Digital Signage in Healthcare Industry

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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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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

Page 21 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 SoftwarethatworksContentmanagementsoftware Integrationanyone? Maintenanceandupkeep

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About the sponsors

Published by NetWorld Alliance.© 2010 NetWorld Alliance LLCPhotos courtesy of NEC Display Solutions unless otherwise specified.Written and edited by Travis K. Kircher, contributing writer, DigitalSignageToday.comDick Good, CEOTom Harper, president and publisherAndrew Davis, vice president, sales and marketingJoseph Grove, vice president and executive 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?

Whilemostwouldn’texpectadoctortopullanLCDorplasmascreenoutofherbag,don’tbetooquicktodismisstheidea—manydoctors’offices,hospitalsandnursinghomesarequicklydiscover-

© 2010 NetWorld Alliance LLC | Sponsored by NEC Display Solutions 4

Introductioningthatdigitalsignagecanrev-olutionizethewaytheycommu-nicate with their patients. The advantagesbecomeclearassoonasthedetailsaredelvedinto:digitalsignageisvisuallydynamicandengaging.It’sflex-ible.Contentcanbechangedorupdatedatamoment’snotice.Bestofall,itisoneofthemosteffectivemeansofcommunicat-inginformationtotheviewer.

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

Right?

Spoton.Butdigitalsignagedoesfarmorethancommunicateadvertising.Iteducates.Itcantell—orrather,show—theconfusedpatientsufferingfromsupraventriculartachycardiawhattoexpectwhenheundergoesaheartoblation.Itcansoothethenervesoftheanxiouslittlegirlsufferingfromtonsillitisbyprovidingherwithsomethingtolook

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.



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

Digitalsignageisarelativelynewtech-nology,andvariousindustriesarestillscramblingtodiscoverhowitcanbestbeputtouseintheircommunicationsstrategies.Thecompaniesandorgani-zationsthatmovefirstwillbetheonesonthecuttingedge.Thehealthcarein-dustryonlynowisdiscoveringthemanybenefitsdigitalsignagehastooffer.Demonstratingthesebenefitsiswhatthisguideisabout.

We’dliketothankNECDisplaySolu-tions,thesponsorofthisguide,forenablingustoprovideittoourreadersfreeofcharge.

INTRODUCTION



I naworldwheresalesofflatscreen monitorsarequicklybeginningto eclipsesalesforconventional

cathoderaytube(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,andstillischanging,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 hotspotsandconveyingbrand 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,digitalsignagestillisaverycom-plexpropositionforthecompanyinstall-ingit.MikeWhite,presidentofsystemsintegrationfirmMulti-MediaSolutions,adigitalsigngeprovider,calleddigitalsignage“oneofthetoughestA/Vinstallsintheworld.”

Why is it so challenging?

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

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

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

Thecontentstrategyusuallyneeds tobetackledfromscratch.Digital signagecontenthasacompletely newsetofrequirements;existing

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




mediaassetsoftenprovideagood startingpoint,butnoneofthemcan bereusedoutright.

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

Multiplenetworksmightbeinvolved. Themostbeneficialdigitalsignage productstouchoneormorenet- works.Inretail,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

Oneofthemajordecisionsthatdigital

signagedeployersarefacedwithhastodowithconnectivity.Howareallthescreensinthenetworkgoingtobecon-nected?

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

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

“Acellular-basednetworkprovidesalloftheadvantagesofEthernetandWi-Fiwithoutgettingtangledupincomplicated infrastructure,”saidKeithKelsen,CEOofworldwidemarketingforScottsValley,Calif.-basedMediaTile,aproviderofcellular-baseddigitalsignagesolutions.“Therearenocables.Therearenohubsandservers.Wenotonlybelieveit’sthebestoption—wethinkthatanysolutionthatofferszeroin-storeoron-sitewire-lesstechnologyistheonlyoptionandtherealfutureofconnectivity.”




