Digital-displays-healthcare (1)

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A guide from DigitalSignageToday.com

INSIDE: Digital signage is rapidly infiltrating a host of industries across a range of disciplines. Among them is the healthcare industry. But what can digital displays do for doctors, nurses, hospital staff and, ultimately, patients? The answer is quite a bit. Digital signage can bring the physician and the patient together in a way that other communications tools never could. To find out more, look inside.

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HealthcareDigital Displays in Hospitals, Clinics, Doctors’ Offices and Nursing Homes

http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com

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ContentsPage 3 About the sponsors

Page 4 Introduction | A new tool in the bag … By Travis K. Kircher

Page 6 Chapter 1 | An overview of digital signage Cost/benefitanalysis How it affects the business process Whyisitsochallenging? Contentdelivery:wiredvs.wireless Uniquefeaturesofdigitalsignagenetworks

Page 10 Chapter 2 | Using digital signage in the facility Valuepropositionforthepatient Thewaitinggame Afountainofinformation Awindowtotheoperatingroom Wayfinding Speedingupthecheck-inprocess Thevaluepropositionfortheprovider Communicationwithstaff Communicationwithpatients Thebrand’sthething Casestudy:CalgaryHealthRegionmakesroom forNECmedicaldisplays

1 Chapter 3 | The rules of good content “Feedingthebeast” Set aside resources Awealthofcontent Avoidingadfatigue Frequencymatters

Page 27 Chapter 4 | Making the right purchasing choices Decidingonthehardware Builttolast Softwarethatworks Integrationanyone? Maintenanceandupkeep

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About the sponsors

Published by NetWorld Alliance© 2009 NetWorld AlliancePhotos courtesy of NEC Display Solutions unless otherwise specified.Written and edited by Travis K. Kircher, contributing writer, DigitalSignageToday.comDick Good, CEOTom Harper, president and publisherBob Fincher, executive vice presidentJoseph Grove, vice president and executie editor

NEC Display Solutions innovates, produces and delivers display products and complete digital signage solutions for a wide range of vertical businesses, specialists and lifestyle applications. The company is wholly owned by NEC Corporation, one of the world’s leading providers of Internet, broadband-network and enterprise business solutions, employing more than 150,000 people.

DigitalSignageToday.com, operated by Louisville, Ky.-based NetWorld Alliance, is the leading online publisher of news and information on the emerging world of digital signage, dynamic messaging and cutting-edge business-communication technologies. The content, which is updated every business day and read by professionals around the world, is provided free of charge to readers.

http://www.digitalsignagetoday.com

S tethoscopes.X-raymachines. Tonguedepressors.Heartmoni- tors.Treadmills.Cottonballs.

Medicalgauze.Syringes.Bloodpressuremonitors.

Thesearethetoolsofthehealthcareprofession.Forsome,theymightinspirefeelingsofdread—mostlikelyallofushavespenttimeinthedoctor’sofficeorthehospital,andwhilethestaffmayhavebeenpleasantandprofessional,thevisitprobablydidn’tnudgebeingonaCaribbeancruiseoutofourlistoftop-10mostpleasurableexperiences.

Butregardlessoftheemotionalrespons-estheseitemsdredgeup,mostpatientswouldbecomfortedtoknowthattheirphysicianisequippedwiththelatestandgreatestinmedicaltechnology.Caseinpoint:AnEKGmachinemaycauseashudderinthefaint-hearted,butatleastitdemonstratesthatthepracticeiskeep-ingupwiththetimes.

Butdigitalsignage?

Youwouldn’texpectadoctortopullanLCDorplasmascreenoutofhisorherbag,butdon’tbetooquicktodis-misstheidea—manydoctors’offices,hospitalsandnursinghomesarequickly

© 2009 NetWorld Alliance LLC | Sponsored by NEC Display Solutions 4

Introductiondiscoveringthatdigitalsignagecanrevolutionizethewaytheycommunicatewiththeirpa-tients.Theadvantagesbecomeclearassoonasyoudelveintothedetails:digitalsignageisvisuallydynamicandengag-ing.It’sflexible.Contentcanbechangedorupdatedatamo-ment’snotice.Bestofall,itisoneofthemosteffectivemeansofcommunicatinginformationtothe viewer.

Butthisisahospital,notaretailer.Hospitalsaren’taboutbeamingadstounsuspectingviewersandtryingtosellthemproducts.Healthcareisn’taboutadvertisingatall—it’sabouthealingpeople.Andhealthcareprofessionalsdon’tserveconsumers.Theyservepatients.

Right?

Spoton.Butdigitalsignagedoesfarmorethancommunicateadvertis-ing.Iteducates.Itcantell—orrather,show—theconfusedpatientsufferingfromsupraventriculartachycardiawhattoexpectwhenheundergoesaheartoblation.Itcansoothethenervesoftheanxiouslittlegirlsufferingfromtonsillitis

A new tool in the bag …

Travis Kircher, contributing writer,DigitalSignageToday.com

Hospitals aren’t about beaming ads to unsuspecting viewers and trying to sell them new and expensive products. Healthcare isn’t about advertising at all — it’s about healing people.



byprovidingherwithsomethingtolookatwhileshesitsinthechildren’shospital emergencyroomwithhermom(becauseasmostparentsknow,sometimesthatthree-month-oldcopyofSesameStreetmagazinedoesn’tcutit).Touchscreendisplaysevencanbeusedtohelpthepatientfindherwaytothematernityfloorortospeedupthehospitalcheck-in process.

Digitalsignageisarelativelynewtech-nology,andvariousindustriesthem-selvesarestillscramblingtodiscoverhow it can best be put to use in their communicationsstrategies.Thecom-paniesandorganizationsthatmovefirstwillbetheonesonthecuttingedge.Thehealthcareindustryisonlynowdiscov-eringthemanybenefitsdigitalsignagehastooffer.Demonstratingtheseben-efitsiswhatthisguideisabout.

We’dliketothankNECDisplaySolu-tions,thesponsorofthisguide.

INTRODUCTION



I naworldwheresalesofflatscreen monitorsarequicklybeginningto eclipsesalesforconventional

cathode-ray-tube(CRT)—thedefactostandardforvisualcommunicationthusfar—itcansometimesbedifficulttopinpointthedefinitionofdigitalsignage.

Aflatscreenontopofagaspumprun-ningadvertisements?Yes.

Aflatscreeninahomeusedtowatchtelevisionprogramming?No.

Aflatscreeninahospitalwaitingroomdisplayinglivetelevision?Maybe.

Clearly,thelinesareblurred,butthisdefinitionseemstoencompassthe generalitiesofdigitalsignage:Digitalsignageisanyformofbusinesscom-municationwhereadynamicmessagingdeviceisusedtotaketheplaceoforsupplementotherformsofmessaging.

Cost/benefit analysis

Untilveryrecently,theideaofdeploying aflatscreen,muchlessanetworkofmany flatscreens,simplywasn’tviableorcost-effective.Screensweretooexpensive,toobigandtheyworeouttooquickly.ThemeagerROIgainedintheventure justwouldn’tjustifythetimeandexpense.

ButtheLCD/plasmarevolutionchanged,andisstillchanging,allofthat.Screensarenowsoaffordabletheycanrivalthe printingcostsofstaticposters;theyare

Chapter 1 An overview of digital signage

thinandcanhangonawall(whichmeans nomoreCRTmonitorshangingfromtheceilingonsketchymounts);theycancommunicatewithcomputernetworksandfetchnewcontent,eliminatingthedaysofemployeestrottingfromscreentoscreenwitharmloadsofVCRtapes.

How it affects the business process

Someofthewaysdigitalsignageisbe-ingusedtodayinclude:

Inairportsandbusstations,keep- ingtravelersuptodateonarrival anddeparturetimes,whilealso providinganadvertisingvehicle forshopsandrestaurants;

Inretail,communicatingwithcus- tomersaboutin-storespecials, directingcustomerstootherparts ofthestore,managingtrafficand hotspots,andconveyingbrand messages;

Inbanks,displayinginterestrates andproductinformation,aswellas lifestylemessagesandbranding;

Digital signage is any form of business communication where

a dynamic messaging device is used to take the place of, or supplement, other forms

of messaging.



CHAPTER 1 An overview of digital signage

Incasinosandentertainmentven- ues,creatingacustomerexperience thatisconsistentwiththeambiance andatmosphereofexcitement;

Indoctors’officesandwaiting rooms,providingentertainmentto patientswhilegivinganadvehicle topharmaceuticalcompaniesand otherproviders;

Inschoolsandoncorporatecam- puses,facilitatingalevelofcom- municationbetweenpartiesthat wouldhavebeenunthinkablejust afewyearsago.

