It is undeniable that communication and interaction between organizations and the public have been transformed by technological advancements witnessed in the 21st century. Previously, organizations conveyed their messages, announcements, and other relevant information through traditional channels such as billboards, posters, and so on. These traditional channels have been replaced by digital signage, which utilizes screens to display the information popularly known as information screens.
The effectiveness of digital signage systems relies heavily on content presentation and content control method. Based on this holding, digital signage systems should utilize the most effective and interactive information screens since they influence content presentation and the method for controlling content. The content presentation can be enhanced by including software and hardware in information screens, which enable the user-friendly interface and enhance user-machine interaction. Other requirements such as internet connectivity, share and download applications, and so on should be taken into consideration when building information screens depending on the intended purpose of the screen.
Developers of information screens for office spaces and factories should emphasize on hardware and software which allow user-friendly content control. This is because a majority of people use or view information screens in search of answers to urgent questions. Therefore, user-friendly content control methods will enable quick and easy management of content displayed. An example of user-friendly content control is an auto-update software that replaces old data with the most recent data collected from organizations’ central systems. Additionally, automatic updating software can reduce organizations’ workload by updating the list of ‘frequently asked questions’ and providing appropriate answers on their systems, which can be easily accessed by office visitors by interacting with information screens installed in the waiting halls and lobbies. Providing answers to frequent questions via information screens also reduces the time wasted by visitors in queues, hallways, and lobbies. It is also important for information screens installed in offices and factories to include applications for upload, download, and sharing such as Bluetooth to allow for easy access and retrieval of the content, for example, employees can access their work schedules using touch technology on information screens and send, share, or download their schedules wirelessly to their phones.
Information screens used in factories have the potential to promote meaningful and high-level interaction among workers across and within factories’ public spaces such as cafés and recreation centers by linking employees through a web-based application. This requires the installation of large information screens in the café, which is connected to the internet to allow employees to edit their profiles and share content with fellow employees. The high level of interaction creates a sense of community and belonging, particularly to new employees.
PresentationPoint is among a few digital signage companies which have evolved along with technological advancements. The company offers DataPoint, iPoint and SignageTube products, which are among the leaders in the digital signage software industry. DataPoint allows for interactive and auto-updated information screens, PowerPoint decks, and notice boards. DataPoint software is used by over 10,000 customers and companies globally and enable automatic update of content presentation in real-time information screens. Users can also generate snapshot presentations for distribution using DataPoint. PresentationPoint also offers iPoint and SignageTube, which consists of a player to run playlist content on a remote computer and scheduler to plan, cue, and monitor content on digital signage systems. All PresentationPoint products allow information screens to attain a high level of interaction and user-friendliness required to convey organizations’ content to visitors and users effectively.