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-opmentforItasca,Ill.-basedNECDisplaySolutions,adigitalsignagepro-vider.“Becauseofthesebenefits,digitalsignagecanofferhealthcarefacilitieswayfindinginformationforpatientsandvisitors,patronsofthehospitalcafeteriaintheformofdigitalmenuboards,orinthehospitalretailstore,advertisingproductsandservices.”

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

aspecificcommunicationsneedanddeterminehowdigitalsignagecanfillit.

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.Manywillbeworriedabouttheir

“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

condition.Otherswillbesufferingfrommildorintensepain.Evenpatientswhoalreadyhavebeendiagnosedmaystillbeunclearonthenatureofthediseasethey’resufferingfrom—foraseveryphysicianknows,thefieldofmedicinecanbeconfusingtothelayman.

Ontopofallthat,thepatientoftenisinanunfamiliarsetting.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.

“Healthcareisnotoriousforhavingyou

sitindifferentwaitingroomsandlookatsix-month-oldmagazines,”saidRyanCahoy,vicepresidentofsalesandmar-ketingforShawnee,Kan.-basedRise Vision,adigitalsignagesoftwareprovider.“Digitalsignagecanprovidesomethingthatwillhelpalleviatethatperceived waittime.Whileyou’resittingthere,you canseethelatestnews,weatherandsportsscores.”

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

“Theadvantageofbeingabletouseadigitalsignagesystemisthatyoucanstillshowentertainmentcontent,”saysBillGerba,CEOofWirespringTechnolo-gies,adigitalsignagesoftwareproviderbasedinFortLauderdale,Fla.“Youcanevenshowregulartelevisionifyouwantto.Soyou’regivingthepatientsome-thingtotaketheirattentionawayfromwhat’sgoingon.Butatthesametime,youhavealotmorecontrolthanyoudoifyoujustputaTVon.Youcanplanwhatcontentyouwanttoshow,farinadvance.YoucandecideifyouwanttoalternatebetweenCNNnewsduring timeswhentherearealotofadultsaroundorautomaticallychangingthe

Patients need to be informed, put at ease and have the ability

to navigate the facility. Digital signage can help achieve these

objectives.




channeltoPBSorSesameStreetorNickelodeonwhenkidsarethere.”

A fountain of information

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

“Forexample,ifyouareinthewait-ingareaofadermatologyclinic,youcanshowinformationaboutalotofthemorepopularproceduresthatpeoplemightnotknowabout,bothasawayofkeepingthembusyandentertainedwhilethey’rewaitingaroundbutalsoasawayofpromotingtheactualproductsthatthehospitalisselling,”Gerbasaid.“Itcanbethingslikecosmeticsurgery,itcanbethingslikevisioncorrectionorlaserhairremoval.Theygetintoallsortsofelectiveproceduresandalternativeproceduresforcommonthingsthataresometimeshardtoadvertisebecauseyoudon’tknowwhenyouhavetherightaudiencesittinginfrontofyou.That’snotreallyaproblemwhenyou’reinahealthcarefacility.”

Evenmoreimportantforpatients,digitalsignagecanhelpeducatethemaboutaspecificcondition.Thiscanbedoneinthelobby—orinamoreprivateloca-

tion,ifdesired—throughaseriesofinteractive touch screens.

“Thereisalotofangstaboutphysicalconditions such as heart disease. So if youcanputsomeeducationalmaterialstheretohelpexplainproceduresanddif-ferentthingsthey’regoingtosee,itcangoaverylongway,”saidScottKoller,executivevicepresidentofsalesandmarketingforMinneapolis,Minn.-basedWirelessRoninTechnologies,aproviderofdigitalsignagesoftware.“YoucanalleviatesomeoftheanxietytheymighthaveaboutundergoingaproceduresuchasaCATscanoranMRI.”

A window to the operating room

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

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

“[Parents]canwatchthestatusoftheprogressthat’sbeingmadeas[thechild]isbroughtintothepreoperativeareaandthenintotheoperatingroom,andthenwhenthey’redone,inpost-op,”Gueter-mansaid.“Itwillletthemknowtheprog-




ressofthesurgery.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’sthatthere

willbepaperworktofilloutwhenreceiv-inganyformofmedicaltreatment.