Thelistgoesonandgrowseveryday.Virtuallyanyplacewheresignageislocated—bussheltersandpayphonebooths,shoppingmalls,thetopsofgaspumps—hasthepotentialtoimproveitsworthwithanupgradetodigital,dy-namicmessaging.

Despitealltheprogressthathasbeenmade,digitalsignageisstillaverycom-plexpropositionforthecompanyinstall-ingit.MikeWhite,presidentofsystemsintegrationfirmMulti-MediaSolutions,calleddigitalsignage“oneofthetough-estA/Vinstallsintheworld.”

Why is it so challenging?

Onthesurface,itsdefinitionmightmake digitalsignageseemlikesimplicityitself.Afterall,almosteveryonehasatelevi-sionsetinhishome,andinmostcases,thatsetwasinstalledbythepersonwho

boughtit.Takeithome,plugitin,turniton—that’sallthereistoit,right?

Inthecaseoftelevisionsandhomes,yes, thatusuallyisallthereistoit,althougheventhisischangingastheevolvingnatureofhometheaterbecomesmorecomplex.Butdynamicsignageinthebus- inessenvironmentisexponentiallymorecomplicated,foranumberofreasons:

Thecontentstrategyusuallyneeds tobetackledfromscratch.Digital signagecontenthasacompletely newsetofrequirements;existing mediaassetsoftenprovideagood

Digital signage is used in retail stores to provide helpful infor-mation, communicate with customers about in-store specials and convey brand messages.




startingpoint,butnoneofthemcan bereusedoutright.

Contentneedswillvaryacrossthe enterprise.Inallbutthesimplest digitalsignagedeployments,multi- plescreensizesandorientations areused,anda32"screeninland- scapemodecallsforverydifferent contentthana46"screeninportrait. Thegreaterthenumberofscreens inthenetwork,thegreatertheorgan- izationalchallengeforcontent.

Multiplenetworksmightbeinvolved. Themostbeneficialdigitalsignage productstouchoneormorenet- works.Atretail,forinstance,the signagenetworkmightbedesigned tocommunicatewiththePOSnet- work,togaugecontenteffective- nessversussales.Butgettingany two(ormore)networkstocommu- nicateisanITchallenge,andit increaseswiththenumberofnet- worksandnodesinvolved.

Verydifferentbusinessdisciplines areatwork.Digitalsignageap- pears on the surface to be an IT project.Andyetitisalsoamarket- inginitiative.Therub?It’sboth, andcallsforsomerealteamwork andsharingofduties.

Content delivery: wired vs. wireless

Oneofthemajordecisionsthatdigitalsignagedeployersarefacedwithhas

todowithconnectivity.Howareallthescreensinthenetworkgoingtobecon-nected?

Apopularchoicetodatehasbeentouseahard-wiredintranetsystemsimi-lartoalocalareanetwork(LAN)inanoffice.AllscreensareconnectedusingCAT5EthernetcablesandhaveaccesstotheInternet.SomescreenscanalsolosethewiresandbeconnectedusingWi-Fiwirelessconnections.

Butthereisanewmovementinthisspacethatmayproveespeciallyeffec-tivefordigitalsignagedeploymentsinthetransportationsector.Cellulardigitalsignageallowsscreenstobeconnectedtoanetwork,evenwhenplacedatlongdistances.UnlikeWi-Fi,theconnectionismadethroughfrequenciesthatcellphones use.

“Acellular-basednetworkprovidesalloftheadvantagesofEthernetandWi-Fiwithoutgettingtangledupincomplicated infrastructure,”saidKeithKelsen,CEOofworldwidemarketingforMediaTileCompany.“Therearenocables.Therearenohubsandservers.Wenotonlybelieveit’sthebestoption—wethinkthatanysolutionthatofferszeroin-storeoron-sitewirelesstechnologyistheonly optionandtherealfutureofconnectivity.”

For more information on cellular digital signage solutions, see the guide “How to Network Digital Signs with Cellular Tech-nology on DigitalSignageToday.com.




Unique features of digital signage networks

Place is known. Because the location of any display will be known, this informa-tion can be used to make the content more appropriate to the place. If a display is located near one particular product, the content on the display can be crafted stra-tegically with this in mind. For example, the content could promote that product, or promote its benefits, or create an appropriate mindset (ambiance, reminder) or to promote a complementary product or service available elsewhere. Another aspect of “place” that is quite relevant is the fact that often a display is near the point of purchase. A great deal of research has shown that advertisements near the point of purchase are far more effective. Although the size of this effect and the explanation for why it happens are both controversial, it is clear that point-of-purchase informa-tion has a massive impact on behavior.

Time is known. Because a digital signage network is controlled by a computer sys-tem, content is “served” as a function of time of day. For example, content aimed at business travelers might be shown at an airport on Monday mornings and family-aimed content might be shown Friday afternoons.

Events are known. Information related to the fusion of time and place also can be known. For example, current weather conditions can be known. The traffic flow can be known. The specifics of an event can be known (concert, sale, flight delay). Such information — and its use — is limited only by the creativity of the digital signage network designers.

Audience is known. Because time and place are known, audience demographic and psychographic information can be well specified. This allows for highly relevant “nar-rowcasting” that should speak directly to the audience at that moment.

Content is dynamic. Having dynamic, digital content has numerous advantages over other forms of advertising. Compared to print, the content creation/distribution pro-cess is more rapid and less costly. Also, the content can be customized and tailored “on the fly” to each display device separately. Finally, the medium allows for anima-tion and, in the case of kiosks, interactive opportunities.

(Excerpted from “Digital Signage Networks: Theory, Psychology and Strategy” by Pixel Inspiration Ltd., reprinted with kind permission.)



Chapter 2 Using digital signage in the facility

F orthepurposesofthisguide, theterm“healthcarefacility”will refertoanyfacilityorofficewhere

healthcarediagnosisortreatmentis sought,includingdoctors’offices,specialists’offices,hospitals,nursinghomes,dentalofficesandsimilarestablishments.

Sowhyshouldadoctor,dentistorhos-pitaladministratorconsiderdeployingdigitalsignageinhisfacility?Whatpur-posescouldthesignageserve?Howcouldsuchsignagehelpthepatients? Howcouldithelpthehealthcareprovider?Whataretheprosandcons?

“Digitalsignageisconsideredoneofthemosteffectivecommunicationstoolsduetothedynamicnatureofthescreencontentchangingfromimagetoimage, versustheuseofstaticsignage,”saidMikeZmuda,directorofbusinessdevel-opmentforNECDisplaySolutions.“Be-causeofthesebenefits,digitalsignagecanofferhealthcarefacilitieswayfindinginformationforpatientsandvisitors,patronsofthehospitalcafeteriaintheformofdigitalmenuboards,orinthehospitalretailstore,advertisingproductsandservices.”

Thewords“canoffer”arekey.Afacilitythatdeploysadigitalsignagesystemthatprovidesnovaluedservicetotheviewerwon’tbeseenasprogressiveorcuttingedge.Thatformofdigitalsig-nageisjustwindowdressing.Instead,wisehealthcareproviderswillrecognizeaspecificcommunicationsneedand

determinehowdigitalsignagecanfillit.

Whatarethebenefitsofdigitalsignagetoallinvolvedinthehealthcareprocess? Toopenthediscussion,ithelpstodividethesebenefitsintotwocategories:the valuepropositionforthepatientandthevaluepropositionforthehealthcareprovider.

Value proposition for the patient

Understandingtheneedsofthepatientmeansunderstandingwhothepatientisandwhatissuesthepatientisdealingwith.Inasense,onehastogetinsidethe patient’s head.

Sowhoisthepatient?

Putsimply,thepatientissomeonecom-ingtothehealthcareproviderbecauseheneedshealthcare.Thereissomesortofailment—usuallyphysical—thatisplaguinghimandhegenerallywantstobediagnosed,treatedandcured.Alargenumberofpatientsmightbedealingwithanxiety.Manywillbeworriedabouttheircondition.Otherswillbesufferingfrom

“Digital signage is considered one of the most effective communications tools due

to the dynamic nature of the screen content changing from image to image,

versus the use of static signage.”— Mike Zmuda, director of business development,

NEC Display Solutions



CHAPTER 2 Using digital signage in the facility

mildorintensepain.Evenpatientswhohavealreadybeendiagnosedmaystillbeunclearonthenatureofthediseasethey’resufferingfrom—foraseveryphysicianknows,thefieldofmedicinecanbeconfusingtothelayman.

Ontopofallthat,thepatientisofteninanunfamiliarsetting.Inthecaseofahospital,thatsettingmayconsistofsev-eralfloors,eachwithitsownseparatedepartments.

Basedonthisbriefdescription,wecandeterminethatthepatienthasthreesig- nificantneeds:1)tobeinformed,2)tobeputateaseand3)theabilitytoprop-erlynavigatethefacility.

