Digital Signage Is More about ‘Engaging’ Than ‘Solving’

Too many designers neglect ‘emotional center’ when looking at whether work is successful.

Too often these days, designers, manufacturers and integrators focus on the wrong aspect when thinking about whether their latest job is a success: the bottom line.

Sure, it’s nice to make some money on a job and use that money for marketing or hiring new employees, but if the client isn’t satisfied and doesn’t see the desired results, there go the chances of ever being hired by them again and word will soon get out that your company is in the business only for money.

“We often miss that a customer doesn’t live on a spreadsheet,” said David Kapron, creative director of the Brand Experience Studio for Little, during a keynote address at the 2014 Digital Signage Expo.

Kapron explored “Creating Engaging Experiences in a Digitally Distracted World” and highlighted the fact people “live on an emotional center,” something that’s often overlooked in a project’s design.

The three things designers – and integrators – must consider when putting together the scheme for a new project are customer experience, the customer’s brain and a digitally enabled customer, says Kapron. It’s also crucial to remember several other aspects when designing and building a system.

Related: CI’s DSE 2014 Inspired Digital Signage e-Book

Experience is in our mind, says Kapron. That means the images or sights people see and the things they hear will often remind them of something else or will stick with them and be recalled later in relation to other experiences. Experiences will continue to become more relevant as customers become the co-creator of them, he says.

Having too many choices is “highly overrated,” says Kapron. The fewer choices people have to make and the less they feel bombarded by information, the better their experience will typically be, he says. Our brains recognize patterns and that helps us make decisions.

Finally, the pervasive use of digital technology is “rewiring 50 years of brain development,” says Kapron. That’s certainly an opportunity when it comes to digital signage displays but integrators must understand how to make it work best for the audience they’re targeting, he says.

“It’s about places, not spaces,” says Kapron. “It’s about context and it’s about ritual. Today, we’re so digitally connected that we think play is about pressing a button. We’ve lost the essence of play and need to get back to that.”

It’s important for your digital displays to tell a story, says Kapron.

Related: More DSE 2014 Articles, Videos and Photos

“Retailers need to educate in a way that engages and inspires people,” he says. “Experience is about what goes on in the customers’ brains.”

The proliferation of mobile devices is also changing how people interact with other people, says Kapron.

“We’re wired for connection and relationships, but we’re losing the ability to connect with the real world because we’re always looking at our phones or checking our emails or texting instead of talking.”

Related Video—Brock McGinnis, Westbury National, on Rethinking Digital Signage Sales Strategies:

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