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

Thesystemwouldworksomethinglikethis:Apatientarrivesatthehospitalandmakeshiswaytoacheck-inkioskinthelobby.Usingtheinteractivetouchscreenonthedigitaldisplay(oralternatively,akeyboardlocatedonthefrontofthekiosk)hetypesinhisname,addressandotherrelevantinformation,usingthedisplayasaninterfacetoreviewthedata.Attheendoftheprocess,thekioskprintsoutahospitalIDbracelet.

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




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

Gerbaalsopointsoutthatanautomated check-inprocedurewouldbenefitnotonlythepatients,butthehospitalaswell.

“WithHIPAArequirementsandevery-thing,alotofhospitalsaredigitizingalloftheirrecordsanyway,”hesaid.

“Digitalsignagesetupinthepatientcheck-inareacaninformthosewaitingtohavespecificpaperwork,identificationandinsurancecardsreadyforcheck-in,”Zmudasaid.“Atthesametime,throughamultiple-zonetemplate,entertainmentprogrammingcanruntohelpreduceperceivedwaittimes,leadingtoamorepositiveexperience.”

The value proposition for the provider

It’sclearbynowthatthereareahostofapplicationsfordigitalsignageinahealthcaresetting,andthatthepres-enceofsuchtechnologyisbeneficialforpatientsinmanyrespects.Itcande-creasetheirperceivedwaittime,speed

upthecheck-inprocess,educatethemabouttheircondition,entertainthemandmaketheirstayatthefacilitymoreenjoyableoverall.

Butwhatofthestaffofthefacilityitself?Whataretheadvantagesforthem?

Itisdifficulttocomeupwithapsycho-logicalprofileofwhotheprovideris(andconsequently,whathisneedsare),becausetheprovidercancomeinsomanydifferentforms.Hemaybeafam-ilyphysicianoperatingamodestprivatepracticeoutofasmallsuburbanoffice,orhemaybepartofamajorregional

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.




healthnetworkincluding71healthcarefacilitieswithmorethan1,900licensedbeds,morethan42,000dischargesandalmost100,000emergencyroomvisitsannually.

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

Alloftheseareareasinwhichdigitalsignageexcels.

Communication with staff

Communicationwithstaffmaynotbeamajorissueforadentistoperatingatinypracticewithonlythreeassistantsandareceptionist,butconsidertheexampleofthemajorhealthcarenetworkcitedabove.Withthousandsofemployeesspreadacross71healthcarefacilitiesintheregion,thingscanbecomplicatediftheCEOwantstoinstantlygetames-sagetoallofhisstaff.

Thisisacorestrengthofdigitalsignage.Bydeployinghundredsofintegrateddis-playsthroughoutall71facilities,awebofcommunicationeffectivelycanbe castthatwillnotonlycatchtheeyeofemployees,butalsocansendcontentatamoment’snotice.ThatcontentmaybeassimpleasabriefseriesofPower-Pointslidesorareal-timefeedofthe

CEO’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-porationeasilycanseethebenefitsofsuchapowerfulcommunicationtool.

“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,”saidTimBuchholz,seniorvicepresidentofcorporatecommunicationsforWashington-basedPOPAI,TheGlob-alAssociationofMarketingatRetail.“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.

Anetworkofhospitalsdoesn’tnecessar-ilyhavetoadvertiseonlyitsownproducts andservices.Withdigitaldisplaysstra- tegicallypositionedatthepointofservice,

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




hospitalshavetheopportunitytoselladvertisingspacetooutsidevendors.

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

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,whilealousyperception canburyabrand.It’snotalwaystrue

thatnopressisbadpress,asanymedi-calsupplydistributorwhohasbeensuedforsellingfaultyproductscanat-test.Playersinthehealthcareindustrymuststrivetoensurethattheymaintainthehighestbrandperceptionpossible.

Sowhatdoesanup-to-datedigitalsig-nagesystemsaytoapatientwhenhestepsthroughthedoorsofahospital?