Digitalsignagecanhelpwithallofthese.

The waiting game

Anyone who has ever sat in a doctor’s officelobbyorhospitalemergencyroom knowsthattimeslowsdownwhenoneis waitingforanappointmentoranupdateonalovedone.

“Healthcareisnotoriousforhavingyousitindifferentwaitingroomsandlookatsix-month-oldmagazines,”explainsRyanCahoy,vicepresidentofsalesandmarketingforShawnee,Kan.-basedRise Vision.“Digitalsignagecanprovidesome- thingthatwillhelpalleviatethatperceived waittime.Whileyou’resittingthere,you canseethelatestnews,weatherandsportsscores.”

Industryexpertsseethatsortofenter-tainingcontentasameansofsoothing thepatientsinthelobby.Insteadofleav- ingthemalonewiththeirfears,thedigitalsignactsasasortofcompanion,helping themtothinkofmorelight-heartedsub-jects,suchasthelatestfootballscores,celebritygossiporthismorning’sspace-shuttlelaunch.

“Theadvantageofbeingabletouseadigitalsignagesystemisthatyoucanstillshowentertainmentcontent,”saysBillGerba,CEOofFortLauderdale,Fla.-basedWirespringTechnologiesInc.“Youcanevenshowregulartelevisionifyouwantto.Soyou’regivingthepatient

Waiting to see the doctor can feel tedious, but digital signage can make it more entertaining.




somethingtotaketheirattentionawayfromwhat’sgoingon.Butatthesametime,youhavealotmorecontrolthanyou do if you just put a TV on. You can planwhatcontentyouwanttoshow,farin advance. You can decide if you want toalternatebetweenCNNnewsduring timeswhentherearealotofadultsaroundorautomaticallychangingthechanneltoPBSorSesameStreetorNickelodeonwhenkidsarethere.”

A fountain of information

Butdigitalsignageismorethanjustanattractiveoutletforentertainingpro-gramming.Insomecircumstances,itcanhelptopassthetimebyinformingpatientsaboutimportantnewmedicinesorprocedures.Thiscanhaveadualbenefittoboththepatientandthepro-vider.Ononehand,thepatient’sper-ceivedwaittimeisagainshortened.

“Forexample,ifyouareinthewaitingareaofadermatologyclinic,youcanshowinformationaboutalotofthemorepopularproceduresthatpeoplemightnotknowabout,bothasawayofkeep-ingthembusyandentertainedwhilethey’rewaitingaroundbutalsoasawayofpromotingtheactualproductsthatthehospitalisselling,”Gerbaexplains.“Itcanbethingslikecosmeticsurgery,itcanbethingslikevisioncorrectionorlaserhairremoval.Theygetintoallsortsofelectiveproceduresandalternativeproceduresforcommonthingsthataresometimeshardtoadvertisebecause

youdon’tknowwhenyouhavetherightaudiencesittinginfrontofyou.That’snotreallyaproblemwhenyou’reinahealthcarefacility.”

Evenmoreimportantforpatients,digitalsignagecanhelpeducatethemaboutaspecificcondition.Thiscanbedoneinthelobby—orinamoreprivateloca-tion,ifdesired—throughaseriesofinteractive touchscreens.

“Thereisalotofangstaboutphysicalconditions such as heart disease. So if youcanputsomeeducationalmaterialstheretohelpexplainproceduresanddif-ferentthingsthey’regoingtosee,itcangoaverylongway,”saidScottKoller,executivevicepresidentofsalesandmarketingforMinneapolis,Minn.-basedWirelessRoninTechnologiesInc.“Youcanalleviatesomeoftheanxietytheymighthaveaboutundergoingaproce-duresuchasaCATscanoranMRI.”

A window to the operating room

TheCincinnatiChildren’sHospitalMedi-calCenter,along-timeclientofNECDisplaySolutions,hasfoundawaytousedigitalsignagetokeepfamiliesofsurgerypatientsuptodateontheirconditions.

ScottGueterman,anapplicationsspe-cialistforthecenter,saysinordertore-spectthepatient’sprivacy,thescreensdonotlistnames,butassigncodestoidentifyeachindividualchild.




“They [parents] can watch the status of theprogressthat’sbeingmadeas[thechild]isbroughtintothepreoperativeareaandthenintotheoperatingroom,andthenwhenthey’redone,inpost-op,”Guetermansaid.“Itwillletthemknowtheprogressofthesurgery.Sothey’llknow—inthewaitingroom—whenthepatienthasbeenmovedoutoftheoperatingroomandintorecovery.”

Guetermansaysit’scomfortingforfami-liestobeabletoreceivethatcontinuousupdate.

“Thewholeideaisthatitimprovesthehealthcareservicesbeingprovidedtothepatientandthefamilies,”hesaid.

Wayfinding

Digitaltouchscreendisplayscanplayanothervitalroleinhealthcarefacilities:thatoftheinteractivemap,helpingcon-fusedpatientsgetfrompointAtopointBquickly.

“Youlookatthesehealthcarebuildings —thesehospitals—andthey’rehuge,”Cahoysaid.“They’reabigmazeofhallways.Sosomeonecanwalkupto[adigitaldisplay],touchitandsay‘I’mhere.GetmefrompointAtopointB.’That’sareallyvaluableasset,versushavingthemtrytotrackdownsome-bodywho’sataninformationdeskoratanotherjobtogetdirectionsfromwheretheyaretowheretheyneedtobe.”

Speeding up the check-in process

Ifthere’sonethingtocounton—otherthandeathandtaxes—it’sthattherewillbepaperworktofilloutwhenreceiv-inganyformofmedicaltreatment.

Thewholeprocesscanbeapainifthepatientisworkingwithapaperandpencil.That’swheredigitalsignagecancomeintoplay.Digitaltechnology—combinedwithinteractiveself-servicekiosktechnology—canbeusedtoautomatethecheck-inprocess.

Thesystemwouldworksomethinglikethis:Apatientarrivesatthehospitalandmakeshiswaytoacheck-inkioskinthelobby.Usingtheinteractivetouchscreenonthedigitaldisplay(oralternatively,akeyboardlocatedonthefrontofthekiosk)hetypesinhisname,address

Digital technology, combined with interactive self-service technology, can be used to automate and streamline the check-in process at a medical facility.




andotherrelevantinformation,usingthedisplayasaninterfacetoreviewthedata.Attheendoftheprocess,thekioskprintsoutahospitalIDbracelet.

“Checkinginlikethatwouldservetwopurposes,”saidGerba.“One,itwouldcutdownontheamountofpaperthat’sflyingaroundandpotentiallyreducethechanceforerrorsinceyou’renotre-en-teringeverypieceofinformationeverytime.Butalsoitwouldgetyouintothesystem—somekindofcomputerizedsystemthatwouldbeabletotrackhowlongyou’vebeenwaitingthereandatwhatstageoftheprocessyou’reat.”

Gerbaalsopointedoutthatanautomated check-inprocedurewouldbenefitnotonlythepatients,butthehospitalaswell.

“WithHIPAArequirementsandevery-thing,alotofhospitalsaredigitizingalloftheirrecordsanyway,”hesaid.

“Digitalsignagesetupinthepatientcheck-inareacaninformthosewaitingtohavespecificpaperwork,identificationandinsurancecardsreadyforcheck-in,”Zmudaadded.“Atthesametime,throughamultiple-zonetemplate,enter-tainmentprogrammingcanruntohelpreduceperceivedwaittimes,leadingtoamorepositiveexperience.”

The value proposition for the provider

It’sclearbynowthatthereareahost

ofapplicationsfordigitalsignageinahealthcaresetting,andthatthepres-enceofsuchtechnologyisbeneficialforpatientsinmanyrespects.Itcande-creasetheirperceivedwaittime,speedupthecheck-inprocess,educatethemabouttheircondition,entertainthemandmaketheirstayatthefacilitymoreenjoyableoverall.

Butwhatofthestaffofthefacilityitself?Whataretheadvantagesforthem?

Itisdifficulttocomeupwithapsycho-logicalprofileofwhotheprovideris(andconsequently,whathisneedsare),

Using digital rather than paper files in a medical office cuts down on the amount of paper that must be stored and reduces the potential for error.




becausetheprovidercancomeinsomanydifferentforms.Hemaybeafam-ilyphysicianoperatingamodestprivatepracticeoutofasmallsuburbanoffice,orhemaybepartofamajorregionalhealthnetworkincluding71healthcarefacilitieswithmorethan1,900licensedbeds,morethan42,000dischargesandalmost100,000emergencyroomvisitsannually.

