Start off simple when it comes to content

To create content to be used in a digital signage or self-service kiosk system is not as hard as you might think. You probably have much of the content already.

Digital signage and kiosk systems have both been around for some time but still people often feel a bit confused when it comes to producing the content. Perhaps one of the reasons is that there is a multitude of possibilities. However you do not need to embrace everything at once.  In principle, you can start off with a screen that displays a simple slideshow and then move on from there.

Lots of people ask themselves:  -How can I obtain content to use and who is going to make and support the content? Do I need a special department in my company handling all this?

Actually, introducing digital signage or kiosks in your operations is quite comparable to introduction of web sites. Today, the website is a natural part of the sales and information systems of all companies. With a digital signage system that supports web content you can basically let your own staff or your web bureau use their existing tools to make content. A typical slideshow can either be images, such as photos or a sequence of web pages. Your existing printed signs almost certainly exist in an electronic format and you can say that what you do is to replace the printing process by electronic display. The quality requirements when it comes to image resolution is in most cases less in digital signage than in print but higher than is the case for web production.

Yes, you will need to produce more content than for print (since you can show several signs in sequence on the screen), but on the other hand you will not have the printing costs. Also, if there is a mistake done during the production you do not need to throw away the printed material and it only takes seconds to correct the problem.

Set your ambitions according to your actual needs

Some years ago, qualified advertising bureaus where needed to produce content. This meant that small businesses could not afford qualified advertising. Today however there is something for everyone. If you have a small business with just one store you can regard digital signage the same way as you do with your website. Simple signs and even HD video clips can be produced using a simple video camera and easily accessible software such as Photoshop or Pinnacle Studio. On the other hand, in large companies or retail chains, the best choice can be to let the same people as is handling the website to be in charge of the digital signage content as well.

Producing video clips is not as complicated and expensive as it used to be. Online video distribution, such as YouTube, has paved the way.

Since content basically consists of images, video clips and web pages, conventional content creation tools can be used. Therefore existing knowledge in these areas can be reused.

Try to check what kind of content is already available in your organization; probably there is a lot that can be reused.

Digital signage content consists of conventional media files such as images, video clips, Flash animations and web pages.

Lars-Ingemar Lundström

Documentation and Training Manager, MultiQ