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

Thetruthis,digitalsignageprovidesawealthofopportunitiesforthecreativemarketertogetbrandingmessagesacrosstothepatient.AsZmudaexplains, thecustomizablenatureofdigitalsignage makesthiseasy.

“Digitalsignagesystemstypicallyinclude contentmanagementsoftware(CMS),”Zmudasaid.“CMSallowsonetosetzonesonthescreentoserveupdif-

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.



ferenttypesofcontent.Forinstance,onecansetupascreentohave2to3zonesbycreatingtemplatesintheCMS.Oncecompleted,eachzonecandisplaydifferenttypesofcontent,suchaslivetelevisioninzone1;advertisementsinzone2;andnews,weatherandsportsinzone3.Thesizeofthezonescanvaryinsize.Throughthiscommonapproach,onecouldscheduleadvertisingand/orbrandinginzone2.”

Cahoysaysthatmightbeassimpleasplacingacompanylogoinfrontofthepatientinanalmostsubliminalfashion.

“Brandingisallaboutkeepingyournameinfrontofyourclientele,”Cahoysaid.“Ifyou’vegotanoldTVthereandit’stunedtoCNN,thatdoesnothingforyourbrand.Butifyou’vegotadigitalsignthere,thenmaybeyoucantakethat[feed]andputitinawindowbutyou’vegotsomethingassimpleasyourcolorsandyourlogo[surroundingit].Thatwouldhelptobrandthatidentityintothatconsumer’smind.”

Headdsthat,withtheincreasingpreva-lenceofso-calledwalk-inmedicalclinicswherethepatientissometimesinandoutinamatterofminutes,keepingthebrandnameinfrontofthepatient(andthereforereinforcingthebrandpercep-tion)becomesevenmorecritical.

Gerbanotesthatsomehospitalsfindwaystobeamtheirbrandperceptionstraightintothepatient’shospitalroom


viacustomprogrammingonthebedsidetelevisions.

“YoucanturnontheTVatyourbedanditwillgotothehospital’schannelfirst,”Gerbasaid.“Increasingly,thosearetakingonadigitalsignage-likeaspectwhereinsteadofbeingacheap-looking,text-onlychannelwiththehospital’shoursandphonenumbersorwhatever,companiesaregoinginandvolunteer-ingtoputindigitalsignageequipment…thatwilldriveacustomchannelwithcontentandwithadvertisingforthatspe-cifichospitaloragroupofhospitals.”




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

Afterdealingwithagingmedicaldisplaysandavarietyofdifferentmodels,JackBerry,diagnosticim-agingtechnicaldirectoratCalgaryHealthRegion,decidedtoheadupaqualitycontrolevaluationofthefacili-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,


Chapter 3 The rules of good content

A sanyindustryexpertwilltellyou, adigitalsignagesystem—one that’sproperlyconfigured—will

alwaysbedesignedinsuchawaythatthemessageisthefocalpoint.Thesignageisnottheretowowtheviewerwithcuttingedgetechnology.Infact,iftheviewerwalksawayrememberingthebrilliantcolorsandsharppicturequalityofthedisplayinsteadofthemessage,thesignagehasfailed.

“Simplyput,gooddigitalsignagecontentisrelevantfortheaudienceandtheen-vironmentandofferscontextbasedonwhatisgoingonatthatparticulartime,inthatparticularcity,inthatparticularhealthcarefacility,”saidNECDisplaySolutions’Zmuda.

RiseVision’sCahoyagrees.

“Everybodygetstiedupinflexibilityandwhethertheycandothisorthat,”Cahoysaid.“Asyou’rebrainstormingandwhileyou’repurchasing,youalwayshavetheconcernaboutgettingtoolockedinto something.Butbythesametoken,ifyou getoffintotoomanydifferenttangents,you’venowwateredyoursystemdown fromwhatyourinitialintentwas.Wespend alotoftimetryingtohelpourclientskeep itsimple.Justbecauseyoucandomanythingswithdigitalsignagedoesn’tmeanthatyoushoulddothemoryouneedtodothem.Alotofthemosteffectivedigitalsignagewe’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-ingforindustryexpertssuchasWire-lessRonin’sKollerwhenheseesdigitaldisplaysthatarestillrunningoutdatedmaterial.