Thespecificneedsinbothsituationswouldbedifferent,tobesure.Buttherearethreethingsthateveryhealthcareproviderneedstohaveathisdisposal:theabilitytocommunicatewithhisstaff,theabilitytocommunicatewithhispa-tientsandgoodbranding.

Alloftheseareareasinwhichdigitalsignageexcels.

Communication with staff

Communicationwithstaffmaynotbeamajorissueforadentistoperatingatinypracticewithonlythreeassistantsandareceptionist,butconsidertheexampleofthemajorhealthcarenetworkcitedabove.Withthousandsofemployeesspreadacross71healthcarefacilitiesintheregion,thingscanbecomplicatediftheCEOwantstoinstantlygetames-sagetoallofhisstaff.

Thisisacorestrengthofdigitalsignage.Bydeployinghundredsofintegrateddis-playsthroughoutall71facilities,awebofcommunicationcaneffectivelybe

castthatwillnotonlycatchtheeyeofemployees,butalsocansendcontentatamoment’snotice.ThatcontentmaybeassimpleasabriefseriesofPower-Pointslidesorareal-timefeedoftheCEO’smorningaddress,butaslongasthedisplaysareintegratedonapower-fuldigitalsignagenetwork,themessagecanbebroadcastquicklyandeasily.

Guetermansaysdigitalsignageisex-tremelyhelpfulinhismedicalcenter’soperatingroom,wheresignagedisplaysacontinuouslyupdatedschedulematch-ingtimeswithroomnumbers,patientnamesandsurgeonnames.

“Itupdateslikeaflightschedulewouldupdateatanairport,”hesaid.“Asnewinformationisinput,itdisplaysthelat-eststatusofwhat’sgoingon.Thatgotimplementedandspreadoutthroughvariouspartsofthehospital.”

Thatinformationusedtobekeptonwhite- boards,Guetermansays,butpersonnelwerequicktoseethebenefitsofreplac-ingthewhiteboardswithdigitaldisplays.

“Itusedtobedonemanually,”hesaid.“Nurseswouldhavetocomeupandliterallyeraseinformationandwriteitwithamarkerwhennewinformationwasupdated.Sothat’sallbeenchangedelectronically.Nowitcanbedoneinoneplaceanditupdatesandrefreshesthroughouttheentirecampus.”

Anyonewhohasworkedinalargecor-




porationcaneasilyseethebenefitsofsuchapowerfulcommunicationtool.

“You’vegotallthesedoctorsandnursesandhealthcareprovidersthataren’tsit-tinginfrontofacomputeralldaywatch-ingtheire-mailordon’thavetheabilitytobrowsetheinternalsitefornews,”Ca-hoysaid.“They’reconstantlyup.They’removing.Youcanputdigitalsignageup inthecafeterias,thebreakrooms,thehigh-visibilityareas—asyou’repassingelevatorsandthattypeofthing—toputoutthelatestannouncement.”

Thecommunicationswebcanbeusedtoeducateemployees—particularlynewemployees—oninformationthatwouldplayasignificantroleintheirjobs,suchaschangesincorporatepolicies,newpharmaceuticalsorthelatestpro-nouncementsfromtheFoodandDrugAdministration.

“Ithinkthat’sagoodwayofreinforc-ingtheeducationalmessagesthatyouneedtogetacross—especiallyifit’ssomethingthatthehospitalwantstogetacrosstoallofitsstaffatthesametime,”explainsTimBuchholz,seniorvicepresidentofcorporatecommuni-cationsforWashington-basedPOPAI,TheGlobalAssociationofMarketingatRetail.“Digitalsignageisgoodforthat.”

Communication with patients

We’vealreadyseenhowcommunication canbenefitthepatientbyshorteningper-

ceivedwaittimesandansweringlinger-ingquestionsthatmighthavebeencausingundueanxiety.Buthowcanthehealthcareprovidertakeadvantageofthisinteractionwithhisvaluedclients?Is thereanythinghecangainfromhaving avisuallydynamic,real-timecommu-nicationchannelleadingstraighttohispatients?

Theanswerisaresounding“Yes!”andit’sallbecauseoftwokeywords:adver-tisingandbranding.

Patientssittinginlobbiesandwaitingroomsare,bynature,acaptiveaudience. They’relookingforsomethingtoenter-tainorinformthemandwillwelcomeitwhentheyseeit.Digitalsignagecanbeusedtodescribeanewtreatment,medi-cationorhospitaloffering.

Digital signage can replace white boards to show scheduling information and keep physicians up to date on patient condi-tions.




Anetworkofhospitalsdoesn’tnecessar-ilyhavetoadvertiseonlyitsownproducts andservices.Withdigitaldisplaysstra- tegicallypositionedatthepoint-of-service, hospitalshavetheopportunitytoselladvertisingspacetooutsidevendors.

“IfI’minathousanddifferenthospitals,IhaveaveryattractivenetworkwhereIcangotopharmaceuticalcompaniesandsay‘Howwouldyouliketoadvertiseyour new product in a thousand hospi-tals?’”Kolleradds.

The brand’s the thing

Brandingiscloselyassociatedwithadvertising,butasanyskilledmarketerwilltellyou,theyarenotthesamething.Brandingreferstothecustomer’s(orinthecaseofthehealthcareindustry,thepatient’s)overallperceptionofthehealthcarefacility,practiceornetwork.Whatdoeshethinkofwhenheseesabrand’slogo?Whatdoesitstandforinhismind?Doesherecognizeitonsight?Doesitbringbackmemoriesofsmilingfaces,pleasantinteractionandgreatservicesordoesthemeremen-tionofthehospital’snamedredgeupacustomer-servicenightmarehe’sbeentryingtoblackoutforyears?

Goodbrandingcanbethehighwaytosuccess,whilealousybrandperception canburyabrand.It’snotalwaystruethatnopressisbadpress,asanymedi-calsupplydistributorwhohasbeensuedforsellingfaultyproductscanat-test.Playersinthehealthcareindustrymuststrivetoensurethattheymaintainthehighestbrandperceptionpossible.

Sowhatdoesanup-to-datedigitalsig-nagesystemsaytoapatientwhenhestepsthroughthedoorsofahospital?

“Inmyview,itsaysthatthisplaceismoretechnologicallyadvancedandthatthey’reontheleadingedgeofthings,versusaplacethatmaynothavethatkindofequipment,”Fasicksaid.“Youcanmaybeextrapolateitouttothepointthatthisplaceprobablyhasbetterequipmentandmoreup-to-datedoctorsandpeoplethatarebettertrained.”

Thetruthis,digitalsignageprovidesawealthofopportunitiesforthecreativemarketertogetbrandingmessagesacrosstothepatient.AsZmudaexplains, thecustomizablenatureofdigitalsignage makesthiseasy.

“Digitalsignagesystemstypicallyinclude

Patients sitting in lobbies and waiting rooms are, by nature, a captive audience. They’re looking for something to entertain or inform them and will welcome it when they see it. Digital signage can be used to describe

a new treatment, medication or hospital offering.



content-managementsoftware,”Zmudasaid.“Content-managementsoftware allowsonetosetzonesonthescreento serve up different types of content. For instance,onecansetupascreentohave2to3zonesbycreatingtemplatesinthecontent-managementsoftware.Oncecompleted,eachzonecandisplaydifferenttypesofcontent,suchaslivetelevisioninzone1;advertisementsinzone2;andnews,weatherandsportsinzone3.Thesizeofthezonescanvary insize.Throughthiscommonapproach,onecouldscheduleadvertisingand/orbrandinginzone2.”

Cahoysaidthatmightbeassimpleasplacingacompanylogoinfrontofthepatientinanalmostsubliminalfashion.

“Brandingisallaboutkeepingyournameinfrontofyourclientele,”Cahoysaid.“Ifyou’vegotanoldTVthereandit’stunedtoCNN,thatdoesnothingforyourbrand.Butifyou’vegotadigitalsignthere,thenmaybeyoucantakethat [feed] and put it in a window but you’vegotsomethingassimpleasyourcolorsandyourlogo[surroundingit].Thatwouldhelptobrandthatidentityintothatconsumer’smind.”

Headdedthat,withtheincreasingprevalenceofso-calledwalk-inmedicalclinicswherethepatientissometimesinandoutinamatterofminutes,keepingyournameinfrontofthepatient(andthereforereinforcingthebrandpercep-tion)becomesevenmorecritical.


Gerbanotedthatsomehospitalsfindwaystobeamtheirbrandperceptionstraightintothepatient’shospitalroomviacustomprogrammingonthebedsidetelevisions.

