5 Examples of Digital Signage For Wayfinding
If you have ever gotten confused trying to find your way in a mammoth-sized mall, busy airport, or even a hotel you visit for the first time, you will know how frustrating it is to lose your way in an unfamiliar space.
It is an uncomfortable experience that will leave anyone harried and even negatively affect consumer experience. After all, what good is a business service if you have difficulty finding your way around in the first place? Today, many businesses are using digital wayfinding signage to solve this problem.
With wayfinding, users can easily find their way and plan their route. Although displaying digital maps on a screen is an excellent wayfinding solution, there are more creative ways to utilize digital signage for wayfinding. Below, we have provided five examples of digital signage for wayfinding.
What Is Digital Signage For Wayfinding?
Digital signage is taking the business world by storm. It is such a successful technology that it is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7% from 2022 to 2030.
Years ago, it would have been more likely to find digital signs for major organizations than for smaller businesses. However, today, digital signage has become a more mainstream technological tool.
At first, digital signage was seen as a great way to replace static advert signs. With digital signage, businesses could create more dynamic content to target their audience in ways static signage could not.
However, soon it became clear that digital signage is versatile and can serve several beneficial purposes that all drive towards increasing an organization’s revenue. One of digital signage technology’s many uses is as a wayfinding solution.
For context, what exactly is digital signage? Digital signage is a segment of electronic signage that uses technologies such as LED and LCD screens, e-papers, and projectors to display videos, pictures, texts, and web pages. Essentially, digital signage involves using digital screens to display content for the user’s audience to see in real-time.
At its core, digital signage was a means to an advertising end. With the chance to use text, dynamic imagery, and something as cutting-edge as 3D imaging to capture attention, businesses can finally get the attention and brand visibility they need.
However, as time passed, businesses began to discover the added ingrained benefits of using digital signage for their business operations. Although the primary goal was to make a profit, these businesses found that digital signage worked wonders to improve the average customer experience when implemented correctly.
There are different ways to use digital signage, but one of the most common ways is wayfinding. Wayfinding digital signage is a digital map that functions like a static map. However, unlike static maps, digital wayfinding signage offers a more immersive experience.
Wayfinding is especially useful for large organizations with different structures in their facility. With wayfinding, these organizations display their floor plans so visitors can find their way easily.
And it works. Wayfinding solves the problem of not knowing where to go in an unfamiliar location by giving strategic directions. It helps guests orientate themselves and get to where they need to be faster than they usually would and with less hassle too!
Placed strategically in any large organization, digital signage for wayfinding can single-handedly solve one primary pain point of customers, which is finding their way around easily and quickly.
Five Examples Of Digital Signage For Wayfinding
Wayfinding digital signage comes in different forms. Some examples of these include:
1. Floor Plan
Floor plan digital wayfinding signage is directional signage that is used to help people get to where they are going easier and faster. Digital signage floor plans can be referred to as technical guides as they offer directions to help people to help get around quickly.
Floor plan wayfinding can be found in large organizations such as resorts, museums, malls, and large organizations. This digital signage displays details about the building structures, such as the parts of the organization and where they are placed.
Using pictures, videos, texts, and other digital graphics, organizations can point people to the necessary parts of the building they need to go to. Although digital floor plans may perform the same function as static signage, they are more beneficial. One of the many reasons why digital floor plans are more useful and efficient is because they are more immersive.
Static floor plan wayfinding solutions use plain images, shapes, and texts to point out their structural plans. Although this is practical, it can confuse viewers as the information it provides is limited. Floor plan wayfinding signage, on the other hand, uses varying content not only to keep viewers engaged but also to break the map content into digestible pieces.
By rotating the content on the screen (something not possible with static wayfinding signage), organizations can display different details of their organization’s floor plan.
Organizations can use digital floor plans to show guests the rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other essential physical features on each floor of their organizations.
2. Interactive Kiosks
Digital signage takes wayfinding a step further by putting the journey into the user’s hands. With many other types of wayfinding digital signage, the destinations and current locations are relative. In simpler terms, the directions given are generalized.
Other digital wayfinding signs give the general audience an idea of how to get to location. Essentially, all information found on the general wayfinding signage is meant for general knowledge.
Interactive kiosks feature easy drag-and-drop widgets that enable users to log their current location and destination into the device, and get personalized directions to their chosen area. With interactive kiosks, wayfinding is easier and more detailed for a unique user experience. They are engaging and are a primary bonus point for any customer’s satisfaction.
Interactive kiosks are a fantastic addition to any large enterprise. However, they can also be used in a small structure. It doesn't matter if it is on a single building floor it is in an airport, interactive kiosks play an excellent role in eliminating directions confusion and making it easier for people to get around. Most importantly, it is also an excellent first impression.
Businesses that implement interactive wayfinding kiosks use digital signage to tailor a user’s experience by generating unique directions. Interactive digital signage wayfinding kiosks usually comprise touchscreens engineered with directions and paths of the building. However, there are voice-activated wayfinding kiosks that keep the experience hands-free.