“Allthey’vedoneisturnthedisplayinto



CHAPTER 3 The rules of good content

adigitalposter,”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.Kollersaystheonusisonthedeployertoalsoreplaceanyfull-motionvideothatmighthavegottenstale.

“Itbecomeswallpaperjustlikethepost-ersdo,”hesaid.“IfIsitinthewaitingroomandcomebacksixmonthslaterandthesameadisplaying,youhaven’tdoneanythingtomotivateme.It’sjustlikeifyouputyourwebsiteoutthereandyou don’t update it for a year. Sooner orlaterpeoplestopcomingtoitbe-causeit’snotabenefitorinformationalenough.”

Set aside resources

Oneofthefirstthingsdigitalsignage deployersneedtounderstandisthatgoodcontentrequiresacommitment.

“They’veneverthoughtaboutthat,”saidJimmyDun,vicepresidentofbusinessdevelopmentforFremont,Calif.-basedDynasign,adigitalsignagesoftwareprovider.“They’reveryexcitedtoputthescreenthere.Nowafterthreemonths,whatdotheydo?They’veneverthought

ofallocatingaresourcetoplanthecon-tent.Butit’sanongoingproposition.Youdon’tdoitonaone-shotdeal—it’sadaily,weekly,monthly,yearlyplanning.”

Therealsowilllikelybeanongoingmonetaryinvestmentinvolved.While someformsofcontentcanbeexpensive,findingcontentthatisbothreliableandcost-effectiveshouldn’tbeadifficulty.

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

Whatoptionsareavailable?Obviouslydeployerscan’tgotothe“goodcon-tenttree”andpluckadigitaladfromitsbranches.Sowheredoesgoodcontentcomefrom?Thereareanumberofalternatives.Somehealthcareproviders(suchashospitals)canhireaninternalIT staff to create the content. If the no-tionofadditionalstaffdoesn’tappealtothehospitaladministrator,thenhemaywanttoturntoanoutsidePRormarket-ingfirm.

Butafamilyphysicianwhooperatesasmallprivatepracticemaynotlikeeitherof those options.

“Ifyouputfivescreensinonesmallmedicaloffice,andthey’vegottocreatethecontent,thenthey’vegottohirefiveorsixpeople,andthisindustryisnever




goingtotakeoff,”Dunsaid.“Managingthecontent,creatingthecontentandplanningthecontentisthemostcostly,resource-intensive[aspect]ofmaintain-ingadigitalsignagenetwork.”

Inthiscase,thephysicianmaywanttoturntothethirdoption:hiringadigitalsignagesolutionscompany.Adigitalsignagesolutionscompanyisonethatspecializesindevelopingandprovidingregulardigitalsignagecontentthatisbothcompellingandcost-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?What

kindofvideosforcommercials?Whatkindofbrochures?Whatkindofmarket-ingimagesandfiles?Wewanttotakethemandadaptthemfordigitalsignage.Inmanycases,anadthat’sruninanewspaperisn’tconducivetodigitalsignage,soitwillneedabitofrework.Butoverall,itcomesbacktothekeymessagehealthcareproviderswanttopromote,andwhatassetstheyhave.Iftheydon’thavethem,howdotheywanttocreatethem?Isitimportantthatit’savideo?CanitbejustasimpleFlashanimationorisitsomethingassimple

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.




asastaticJPEGimagetheycancre-atequickly?Thatallgoeshandinhandwithhowoftenthey’reupdatingthisandinwhatkindofenvironment.Isitadailyupdateorisitsomethingthatwillbeupdatedquarterly?”

AsZmudaexplains,today’smarketerisrelativelysavvywhenitcomestofindinggooddigitalcontent.