“You can turn on the TV at your bed anditwillgotothehospital’schannelfirst,”Gerbaexplained.“Increasingly,thosearetakingonadigitalsignage-likeaspectwhereinsteadofbeingacheap-looking,text-onlychannelwiththehospital’shoursandphonenumbersorwhatever,companiesaregoinginandvolunteeringtoputindigitalsignageequipment…thatwilldriveacustomchannelwithcontentandwithadvertis-ingforthatspecifichospitaloragroupofhospitals.”




Usingmedicaldisplaysthatarebothreliableandconsistentisanecessityforhealthcareprofessionalsastheydealwithseriousconditionsrequiringdetailedimageseveryday.CalgaryHealthRegion,oneofthelargestfullyintegrated,publicly-fundedhealthcaresystemsinCanada,servesapopula-tionofmorethan1.2millionpeopleandishometosomeofthefastest-growingcommunitiesinthecountry.ItreachesbothurbanandruralareassurroundingCalgary.Duetoitsin-creasingtrafficthankstotheregion’scontinuedgrowth,CalgaryHealthneededmedicaldisplaysitsdoctorscouldcounton.

CalgaryHealth’sfouracutecarefacilities,whichrequirednewmedi-caldisplaystoreplaceagingones,combineeducationandtrainingwithhealthservices.Its120radiologistsprovidedailydiagnosticexamina-tionsusingatotalof75workstations—eachcontainingtwoside-by-sidemedicaldisplays.

CalgaryHealthemploysatotalof29,000workers,including2,300physicians that provide services in morethan100locations,involving12hospitals,fourcomprehensivehealth

Case study: Calgary Health Region makes room for NEC medical displays

centers,41carecentersandavarietyofcommunityandcontinuingcaresites.

The challenge

Afterdealingwithagingmedicaldis-playsandavarietyofdifferentmod-els,JackBerry,DiagnosticImagingTechnicalDirectoratCalgaryHealthRegion,decidedtoheadupaqual-itycontrolevaluationofthefacili-ties’technologyandstandardizethedisplaysbeingused.Berrycreatedablindtestfortheradiologistsusingavarietyofmanufacturers’displayssidebyside,demonstratingareplicaoftheworkstationCalgaryHealthneeded.

Goingintothetest,theradiolo-gistsknewtheywerelookingforthedisplaywithsuperiorimagequality,enablingcleardiagnosticviewingand consistency across the screen. Additionally,Berryneededamanu-facturerthatprovidedlocalsupportandservicing,andmorespecifically,awarrantythatwouldallowunitstobeinterchangeableandcalibratedasindividualunits,ratherthanasthepairtheywouldbeattheworksta-tions.Aftertheradiologists’evaluation




period,NEC’s21.3”MD21GS-3MP-CB2medicaldisplaycameoutontopastheirfirstpick.

The solution

BecauseNECworkscloselywithCalgary-areasupportcenterAcrodex,BerrywasconfidentCalgaryHealthwouldreceivetotaldisplaymainte-nancecareandongoingsupportforthenewdisplays.Asiscommonformedicalworkstations,CalgaryHealthinstalled150monitorssidebyside,creating75workstationsthroughouttheacutecarefacilities.Thenewmonitorswereintendedsolelyforradiologists’diagnosticviewingandPictureArchivingandCommunicationSystem(PACS)sinceCalgaryHealthalreadyhadinstalledNECdesktopandlarge-formatdisplaysforotherareasofitsfacilities,includingitsemployee/studenttrainingroomsandpatientemergencyrooms.

“SinceNECwasalreadyincrediblyprominentthroughoutourbuildings,Iknewtheirmedicaldisplayswouldbeagoodchoiceforourdiagnosticprofessionals,especiallyaftertheypickedNECthemselvesduringtheblindtesting,”saidBerry.“Myprimaryrequirementsforthenewmedicaldisplaysincludedmaintainingqualitycontrol,theabilityforremotecalibra-

tionallowingforeasyaccessibilityandadisplaythatwouldlowerourtotalcostofownership.”

Berrysuccessfullyfoundamanufac-turerwhowouldcatertoallnecessarygroupsindirectcontactwiththedis-plays:radiologists,whocanconfirmadisplay’sadvancedtechnologiesandconsistentimagequality;theITdepartment,whocangivecredittothesystem’seaseofmonitoringandthedisplay’svideocards;andfinallyPACSadministrators,whocanattesttothedisplay’sserviceability.Berryalsoknewthe3-megapixeldisplayswereaperfectfitbecauseofNEC’sstandard3-yearlimitedwarrantyonmedicalmonitors,whichincludesAdvancedOvernightExchangeforreplacingadefectiveunitwithinonebusiness day.

“WefoundeverythingweweresearchingforwhenwediscoveredNEC,”saidBerry.“Everyonewhoisinvolvedwiththeupdatedworksta-tions appreciates their ease of use andexceedinglyadvancedtechnolo-gies.Basedonourblindtestingandtheoutcomeoftheinstallations,Icanverifythattheclarityfoundinthesedisplaysissuperior.WecertainlymadetherightdecisionincontinuingtheNECtrendbyaddingtheirdis-playstoourmedicalworkstations.”



“Good digital signage content is relevant for the audience and the environment

and offers context.”— Mike Zmuda, director of business development,

NEC Display Solutions

Chapter 3 The rules of good content

A sanyindustryexpertwilltellyou, adigitalsignagesystem—one that’sproperlyconfigured—will

alwaysbedesignedinsuchawaythatthemessageisthefocalpoint.Thesignageisnottheretowowtheviewerwithcuttingedgetechnology.Infact,iftheviewerwalksawayrememberingthebrilliantcolorsandsharppicturequalityofthedisplayinsteadofyourmessage,you’vefailed.

“Simplyput,gooddigitalsignagecontentisrelevantfortheaudienceandtheen-vironmentandofferscontextbasedonwhatisgoingonatthatparticulartime,inthatparticularcity,inthatparticularhealthcarefacility,”saidMikeZmuda,directorofbusinessdevelopment,NECDisplaySolutions.

RyanCahoy,vicepresidentofsalesandmarketingforShawnee,Kan.-basedRiseVisionInc.,agreed.

“Everybodygetstiedupinflexibilityandwhethertheycandothisorthat,”Cahoysaid.“Asyou’rebrainstormingandwhileyou’repurchasing,youalwayshavetheconcernaboutgettingtoolockedinto something.Butbythesametoken,ifyou getoffintotoomanydifferenttangents,you’venowwateredyoursystemdown fromwhatyourinitialintentwas.Wespend alotoftimetryingtohelpourclientskeep itsimple.Justbecauseyoucandomanythingswithdigitalsignagedoesn’tmeanthatyoushoulddothemoryouneedtodothem.Alotofthemosteffective

digitalsignagewe’vedeployedisreallysimplewithaverypoignantmessage.”

“Feeding the beast”

Oneofthekeyadvantagesofdigitalsign- ageovertraditionalprintmediaisthefactthatitisdynamic.Contentcanbechangedatamoment’snotice.Whereasbanners and posters have a tendency tohangineffectivelyfordaysorevenweeksaftertheircontenthasexpired,digitalsignagecanbeupdatedquicklyandremotely—attheclickofamouse.

Contentcantakemanyforms.ItmayappearasaseriesofPowerPointslidesthatlistupcomingeventsoverthenextfewweeks.Itmaybeatwo-minutevideoexplainingthesymptomsofacidrefluxdiseaseandhowtoseektreatment.Itcanbeacrawlofthelatestheadlines,alivefeedfromESPN,aFlashanimation,aseriesofstillimagesoracombinationofthese.Thevisuallydynamicnatureofdigitalsignagemeansthatthepossibili-tiesforcontentarelimitless.

Withthatinmind,it’ssomewhatsurpris-ingforindustryexpertslikeScottKoller,executivevicepresidentofsalesandmarketingforMinneapolis,Minn.-based



CHAPTER 3 The rules of good content

WirelessRoninTechnologiesInc.,whenheseesdigitaldisplaysthatarestillrun-ningoutdatedmaterial.

“Allthey’vedoneisturnthedisplayintoadigitalposter,”Kollersaid,referringtothesignagedeployers.“Tocoinaphraseintheindustry,theydon’tfeedthebeastasoftenastheycan—asoftenastheyshould.”

What“thebeast”wantsisfreshandup-to-datecontent.Whyhedoesn’tgetitisanyone’sguess,accordingtoKoller.And it’s not just static content that needs arebooteverynowandthen.Kollersaidtheonusisonthedeployertoalsoreplaceanyfull-motionvideothatmighthavegottenstale.

“Itbecomeswallpaperjustlikethepostersdo,”hesays.“IfIsitinthewait-ingroomandcomebacksixmonthslaterandthesameadisplaying,youhaven’tdoneanythingtomotivateme.It’sjustlikeifyouputyourWebsiteoutthere and you don’t update it for a year. Soonerorlaterpeoplestopcomingtoitbecauseit’snotabenefitorinforma-tionalenough.”

