Digital Signage

Traditionally, billboards and posters are used to communicate information to the public. Nowadays, we have digital signage to replace these which as digital screens of all sizes. "Digital signage is frequently referred to as DOOH or digital outside of the home" (Meadows, 2016). It can be used in various fields such as retail, hospitality, education, entertainment, corporate, transportation, and healthcare.

There are 3 types of signage:

Image from: J. Meadows (Meadows, 2016)

Two big advantages that digital signage offers are flexibility and interactivity. The information is no longer static but becomes dynamic depending on the data it gets from those interacting with it.

Image from: https://blog.magicinfoservices.com/blog/creating-memorable-experiences-with-ar-vr-and-digital-signage

Current uses

Digital signage can have facial recognition functions to identify and capture physical information (for example, the sex and age) of the person standing in front of it and present content personalized for them which is particularly useful for marketing purposes.
It can track what kind of message captured the public's attention and for how long.
It can present videos, animations, images, 3D content and interactive features like maps and allow users to interact with it by selecting buttons, zooming in and out with their touch, doing specific gestures and gazing at it.

How does it interact with mobile devices?

Digital signage can interact with mobile devices in several ways:

Bluetooth Beacons: When users' mobile devices are in "discoverable mode", digital signs can transmit signals to those nearby in the form of SMS messaging.
Social Networking Technologies: Users can interact with the signs through platforms like Twitter. For example, in a Coca-Cola campaign called "What's in a Name", users can tweet their name and have it appear on the sign with facts and meanings about their name. Then, the signal goes back to their smartphone and they can retweet the post (Hall, 2015, as cited in Meadows, 2016). Other examples of actions that users can do are uploading pictures and participating in polls/votes.
NFC Technology: When users touch their NFC enabled to the sign, it can transmit direct information. For example, a sign showing a movie trailer can transmit screening schedules to the phone (Meadows, 2016).
QR Code: Users can receive information by scanning the QR code.
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Users can receive information by connecting to the Wi-Fi of the sign if it has this feature.

Disadvantages

Cost: Digital signage requires a much higher cost than traditional boards to be built.
Privacy: As with any other technology that collects data, there is a risk of leaking identifiable and pseudonymous data of the viewers.

Educational Uses

The use of digital signage contributes to the creation of smart campuses. Schools and institutions can use the signs to support students by providing student service information and navigation guidance.
Through mobile devices, students are more receptive to engaging with important school announcements, which could easily be missed on bulletin boards.
Institutions' apps can potentially be integrated with their digital signage network and display personalized content for students and staff.
They can quickly disperse real-time responses to emergencies such as fire and shooting. These can also be issued to mobile devices if there is a system that integrates both the digital signage and mobile devices.

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