“Thegreatnewsaboutcontentisthatmostcontentdevelopershavebeenschooledintheuseofindustry-standardapplications,”Zmudasaid.“Inaddition,theleadingcontentmanagementappli-cationsinthemarketsupportfileformatsfromtheseindustry-standardapplica-tions. Because of the industry standards betweencontent-developmentappsandCMS,onecantypicallyuseinternalresourcesorfindseveralcreativeagen-ciesthatcandevelopgreatcontentforone’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,viewersquicklywilltireofthemessageifitalwaysinvolvesamovetowardtheirpocketbooks.

That’swheretheartofentertainmentcomesin.

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

“Because of the industry standards between content-development apps

and CMS, one can typically use internal resources or find several creative agen-

cies that can develop great content.”— Mike Zmuda, director of business development,





helpswithassociatedbrand.”

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

“Evenifyou’vegotadigitaldisplaythatisanimated,ifit’sstill100percentmarketing,peoplewillstarttoignoreit,”Cahoysaid.“Butifyou’vegotsomethingthatengagesthem,thennowyoushouldbeabletoattracttheireyeballseverytimetheypassby.OneofthethingsIlookatfromanentertainmentsideismakingthedisplayadestination.Youcanalwaysdoafull-screenvideoorafull-screenad,buthowmanytimeswillthatconsumerwalkbyandalwayslookatitiftheyknowit’snothingbutads?”

It’snothardtoentertainthepatient.You don’thavetoproduceyourowndramatictelevisionshoworholdyourownrealityTVmusical-talentcompetition.Some-timesallyouhavetodoisputupalivenews or weather feed.

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

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

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

Frequency matters

It’sclearthatthebeastneedstobefed,buthowmuchdoesheeat?Howmuchcontentdoneedstobecreated,andhowoftenshouldthatcontentbeup-dated?

Theansweris:itdepends.

Itdependsonhowoftenanindividual

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




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

Deployersalsomustpaycarefulconsid-erationtothelengthofthecontent,andtothefrequencywithwhichanindividualadormessageplays.

“Italldependsontheareait’sgoinginto,”Kollersaid.“Ifyouknowtheaver-agewaittimeinawaitingroomis30

minutesandyouwanttogetthatmes-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.Thenetworkalsocanprovideinstantnotificationofdisplaymalfunctions.

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

Thismeansfindingsoftwareandhard-warevendorsthatarewillingtositdown

withthehealthcarefacilityandtrytocomprehenditsmission.

“Fromadigitalsignageconsultativeperspective,thesellingpartyneedstoconductextensivediscoverymeetingswiththehealthcareprovidertofullyun-derstandwhattheirobjectivesare,andthentranslatetheobjectivesintotan-giblehardware/softwarearchitecture,”saidNECDisplaySolutions’Zmuda.

Therearealotofissuestoconsider.Forthepurposesofthisguide,ithelpstogothrougheachtopiconbyone.

Deciding on the hardware

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

Whydoesitmatter?

PlasmascreensandLCDshandletheeffectsofstaticcontentdifferently.One

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

oftheperceivedweaknessesofplasmascreens 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’,”saidWireSpringTechnologies’Gerba.“Everypixelmakesitsownlightandissendingitsownlightout.Asaconse-quence,thecolorsareveryvibrant.Ifa

pixelisblack,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-homeentertainmentpurposes.

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



“Forhometheater,manypreferplasmascreens,”saysBobHouse,COOatTempe,Ariz.-basedNORVISIONInc,adigitalsignageprovider.“ThepictureisalittlebetterthanonLCDsandfastmotion,suchasabaseballflyingat100mph,isclearer.However,LCDtechnol-ogyiscatchingupfast.”

Notonlyistheplasmascreenthedisplay ofchoiceforfull-motionvideocontent,butitalsohasastrongfootholdwhenitcomestoscreensizes.Plasmascreens generallyholdamonopolyonthemarket whenitcomestoscreensizesof50inchesorgreater.

“Theplasmaguysaretryingtogobiggerbecausetheystillhaveanedgeontheverylargedisplays,”saysSeanMoran,presidentoftheout-of-homemedianet- worksbusinessunitintheTechnicolorservicesdivisionofParis-basedThomson,a content provider.