Wayfinding kiosks are perfect for finding amenities, offices, venues, and even products in a facility.
3. Identification of Wayfinding Signs
Wayfinding digital signage is commonly used for telling people where to go. However, it can also highlight several landmarks in an area to let people know where they are.
Imagine you install a floor plan digital sign at your building’s entrance. Your guests use the directions on this sign to find the location they are trying to go to. However, how do they know when they will arrive at this location?
This is where identification wayfinding signs come in. Identification wayfinding signs are used to point out and highlight locations in an establishment. These signs highlight landmarks in an area to alert people that they have arrived at their destination.
Identification digital signs are best paired with other wayfinding solutions for the best experience. Among all other digital wayfinding solutions, the identification wayfinding signs are the most common. You have undoubtedly come across screens in organizations showing boardrooms, personnel offices, fire exits, product aisles, and other helpful locations.
Other than identifying the landmarks in a facility, identification digital signs in wayfinding can also act as the landmarks! With signs that literally say “you are here”, organizations can guide their guests through their journey in the organization.
4. Street Signs
One of the most creative digital wayfinding solutions is using digital signage as street signs. Street signs are the perfect ways to ensure orderliness on the roads and keep people (drivers and pedestrians alike) out of trouble.
Also known as traffic signs, street signs provide road users with valuable information to keep them out of sticky situations. You can consider street signs as regulatory wayfinding signs.
Street signs come in different forms. However, anyone will agree that they all serve the primary purpose of passing messages. These messages that signs communicate can be directional, warning, or even regulatory. Regardless of what they are designed to communicate, signs often help people find their way around a street, road, or highway.
After all, how will anyone know that they are supposed to turn right to reach a different street or road if these signs do not exist? Simply looking around will help anyone see the importance of street signs. They control the road and are often designed without language barriers to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Although many places still use regular static signs (like the famous dead-end, lane merge, and one-way signs), other places have adopted more resourceful and efficient options like digital street signs.
Digital street signs use digital signage technologies to communicate with road users. With images, videos, graphics, texts, and other signage character elements, road users can enjoy more efficient road regulatory signs.
Digital signs solve many problems that static signs cannot. One of these is the visibility problem. Many people will argue that reflective static signs solve visibility issues. However, it can not be compared to the more powerful digital signage option.
A digital signage set-up is, by default, attention-grabbing. It catches attention in a way regular static signs cannot. Combine this with high-resolution visual messages, and it is easy to see why digital street signs are difficult to miss.
More importantly, digital street signs are more sustainable and durable. They are cost-efficient, last longer, and will serve their purpose for a more extended period.
Digital street or traffic signs can be temporary (when used as a warning sign, for example, to warn people about road construction in progress) or permanent. They can be placed anywhere they can direct road users, which ranges from sidewalks to highway displays or even roadside signs.
5. Informational Wayfinding Signs
In a large location setting, sometimes other types of wayfinding signs may not offer the information people need. People have questions about areas that they are not familiar with. Unless you plan to have someone consistently available to provide answers to these questions, it is helpful to install informational wayfinding signs.
Informational wayfinding signs may look like identification wayfinding signs. However, instead of identifying landmarks, they answer directional questions. Where identification wayfinding signs point to a particular area, informational wayfinding signs give people broad information about the area to help them orient themselves and explore the area better.
With informational signage, people can have better and broader exposure to a large area. Informational signage offers useful information to help the audience have a better experience navigating the area. These signs answer questions even before the questions are asked.
Because they are designed to cover a directional overview of an area, informational wayfinding signs are better placed in accessible places like entrances, lobbies, or waiting rooms. For example, these signs can be placed at the campus entrance or show where each wing or quarter is located.
Informational wayfinding signs are designed to be user intuitive and easily understood. They are created with signs and symbols that are universally understood and will answer the user’s questions rather than complicate them.
Informational wayfinding digital signage answers questions like where facilities are, operational times, and how to get to certain places. They are an excellent investment and additional to any large location.
Benefits of Digital Signage Wayfinding Solutions
Digital signage wayfinding solutions offer a lot of benefits. Some of these include:
- Improved customer experience which leads to better customer satisfaction
- Ensures that users’ safety
- Reduces the stress, confusion, and frustration that comes with trying to navigate unknown territory
- Saves time
- Compliments an establishment and improves brand identity.
Wayfinding With Loop TV
Creating the perfect wayfinding solutions for your business requires the perfect blend of an efficient screen setup and sophisticated digital signage software solution. With Loop TV, wayfinding is made easy for you.
Loop TV is a free business entertainment and digital signage TV that offers free digital signage and entertainment solutions. With these sophisticated digital signage solutions, you can create any content you want, including wayfinding solutions for your business.
The best part is not only is Loop TV free, but they also offer you a chance to make money as you use the service. Loop TV is supported by premium ads that run every 10 minutes on average. When you run Loop TV for a month, Loop TV will give you a reward you can redeem for prepaid Visa cards, gift cards, or even donations to charity.
It doesn't get better than this. To get started, sign up for a free media player on the Loop TV website.