays "only when they expected the content to be of interest to them" and that they are "more likely to expect interesting content in a university context rather than within commercial premises" (p. 9). In other words, the context in which the display is situated affects user expectations and primes them for interaction.…”

“…In terms of precise measures of attention to such displays, studies of average attention time correlate age with responsiveness to digital signage, with children (1-14 years) being most receptive than adults and with men spending more time observing digital signage than women (Clinch et al, 2011). Studies also indicate a significantly higher average attention times for observing dynamic content as compared to static content (Ravnik & Solina, 2013).…”

Understanding future challenges for networked public display systems in community settings

“…Of course, this implies more research efforts and resources in order to determine the impact of the applications on multiple settings and their respective communities. A possible solution for this would be to investigate an application within existing testbeds in Lancaster [5], Oulu [36], Minho [17], London and Nottingham [34], or Lugano [22]. Differences between the communities should be considered in this case, e.g., size, values, and existing sense of community (as pointed out by [20]).…”

Moment Machine: Opportunities and Challenges of Posting Situated Snapshots onto Networked Public Displays

“…Connected Urban Spaces [4] and Telectroscope [20] are examples of similar and more recent projects. In more recent years work in the area has shifted from creating simple video links between two places into creating more interactive multimedia applications [2,13] and how they can enrich urban spaces and promote community interaction and place awareness [11]. For example, Alt et al [1] investigated how networked public displays can support exchange within urban communities by creating a digital version of traditional/analog notice boards.…”