Buttheplasmascreenmonopolymaynotlastforever.Moransaysheiswit-nessingagradualincreaseinLCDscreensizesandaddsthatherecentlyattendedaconferencewherea100"LCDscreenwasshowcased.


“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?”

Dynasign’sDunadvisesdigitalsignagedeployersagainstbuyingcheapdisplaysin order to save on cost.

“Whattheyneedtodoistomakesuretheystaywiththemainstreamanddon’tjustgooutandtrytosave$2.00or$5.00andbuytheirLCDpanelsfromsomesmallunknownbrandname,”Dunsaid.“Gowiththemainstream…itdoescostyou20percentmoretobuytheequipment,butinthelongtermyou’llsavealotofmoneybydoingthat.”

POPAI’sBuchholzsaysit’scommend-ablethatsomedeployersstrivetoobtainthelatestandgreatestequipment.Hepointsout,however,thatthereisadangerinbeingthefirstonetodeployabrand-newtechnology.Insomecases,hesays,it’sadvantageoustogowiththetried and true.

“Definitelylookatnotonlythecutting-edgeequipmentcomingout—thelatestandgreatest—butalsotakeastepbackandlookatsomethingestablishedandproven,”Buchholzsaid.“Youneedtolookatprojectingthelifecycleofthatprovenpieceofequipmentandmakingsurethatit’snotgoingtobeobsoletetooquickly.Butyouhavetojuxtaposethatagainstgoingwiththecutting-edgestuffwhereyoumayhavetopaywiththingsnotnecessarilyworking100percent.”

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

Software that works

Thesoftwareisthenextcriticalcompo- nentofadigitalsignagesystem.Thinkofthesoftwareasthemindbehindthe system.Itholdsthemessagecontent.Ittellsthedisplaywhattoshowonthescreenandwhentoshowit.Itcommu-nicateswiththeoutsideworldviathesignagenetwork.Itevencanperformdiagnosticsonthedisplayandletthedeployerknowifsomethingismalfunc-tioning.

Withoutsoftware,digitalsignageisbraindead.

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




Sowhatkindofsoftwareshouldade-ployerpurchase?

“Obviouslyyouneedtomakesurethatthesoftwareisabletodowhatyouwant,”Gerbasaid.“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,presidentofNewLenox,Ill.-basedPallynInternational

Inc.,acommunicationssolutionpro-vider,saysthat,likeanythingelse,thechoicebetweenpurchasingseparateorbundledsolutionsshouldbefilteredthroughtheprismofwhatadeployerhopestoaccomplishwithhissignage.

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

TherearetwomaintypesofCMS:enterprise and Software as a Service (SaaS).Eachtypehasprosandcons,dependingonthewantsandneedsoftheindividualuser.

Enterprise (licensed) software. With enterprise,alsoknownaslicensedsoftware,thesoftwareisownedbythecustomer.Theservermustbeconfiguredwiththedeployer’snetworkandthedeployerisentirelyresponsibleforthemaintenanceofhisownsoftware.

“EnterprisesystemstendtoappealtolargerorganizationsthathavebuiltupthoseinternalITstrengthsandoperationsresources,”saidMattSchmitt,CEOofDallas-baseddigitalsignageproviderReflectSystems.“Itoftencanbemorefeasibletocustomizeanenterprisesystemandintegrateitwithacompany’sotherbusinesssystems.”




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.

Anotheradvantageofenterprisesoftwareissecurityfromthird-partyintrusion.Bymaintainingtheirownnetwork,deployerscanensurethatpotentiallysensitivedataandinformationisnotaccessedbythirdparties.

ComparedtoSaaSsoftware,however,enterprisesoftwareisrelativelyexpensive.Thesoftwarealsorequiresalongerinstallationprocessandmaintenancemustbeperformedbythenetworkowner,meaningalargerinvestmentintimeandeffortonthepartofthedeployer.

SaaS software.AnSaaSsolutionfeaturessubscription-basedsoftware;displaytechnology,suchasamonitor;someformofPCormediaplayerandanetworkwithanInternetconnection.