Set aside resources

Oneofthefirstthingsdigitalsignage deployersneedtounderstandisthatgoodcontentrequiresacommitment.

“They’veneverthoughtaboutthat,”saidJimmyDun,vicepresidentofbusiness

developmentforFremont,Calif.-basedDynasignCorp.“They’reveryexcitedto put the screen there. Now after three months,whatdotheydo?They’veneverthoughtofallocatingaresourcetoplanthecontent.Butit’sanongoingproposi-tion.Youdon’tdoitonaone-shotdeal—it’sadaily,weekly,monthly,yearlyplanning.”

Therewillalsolikelybeanongoingmonetaryinvestmentinvolved.While someformsofcontentcanbeexpensive,findingcontentthatisbothreliableandcost-effectiveshouldn’tbeadifficulty.

“Sometimeswhentheygototheiradfirm,theadfirmischargingasmuchastheywouldtocreateaTVspottomaketheselittle15-secondadstogoonit,”Kollersaid.“Itdoesn’thavetobethatcomplicated.”

Whatoptionsareavailable?Obviouslydeployerscan’tgotothe“goodcon-tenttree”andpluckadigitaladfromitsbranches.Sowheredoesgoodcontentcomefrom?Thereareanumberofalternatives.Somehealthcareproviders(likehospitals)canhireaninternalITstaff to create the content. If the notion ofadditionalstaffdoesn’tappealtothehospitaladministrator,thenheorshemaywanttoturntoanoutsidePRormarketingfirm.

Butafamilyphysicianwhooperatesasmallprivatepracticemaynotlikeeitherof those options.




“Ifyouputfivescreensinonesmallmedicaloffice,andthey’vegottocreatethecontent,thenthey’vegottohirefiveorsixpeople,andthisindustryisnevergoingtotakeoff,”Dunsaid.“Managingthecontent,creatingthecontentandplanningthecontentisthemostcostly,resource-intensive[aspect]ofmaintain-ingadigitalsignagenetwork.”

Inthiscase,thephysicianmaywanttoturntothethirdoption:hiringadigital-signage-solutionscompany.Adigital-signage-solutionscompanyisonethatspecializesindevelopingandprovidingregulardigitalsignagecontentthatisbothcompellingandcost-effective.

A wealth of content

Adigitalsignagedeployermustprovideguidanceforthosecreatingthecontentforhisdeployment.Whatmessageormessagesdoeshewanttoconveytopatients?Whatdoeshewantthemtorememberwhentheywalkawayfromhisdisplays?Whoisheasahealthcareprovider?

There’snothingthattellsthisstorybetterthanthemarketingmaterialsadeployeralreadyhasinhispossession.Logos,productsheets,brochures—anykindofadvertisingliteratureinhisarsenal— willallbeinvaluabletothecontentdevel- operwhoisattemptingtogetafeelforhis business.

“Wetrytousealotoftheirsamecreative

assets,”Cahoysaid,speakingofhisclients.“Westartoutwiththeirbranding guides:theircolors,theirlogos,theirfonts. Fromthere,whatdotheyhave?Whatkindofvideosforcommercials?Whatkindofbrochures?Whatkindofmarket-ingimagesandfiles?Wewanttotakethemandadaptthemfordigitalsignage.Inmanycases,anadthat’sruninanewspaperisn’tconducivetodigitalsignage,soitwillneedabitofrework.Butoverall,itcomesbacktothekeymessagehealthcareproviderswanttopromote,andwhatassetstheyhave.If

Most healthcare entities already have a wealth of good content available to them in the form of marketing materials. The chal-lenge is formatting it for the digital signage medium.




theydon’thavethem,howdotheywanttocreatethem?Isitimportantthatit’savideo?CanitbejustasimpleFlashanimationorisitsomethingassimpleasastaticJPEGimagetheycancre-atequickly?Thatallgoeshandinhandwithhowoftenthey’reupdatingthisandinwhatkindofenvironment.Isitadailyupdateorisitsomethingthatwillbeupdatedquarterly?”

AsZmudaexplains,today’smarketerisrelativelysavvywhenitcomestofindinggooddigitalcontent.

“Thegreatnewsaboutcontentisthatmostcontentdevelopershavebeenschooledintheuseofindustry-standardapplications,”Zmudasaid.“Inaddition,theleadingcontent-managementappli-cationsinthemarketsupportfileformatsfromtheseindustry-standardapplica-tions. Because of the industry standards betweencontent-developmentappsandcontent-managementsoftware,onecantypicallyuseinternalresourcesorfindseveralcreativeagenciesthatcande-velopgreatcontentforone’sneeds.”

Noonewantstowillinglysitdowninfront ofatelevisionsetandsubjecthismindtohundredsofpreprogrammedmarket-ingmessages,allaimedathiswallet.That’swhytelevisionnetworksprovideentertainmentprogramming.Ifitweren’tforsmashhitslike“AmericanIdol,”“Lost,”“Grey’sAnatomy”and“C.S.I,”therewouldn’tbeanaudiencetoseethatadforlaserhairremoval.

Themoralofthestory?Youhavetogivesomethingtogetsomething.Ifpeoplearegoingtowatchadvertisements,theadvertiserhastoprovidethemwithsomethingvaluableinreturn.

Itmaysoundlikeasimpleconcept,butmanydigitalsignagedeployersthinktheycansetupdisplaysthatshownoth-ingbutadvertisementsandcommercialsandaudienceswillflocktotheirscreens.Thetruthis,viewerswillquicklytireofthemessageifitalwaysinvolvesamovetowardtheirpocketbooks.

That’swheretheartofentertainmentcomesin.

“Ithinkit[entertainment]isabigdeal,”Kollersaid.“Wegetsomuchinformationshovedatus.Ifentertainmentwasn’timportant,theneverycommercialwouldjustsay‘Here’smyproductandhere’swhatitdoes.’Noneofthemdothat.Everycommercialyousee—everyspotyousee—triestoentertainyouinsuchawaythatyouwalkawayremembering

“Because of the industry standards between content-development apps

and content-management software, one can typically use internal resources or

find several creative agencies that can develop great content.”

— Mike Zmuda, director of business development, NEC Display Solutions




thatbrandinafavorablelight.SoIthinkentertainmentisveryimportantandIthinkithelpswithretentionandIthinkithelpswithassociatedbrand.”

“Iknowthatifacommercialisfunny,I’m morelikelytohaveretentionofthatprod-uctthanIwouldotherwise,”headded.

“Evenifyou’vegotadigitaldisplaythatisanimated,ifit’sstill100-percentmarketing,peoplewillstarttoignoreit,”Cahoysaid.“Butifyou’vegotsomethingthatengagesthem,thennowyoushouldbeabletoattracttheireyeballseverytimetheypassby.OneofthethingsIlookatfromanentertainmentsideismakingthedisplayadestination.Youcanalwaysdoafull-screenvideoorafull-screenad,buthowmanytimeswillthatconsumerwalkbyandalwayslookatitiftheyknowit’snothingbutads?”

It’s not hard to entertain the patient. You don’thavetoproduceyourowndramatictelevisionshoworholdyourownrealityTVmusical-talentcompetition.Some-timesallyouhavetodoisputupalivenews or weather feed.

“Ifyoumakethedisplayadestinationbysimplyputtingupthetime,theweather,maybethelatestheadlinenewssothatit’sengagingandentertaining,thenwhen peoplecomeintothebankorretailoutlet—whateveritis—theywanttolookatthedisplay,”Cahoysaid.“Nowthatdisplayisengaging.It’sadestina-tionandanyothermarketinginformation

that’snexttoithasmoreappealbe-causemorepeoplewillseeit.”

“Wecreatedsomecontentforagolfstore,”Kollersaid.“WemadesureweadvertisedtheTaylorMadedriver…butinbetween,wedidfamousquotesfromgolfersandfromentertainersongolfers.Oryoucanputamusicvideointherefromtimetotime.Itreallydoesn’tmat-ter.Itreallycomesdowntowhatyou’retryingtoaccomplish.”

“ButIthinkitstillhastoberelevant,”he added.“Idon’tthinkyoujustwanttorandomlystartputtingthingstogethertokeepthementertained.”

Frequency matters

It’sclearthatthebeastneedstobefed,buthowmuchdoesheeat?Howmuchcontentdoyouneedtocreate,andhowoftenshouldthatcontentbeupdated?

Theansweris:itdepends.

Good digital content will not waste the viewer’s time, but will provide them with valuable information that is relevant to their current situation.




