5 tips for positioning digital signage screens

Finding the ideal location fordigital signage screens is a complex and tedious task, given the many parameters to be taken into account: target audience, technical constraints, lighting, content... It can be mission impossible when the project objectives are unclear. Yet it's a strategic step, not only because of the relatively permanent nature of screen installation, but also because of the effort, money and time involved. So, asking yourself the right questions to position your screens correctly is crucial, as isavoiding location errors. Here are a few tips for positioning your dynamic screens, so that you can study your potential locations and analyze them!

#1 Choose high-traffic areas for your screens

Unless you're targeting an audience whose travel habits you know perfectly well, and whose habits differ from the majority, give preference to locations with regular traffic (statistically, screens in such an area are more likely to be seen!). This may seem obvious, but it's not uncommon to see screens installed in low-traffic areas, or facing mainly deserted areas. The position of the screens may have originated in a previous layout, but may no longer be adapted to the new one. Cleaning staff (or employees hampered by the brightness) may have turned the screen to do their job better. It is therefore important to regularly check that the screen is correctly oriented towards populated areas, and readjust the angle and position if necessary.

#2 Screen size and purpose

" The bigger the screen, the better the message gets across "... that's not true! There are so many different cases that it's impossible to generalize about every situation! A word of warning though: we're absorbing more and more information from our smartphones, yet the screens are relatively small! The race for size is not a necessity, but rather a matter of understanding usage: if the visitor is likely to be close or very close to the screen, a small screen will do just fine, and will even be more effective, especially if a lot of information is being transmitted, and even more so if the screen is generally used by just one person at a time (large, unpleasant eye movements will then be avoided). On the other hand, a large digital signage screen can be used to display larger texts, visible from a greater distance, so as to reach several people at the same time, and attract the eye more easily. Take care to adapt this to the context, but give preference to small screens in waiting areas, where visitors will be close to the screen and looking for detailed information (near products, for example), and large screens in high-traffic areas, to attract the attention of as many people as possible.

#3 Digital signage consulting: context matters

Your target audience - the people you want to reach - have a mission! Rarely do they wander the streets, stores or company corridors in search of screens they can stare at for hours on end. Instead, they are tasked with a particular task (not forgetting anything on the shopping list, finding a particular product, taking a document to accounting, making a cup of coffee...) and are focused on that precise task. In this context, screens will seem invisible, or at least without impact. However, once the mission is accomplished, it's a different story: concentration dissipates, the mind is freed and becomes more receptive to the surrounding messages.
Isn't this the ideal time and place to expose your audience to a message? Obviously, this requires a good knowledge of your target, either acquired in advance, or detectable through a period of observation.

#4 Put yourself in your targets' shoes

It's obviously out of the question to place screens on every free wall in a place, an establishment, a room... and hope that the messages will be seen. A far more interesting alternative would be to walk around the room to be equipped and ask yourself: what will the target person be doing there? what will they be thinking? where will they naturally be looking? will they be on the move or in a waiting position? Screens in waiting and transit zones have different impacts and objectives.

In the case of a supermarket, for example in the car aisle: a person in front of the motor oils will necessarily think of his car, so a screen placed next to the oils could promote another product concerning the car...
Similarly, at the counter, or after the checkout line, when the shopping list is entirely crossed out and returning to the store is forbidden, is this really the time to promote a product sold inside? Chewing gum perhaps, if sold at the checkout, or simply a "message for the road", a "message for next time" would probably be preferable.
Identify when your target audience "needs" the information, and give it to them then. As well as giving these messages greater impact, people will also be grateful to you.

#5 Follow the signs!

In terms of screen positioning, as well as content creation, take inspiration from display systems that work! An excellent system might be that of road signs: no superfluous, the right sign in the right place, enough signs so that the driver doesn't feel lost, or under-informed, but not too many either, so as not to confuse him or overload him, and thus risk him no longer reading them. The example deserves a few seconds' analysis: a simple, effective color code, a few clear words, the essentials, a font that can be read from a distance, large characters, pictograms to illustrate the message. The idea conveyed by the sign can be understood at a glance, without having to stop or even slow down. And when the message is long, it's broken down into several shorter ones, which are displayed, one at a time, in a logical order. There are undoubtedly a few lessons to be learned!

How important is screen placement?

Differences in visitor demographics, personalities or mindsets between two distinct locations or audiences can lead to major differences in behavior, and be reflected in how people move, what information they expect, and how screens are viewed. A good understanding of the target audience is therefore essential to ensure that the right message is delivered on digital signage screens positioned in the right places.

Excellent content on a poorly placed screen will probably have just as much effect as poor content on a perfectly placed screen, or content aimed at the wrong people. Which is to say, none at all. Beyond identifying the target audience, detecting the best locations for screens or creating the best possible content, it' s crucial to link all these elements together and integrate them into the overall communication strategy.

It's this practice that will lead to the best results... in relation to your objectives, of course!

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