Onebenefitisthatthenetworkisremotelyhosted,meaningmanagementofthenetworkisoutsourcedtoanothercompany,savingadeployerfromhavingtoinvestinservers.Remotehostingalsooffersredundantpowergridsandnetworkconnectionsintheeventofalocalpowerproblem.AndbecausetheSaaSprovidermaintainsthesoftware,thedeployerdoesnotneedtoinvestincostlyupgrades.

“Weareinarapidlychangingmarketplace,anditisveryseldomthatyouseeasoftwarecompanywhere

thepackageisaone-timeexpense,”saidCahoy.“Inasoftware-as-a-serviceenvironment,whenwedeployanewfeature,ourentireclientbaseisimmediatelyupdated.”

TheInternet-basedpropertiesofSaaSsoftwarealsomakeiteasierandmuchlessexpensiveforoperatorstodeployanetwork.

“Youdon’thavetosetupserversandCMS,soitcanbesetupmuchmorerapidlyandforamuchlowerup-frontinvestment,”saidZmuda.“Everythingthat can be done with a Web browser canbedonewithdigitalsignage.Itdoesn’tgetanysimplerthanthat.”

Whileonceveryexpensive,theprice




signagedisplaysshouldbeintegratedontoanetwork.

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

“Anetwork,inlayman’sterms,isasortof communicationgridthatenablesyouto connectallofyourdigitaldisplaysbacktoacentralcontrollocation,”Luzbetaksaid.“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

ofsometypesofCMShasdecreaseddramaticallyovertheyears.

“IseealotmoreofthatontheSaaSsidethanontheenterpriseoron-premisedeployment,”saidSchmitt.“ThecostinthedeploymentandsupportoftheSaaSsystemscandecreasewiththeeconomiesofscale,andthevendorcanthenpassalongsomeofthosecostsavings.”

AtleastonesupplierisofferingaCMScompletelyfreeofcharge.NECDisplaySolutionsoffersitsVUKUNETCMS at nocosttoanynetworkoperator.

The VUKUNET CMS is an SaaS solutionthatisfullyhosted,managedandsupportedbyNEC.VUKUNETalsoincludesauniversalad-servingsolutionwithmodulesthatenablenetworkoperatorstomakemoneythroughadvertising,withnosaleseffortandminimaltechnicaleffort.

TheCMSsolutionispartofasuiteofsoftwareproductsthatcomprisetheVUKUNETplatform,andcreatesanadvertisingmarketplacethatbridgesadbuyerswithnetworks.Thesystemalsolargelyautomatestheadscheduling,playbackandreportprocessacrosshundreds or thousands of screens and networks.

Integration anyone?Oneissuethatwillbeofmajorimpor-tancewhenconsideringasoftwarepackageiswhetherornotthedigital.


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.Inthisstageoftheproject,monitoringiskey.

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

toringfrequencyshouldbebasedonthesizeandscopeofthenetwork.”

Whatkindofwarrantyshouldadeployerpurchase?Whowillbeinchargeofservicingthesoftwareandthedisplaysifsomethingmalfunctions?

Somedeployersmaychoosetoinvestinextendedwarrantiesonalltheirequip-ment.

“Awarrantyisbasicallyagamble,”Gerbasaid.“You’retryingtoassumewhetherit’sgoingtobeneededornot.Again,that’sgoingtobesomethingthattheITpersonnelareprobablygoingtohaveagoodideaabout.Iftheyfindthattheygothroughcomputersalotmorefrequentlythantheymightthinkinitially,thenawarrantywouldmakeagoodidea.MostplasmaandLCDscreenswillcomewithathree-yearwarranty,butyoucangetthatupgradedtoafive-orevenaseven-yearwarranty.Thescreen,mostlikely,isnotgoingtosufferaproblemunlessthe environmentbasicallycausesaproblem.”

Zmudasaidthat,attheendoftheday,itistheresponsibilityofthedeployerto makesurethatalloftheirdigitalsignage equipmentstaysintop-notchcondition.

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