Itdependsonhowoftenanindividualpatientisgoingtoseethecontent—andforhowlong.Contentonadigitaldisplayinthewaitingroomatafam-ilydoctor’sprivatepracticeprobablyneedn’tbeupdatedeveryweek,asmostpatientsonlyvisittheirfamilydoctoronceortwiceayear.Ontheotherhand,contentinthelunchroomofa hospitalmayneedtobeupdatedmore regularly,sincepatientssometimesstayatahospitalforweeksatatime.

Deployersalsomustpaycarefulconsid-erationtothelengthofthecontent,andtothefrequencywithwhichanindividualadormessageplays.

“Italldependsontheareait’sgoinginto,”Kollersaid.“Ifyouknowtheaver-

agewaittimeinawaitingroomis30minutesandyouwanttogetthatmes-sageacrossthreetimes…you’vegottofindabalance.Eachareaisdifferent.Inahall,Icanprobablyrotatethree15-secondadsrepeatedlyandI’mnotgoingtooffendanybodybecausepeoplearewalkingbyat10secondsatatime.ButifIrotatethree15-secondadsfor30minutesinawaitingroom,I’mgoingtohypnotizethem,probably.”

“If you make the display a destination by simply putting up the time, the weather, maybe the latest headline news so that it’s engaging and

entertaining, then when people come into the bank or retail outlet — whatever it is — they want to look at the display.”

— Ryan Cahoy, vice president of sales and marketing, Rise Vision



Chapter 4 Making the right purchasing choices

O nceadeployerhasdecidedupon thetypeofcontenthewillbe running,hecandelveintothe

various hardware and software options available.Therearealltypesofques-tions that have to be answered. What kindofdigitaldisplaysshouldhepur-chase:LCDsorplasmascreens?Howmanydisplayswillheneed?Whatsizeshouldtheybe?Willa32"LCDbesuffi-cientorshouldhegowitha60"display?

Then there’s the issue of software. What arethevarioustypesofsoftwareprograms thatareavailabletothedeployer?Whatoptionsdotheycomewith?Shouldhepurchasethesoftwaretogetherwiththehardwareinaso-called“bundledsolu-tion”orshouldhebuythemseparately?

Lastbutnotleast,hehastoconsiderwhetherhisdisplayswillbeintegratedontoadigitalsignagenetwork.Havingthemintegratedontoaspecialnetworkbringsitsownadvantages.Remotemanagementispossible,enablingcon-tentchangesattheclickofamouse.Thenetworkcanalsoprovideinstantnotificationofdisplaymalfunctions.

Butmostimportantly,deployersmustde- signasystemthatkeepstheirmessagefrontandcenter.Whatarethedisplaysgoingtocommunicate?Whoistheaudi- ence?Whataretheshort-termcommuni- cationsneedsandthelong-termgoals?

Thismeansfindingsoftwareandhard-warevendorsthatarewillingtositdown

withthehealthcarefacilityandtrytocomprehenditsmission.

“Fromadigitalsignageconsultativeperspective,thesellingpartyneedstoconductextensivediscoverymeetingswiththehealthcareprovidertofullyun-derstandwhattheirobjectivesare,andthentranslatetheobjectivesintotan-giblehardware/softwarearchitecture,”saidMikeZmuda,directorofbusinessdevelopmentatNECSolutions.

Therearealotofissuestoconsider.Forthepurposesofthisguide,ithelpstogothrougheachtopiconbyone.

Deciding on the hardware

Thereareanumberoffactorsthatplayintoadeployer’schoiceofdisplaytype,nottheleastofwhichisthestyleofcon- tent.Willthedisplaysshowafull-motionvideo,orwilltheymostlyshowstaticcon-tent,suchaseventlistings,newscrawls,financialtickersandcompanylogos?

Whydoesitmatter?

PlasmascreensandLCDshandlethe

Most importantly, deployers must design a system that keeps their message front

and center. What are the displays going to communicate? Who is the audience? What

are the short-term communications needs and the long-term goals?



CHAPTER 4 Making the right purchasing choices

effectsofstaticcontentdifferently.Oneoftheperceivedweaknessesofplasmascreens is that they are subject to an effectknownas“burn-in.”

Burn-in(alsoreferredtoas“imagereten- tion,”“ghosting”and“imageshadowing”)isthedreadedphrasethatnodigitalsign- ageoperatorwantstohear.Itusuallyoccursondisplaysthatcontinuouslyrun staticcontent,likelogos,banners,crawl- ingtextandsimilargraphicsthatremain onthescreenforlongperiodsoftime.Whenthepicturechangesandthestaticcontentisremoved,afaint“ghost”or“shadow”ofthecontentmayremain.Anyonewhohasusedadesktopcom-puterisprobablyfamiliarwithscreen-savers.Shortlyafterdesktopcomputersbecamepopular,screensaverswere developedasanefforttocurbtheeffects ofburn-inbydirectingthecomputertoreplacestaticcontentwithanimatedmovingcontentwhenamonitorhadbeen idleforapre-specifiedperiodoftime.

Plasmascreensaremuchmorelikelytosufferburn-inthanLCDsare.

Ontheotherhand,plasmascreenshave theirownadvantages—particularlywhen itcomestothebrilliance,contrastandcolordepthoffull-motionvideo.

“Theprimarydifferenceisthatplasmaiswhatiscalledan‘emissivedisplay’,”explainsBillGerba,CEOofFortLau-derdale,Fla.-basedWireSpringTech-nologiesInc.“Everypixelmakesitsown

lightandissendingitsownlightout.Asaconsequence,thecolorsareveryvibrant.Ifapixelisblack,there’snolightcomingoutofit,soit’satrueblack.With LCD,ontheotherhand,there’safilmthatbasicallymakesthedifferentcolors, butthere’sabacklightbehindit.Tomakeblack,forexample,thepixelgetsfilledinsothatitdoesn’tletthelightfromthebacklightpassthrough.Consequently,thebigshortcomingoftheLCDisthatblacksaren’tasblack—colorsaren’tasvibrant—astheyareonplasmas.”

Additionally,plasmascreensgenerallyhaveahigherrefreshrate,meaningthattheyareabletohandlefast-movingvideobetterthanLCDs.That,plustheaddedvibrancyandcolordepthofaplasmascreen,generallymakeitthetopchoiceofconsumerswhowanttouseitsimplyforin-homeentertainment

There are limitless digital signage hardware, software and content-creation solutions on the market today. How can the deployer choose the right ones?



purposes.

“Forhometheater,manypreferplasmascreens,”saysBobHouse,COOatTempe,Ariz.-basedNORVISIONInc. “ThepictureisalittlebetterthanonLCDs andfastmotion,suchasabaseballflyingat100mph,isclearer.However,LCDtechnologyiscatchingupfast.”

Notonlyistheplasmascreenthedisplay ofchoiceforfull-motionvideocontent,butitalsohasastrongfootholdwhenitcomestoscreensizes.Plasmascreens generallyholdamonopolyonthemarket whenitcomestoscreensizesof50inchesorgreater.

“Theplasmaguysaretryingtogobiggerbecausetheystillhaveanedgeontheverylargedisplays,”saysSeanMoran,presidentoftheOut-of-HomeMediaNet- worksbusinessunitintheTechnicolorservicesdivisionofParis-basedThomson.

Buttheplasmascreenmonopolymaynotlastforever.Moransaysheiswit-nessingagradualincreaseinLCDscreensizesandaddsthatherecentlyattendedaconferencewherea100"LCD was showcased.


“Ofcoursetheseareinsmallquantities,butifthey’regoingthere,Ithinkthey’re probablygoingtotakethismarketaway,” Moransays.“Sothat’shadarealnega-tiveimpactontheplasmaprogram.”

Built to last

Healthcareprovidersmustbeconcernedwithmorethanjustimageretentionand videoquality.Whenitcomestochoosing therighthardware,thereareotherfactors toconsider.Amongthemareenviron-mentalfactors.Canthedisplayssurvivearuggedhealthcareenvironment?

“Thingsareconstantlybeingcleanedand sprayeddownwithdisinfectant,”Gerbasaid.“Thereareallsortsofparticulatematterintheair,soyouneedtomakesurethatyourscreensandthecomput-ersthatareplayingthecontentarerug-gedenoughtohandletheenvironment.”

“Fromahardwareperspective,Ithinkit’senvironmental,”saidRyanCahoy,vicepresidentofsalesandmarketingatShawnee,Kan.-basedRiseVisionInc.“Isittherightsize?Isitreadable?Doesithavethelongevity?It’sbacktothatplasmavs.LCDconversation.AmIlookingatinvestinginsomethingfor18

Healthcare providers must be concerned with more than just image retention and video quality. When it comes to choosing the right hardware, there are other factors to consider. Among them are environmental factors.

Can the displays survive a rugged healthcare environment?




monthstotwoyearsoramIlookingatsomethingIwanttolastforfiveyears?”

