The Usefulness of Outdoor Digital Signage – Providing Assistance on the High Street

Digital out of home (DooH) advertising has become widespread, being as it is an effective method of marketing available at a relatively low cost. But there is more to digital signage than a form of out of home advertising it can be both functional and helpful too.

Not all signs are advertising, in fact most of the traditional signage we come across in our day to day lives are not trying to sell us something but help us, and digital signage is no different and with the advent of waterproof LCD enclosures and other outdoor digital signage systems, more practical and helpful digital signage is being introduced in many areas.

Wayfinding

When visiting a tourist attraction, shopping mall or foreign high street it’s common for maps to be erected to aid people in finding their way around. The famous ‘you are here’ maps are used in all sorts of locations from local beauty spots; to theme parks and shopping centres.

However, anybody trying to negate there way around a new town or beauty spot will tell you that while the signage displaying the map is useful in telling you where you are, it can still be difficult to work out how to get to where you want to be.

Outdoor digital signage can provide a more helpful method of wayfinding. Interactive maps that incorporate touch screens in the outdoor digital signage enclosure can not only provide a more detailed method of letting you know where you are by zooming in or out, helping you locate landmarks, but also an interactive map can actually give you directions to where you want to go.

Transportation Timetables

Another useful application for outdoor digital signage is in replacing traditional; bus and train timetables. Many transport companies already some form of electronic signage to indicate when the next bus or train will arrive but outdoor digital signage can incorporate all sorts of information from the prospective route, list of times the train is expected and some transportation companies have even trialled displaying GPS information on interactive timetables so passengers can actually see where there bus or train is when its en route.

Digital Menu Boards

Restaurants are already taking up outdoor digital signage for use as menu boards. Having a menu outside an eatery is an important aspect of informing patrons of the dishes that are available. Often, despite a description of a meal, it can still be difficult to work out exactly what the meal is (especially if it is an ethnic or European dish) but with interactive menu boards restaurateurs can provide images of not just the meals but the décor of the establishment too.