JimmyDun,vicepresidentofbusinessdevelopmentforFremont,Calif.-basedDynasignCorp.,adviseddigitalsignagedeployersagainstbuyingcheapdisplaysin order to save on cost.

“Whattheyneedtodoistomakesuretheystaywiththemainstreamanddon’tjustgooutandtrytosave$2.00or$5.00andbuytheirLCDpanelsfromsomesmallunknownbrandname,”Dunsaid.“Gowiththemainstream…itdoescostyou20-percentmoretobuytheequipment,butinthelongtermyou’llsavealotofmoneybydoingthat.”

TimBuchholz,theseniorvicepresi-dentofcorporatecommunicationsforWashington-basedPOPAI,theGlobalAssociationforMarketingatRetail,saidit’scommendablethatsomedeployersstrivetoobtainthelatestandgreatestequipment.Hepointedout,however,thatthereisadangerinbeingthefirstonetodeployabrand-newtechnology.Insomecases,hesaid,it’sadvanta-geoustogowiththetriedandtrue.

“Definitelylookatnotonlythecuttingedgeequipmentcomingout—thelat-estandgreatest—butalsotakeastepbackandlookatsomethingestablishedandproven,”Buchholzsaid.“Youneedtolookatprojectingthelifecycleofthatprovenpieceofequipmentandmaking

surethatit’snotgoingtobeobsoletetooquick.Butyouhavetojuxtaposethatagainstgoingwiththecuttingedgestuffwhereyoumayhavetopaywiththingsnotnecessarilyworking100percent.”

“Oftenwithtechnology,whenyou’reonthecuttingedge,youmaybeinthemar-ketfaster,butyoualsogenerallyhandlealittlebitofpainthatcomeswiththat,”he added.

Software that works

Thesoftwareisthenextcriticalcompo- nentofadigitalsignagesystem.Thinkofthesoftwareasthemindbehindthe system.Itholdsthemessagecontent.Ittellsthedisplaywhattoshowonthescreenandwhentoshowit.Itcommu-nicateswiththeoutsideworldviathesignagenetwork.Itcanevenperform

Think of the software as the mind behind your digital signage system. It holds your message content, tells your display what to show on the screen and when to show it and commu-nicates with the outside world via your signage network.




diagnosticsonthedisplayandletthedeployerknowifsomethingismalfunc-tioning.

Withoutsoftware,yourdigitalsignageisbrain-dead.

Sowhatkindofsoftwareshouldade-ployerpurchase?

“Obviouslyyouneedtomakesurethatthesoftwareisabletodowhatyouwant,”Gerbaadded.“Ifyouhaveaveryelaborateplanforsendingallsortsofcontentaroundandschedulingadvertis-ing,youneedtomakesurethatthesoft-wareiscapableofdoingthat.Ifyou’rerunningonehospitalversusagroupof10hospitalsinthesamearea,youneedtomakesurethatyoursystemisca-pableofhandlingthat.Ifyou’replanningonrunningonlyonechannelofcontentinsideofthehospital,versusmaybedifferentchannelsindifferentareas,youneedtomakesurethatyou’recapableofhandlingthat.”

Oneoptionmaybetopurchasethedis- playsandthesoftwaretogetherin“bun-dledsolutions.”Thereareadvantagesanddisadvantagestothisarrangement.Insomesituations,bundledsolutionsare aliabilitybecausetheyboxthedeployerintousingaparticularbrandofsoftware.Thus,itbecomesdifficulttocustomizethedigitalsignagesystemforthedeploy- er’sindividualsituation.Ontheotherhand, abundledsolutionmeansthedeployerhasonlyonecustomerservicedepart-

menttogotoifsomethingmalfunctions.Ifthehardwareandsoftwarearefromseparatecompanies,theymightplaytheblamegameifasystemgoesdown.

PhilipLuzbetak,presidentofNewLe-nox,Ill.-basedPallynInternationalInc.,saysthat,likeanythingelse,thechoicebetweenpurchasingseparateorbun-dledsolutionsshouldbefilteredthroughtheprismofwhatadeployerhopestoaccomplishwithhissignage.

“Usuallyitdependsonwhatyou’redoing,” Luzbetaksaid.“I’vedoneboth.Basically, itdependsonthewholeoverallnetworkandwhatyouneed.”

Integration anyone?

Oneissuethatwillbeofmajorimpor-tancewhenconsideringasoftwarepackageiswhetherornotthedigitalsignagedisplaysshouldbeintegratedontoanetwork.

Whenthinkingofadigitalsignagesys-tem’snetwork,thinkofpower.Powertocommunicatewitheverydigitalscreeninthecountry—orontheplanet—thatoperateswithinthenetwork.It’sthesortofpowerthatprovidesadeployerwiththeabilitytochangethecontent,per-formdiagnosticsandrepairmalfunctionsonadisplayinCalifornia…allfromalaptopinanofficeinAlaska.

“Anetwork,inlayman’sterms,isasortof communicationgridthatenablesyouto




connectallofyourdigitaldisplaysbacktoacentralcontrollocation,”Luzbetakexplained.“Ingeneral,thisisdonethrough an open Internet or private intranet con-nection.”

Themethodofconnectivitymayvary.Adigitaldisplaymaylinktothenetworkviaalandline,Wi-Fi,cellularorsatellite connection.Atthetimeofthiswriting,cellular-andsatellite-baseddatatrans-missionsareopeningupahostofre-moteandpreviouslyuntappedmarketsfordigitalsignagedeployment.Integrat-eddigitalsignagenolongerhastobelocatednearlandlineinfrastructure.

Therearesomeissuesthatahealthcare providershouldconsiderwhendeployingdigitaldisplaysonanetwork,however.Probablythemostimportantonescenteron data security.

“Youneedtomakesurethat,nomatter whatsystemyoupick,itintegratesnicely anddoesn’tcauseyoutofalloutofcom-pliancewithHIPAAregulations,”Gerbasaid.

Ifdigitaldisplaysareintegratedonthesamenetworkwherepatientinformationiskept,thenit’sconceivablethatmal-evolenthackerscouldusethesignageasabackdoortoaccessthatprivate information.Forthatreason,manyhealth- care providers choose to create an entirelyseparatenetworkthatissolelydedicatedtodigitalsignage.

“Itallcomesbackwithhowyoudesignthesystem,”Cahoysaid.“Withallthe healthcareproviderswe’vebeenin-volvedwith,ithasn’tbeenanissue.Youcaneitherisolatethedigitalsignagetoanetworkthatisnotsharedwithyourclients’records.ItcanbeassimpleasputtingitonitsowndedicatedDSLlineifyouwant,orthedigitalsignagecanhaveitsowncomputerandyoucanre-allylockdownthatboxthat’sbehindthatscreen.”

Maintenance and upkeep

Thelastthingtoconsiderwhendeploy-ingdigitalsignageisroutinemainte-nanceandupkeep.Inthisstageofthe

Digital signage systems should be monitored on a daily basis, if possible. Some deployers may choose to invest in extended warranties on all their equipment to make sure it remains in top-notch condition.




project,monitoringiskey.

“Firstandforemost,digitalsignagesys-temsneedtobemonitoredonadailybasis,ifpossible,”saidZmuda.“Thiscanbedonethroughone’scontent- managementapplication,inadditiontootherthird-partyapplications.Themoni-toringfrequencyshouldbebasedonthesizeandscopeofthenetwork.”

Whatkindofwarrantyshouldadeployerpurchase?Whowillbeinchargeofservicingthesoftwareandthedisplaysifsomethingmalfunctions?

Somedeployersmaychoosetoinvestinextendedwarrantiesonalltheirequip-ment.

“Awarrantyisbasicallyagamble,”Gerbasaid.“You’retryingtoassumewhetherit’sgoingtobeneededornot.Again,that’sgoingtobesomethingthattheIT

personnelareprobablygoingtohaveagoodideaabout.Iftheyfindthattheygothroughcomputersalotmorefrequentlythantheymightthinkinitially,thenawarrantywouldmakeagoodidea.MostplasmaandLCDscreenswillcomewithathree-yearwarranty,butyoucangetthatupgradedtoafive-orevenaseven-yearwarranty.Thescreen,mostlikely,isnotgoingtosufferaproblemunlessthe environmentbasicallycausesaproblem.”

Zmudasaidthat,attheendoftheday,itistheresponsibilityofthedeployerto makesurethatalloftheirdigitalsignage equipmentstaysintop-notchcondition.

“Preventativemaintenanceshouldbescheduledonafrequentbasis,”Zmudaadded.“Thiscouldvaryfromonceamonthtoonceeverysixmonths,andshouldfocusondustremovalonorinallelectricaldevices,tocableconnectionassurance.”


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