Digital Signage - When things go wrong

One of the reasons I bought and love my BlackBerry curve is that it has a camera built into it. I had been a BlackBerry user for 7+ years but used to carry a separate camera with me. Convergence is a great thing, because now I have one device to carry with me and it lets me capture pictures of kiosks and digital signage around town. I often see interesting deployments, good and bad interfaces and my favorite: systems that just don't work. I know there are entire web sites devoted to posting images of digital signage in very public places like Times Square that have stopped working. I'll just dedicate this blog entry instead of an entire site.


Yes, things go wrong. Computers stop working, and there are no systems that are 100%, no matter what the vendor tells you. But you can do a lot to keep the uptime to about 99% of the time with careful planning, quality software and best practices. Too often networks are thrown together quickly with the cheapest options. It's true that digital signage networks can be very expensive. Often starting at $20K just for management and server software, and you still need hardware and content. Most corporations can expect to budget around $100K annually for a good size deployment with continually updated content. So you can see why the smaller guys (and not so small) scrimp where they can. And often it ends up in a black eye for the brand or a system so poor that it eventually gets removed.


Here is an example of a digital signage network in the Cincinnati airport (CVG) near baggage claim. I've yet to see this working correctly. In this photo you can see the cursor over a mostly blank screen. It was trying to use a browser to pull in Artimis traffic cameras, so you would be able to avoid traffic jams. I think these guys should test before they publish, what do you think? Does this instill confidence in the product, the provider, the service? No. I imagine once it was running, you'd quickly forget all of that, but as I mentioned, I don't think it's ever worked when I've been there.


Here is the same sign panel a month ago as I traveled back from the digital signage expo in Philadelphia. This time it had new printed signs around the screen (they looked nice) yet the player was not receiving a signal and didn't have a default set of content to play in case this happened. So the guest walking by just saw a blue screen with the message: "¿No hay señal " which loosely translates to "I can't get a signal". Sounds like the computer wasn't happy either, it was feeling blue.

I saw the same unit two weeks ago upon returning from KioskCom, and it was simply turned off. That is all too common, unnecessary and unprofessional.

Notice the large enclosure they built just to hold a trackball (and perhaps the PC) that allows visitors to interact with the tools. An all in one touch screen would have been much cleaner and probably only slightly more expensive. In the long run, you would have fewer components to manage and install as well as a better user experience. I should also state that using web pages as content on digital signage is usually not a good idea. It is similar to someone not familiar with the web trying to make the web page act like print media. They just don't get that this is a different media with a different audience and purpose, as well as constraints.


While you can repurpose elements from the web like embedding video files, flash files and images from a web site, don't simply put the web site HTML into the sign and call it a day. The web was not built for this audience, the links and fonts are too small (especially for touch screens) and you have issues of connectivity. Instead, take those existing assets and embed them into a design specific to digital signage and public computing experience (versus sitting at a desk or a couch with a laptop).


Just because your are a big corporation, don't expect that you are immune to these same issues. Charles Schwab has digital signage in their windows in this Manhattan location. And one evening as I strolled by their home grown application had thrown an error. The application named SchwabTV2.exe experienced an application error. Since they didn't use a management tool that handles these issues and prevents the errors from displaying, this is what their brand presented to me. I expect that they would manage my money the same way, and let's just say I won't be using their services any time soon.

So talk to your vendor, choose good management tools such as Scala, Cisco, NetKey, Broadsign, DT Research or one of the many other quality tools. Have the vendor assist you in setting up quality hardware with contingencies for problems similar to these, such as connectivity, application errors, hardware uptime. Many of these issues are handled with best practices from the IT community (running your app as a service that can be auto restarted, hardening your operating system, etc.). And paying for the remote monitoring service that allows technicians to be emailed or sms texted when a sign has problems so they can remedy the issue immediately. Save some budget for ongoing maintenance and monitoring, don't blow it all on the initial install. Don't scrimp on consumer grade electronics, use commercial grade hardware that was meant for continual usage and come with great warranties.

Have you seen digital signage systems or kiosks fail like this? Take some pictures when you do with your camera phone and send them to me along with a description and I'll share them here. You can also share your comments below using the comment links. It's easy!

KioskCom NYC Day 2 evaluation

Day two was also a good day from an exhibitor point of view. There was a fairly steady flow of foot traffic for most of the day, and a great amount of interest in our company's digital signage content and management solutions. As far as I could tell, we were the only Scala partner at the show, or at least the only ones showing any Scala branding and software. I was told by show management (JD Events) that Scala will have their own booth at the KioskCom show in April. Thanks to Dick Trask at Scala for sending us some booth materials and pop up signs at the last moment.

I sat in on a digital signage seminar this morning about some installations that vendors had done, and it was interesting to see their solutions, as well as hear about candid experiences and frustrations with each project. Very educational for myself and others in the room.

An interesting kiosk solution next to our booth was Parata who showed a pharmacy kiosk that dispenses prescriptions. It's a unique solution being piloted in some retail stores that allows the pharmacist to fill a prescription and put it into the quite large kiosk for pickup by the customer. The customer uses a kiosk touch screen to login with various identifiers and PIN info, answer a few questions, sign HIPPA consent forms, and pay at the kiosk for the prescription (or use an optional pay at the cashier feature). An automated door opens and dispenses the prescription. It's quite a nice solution and I predict they will do well with this kiosk vending solution.

I have several other unique products to share with you the readers in the upcoming days, after I get back to Cincinnati and recover from the show. I have a few pics to share as well. Stay posted.

KioskCom NYC Day 1 evaluation

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Originally uploaded by Tim Burke Kiosk Guy

The first day of KioskCom was great. Lots of foot traffic, several potential projects to be followed up on afterwards. Compared to the April show, I'd say attendance and the number of exhibitors was higher at this show. We have had a lot of interest in our digital signage offerings which is good to see.
I've noticed a greater presence at this show by NCR, who appears to be attempting to take over IBM's dominance in the retail kiosk space.
I went to dinner afterwards with the guys from Provisio and Reality Interactive. Reality is competition to my firm, but these guys are great. A former employee works for them and I'm happy to see he landed at a good firm. It's important that a firms leadership believe in being nice people and good businessmen at the same time. Christo, Heinz and Minh from Provisio were a lot of fun to talk with, Christo and Heinz are from Germany so hearing their perspective, and seeing their fascination with America was refreshing. Again, good people, good company.

Okay, I've got to get over to the show again for the second day... I just hope my feet can hold up for one more day.

KioskCom NYC This week!

I'm in Mahattan this week to exhibit at KioskCom.com which is located at the Javitz center and the show runs Wed / Thurs, Oct. 15 & 16. If you are planning to attend, please stop by booth 539 and see me at our booth. The industry show on kiosks and digital signage is a great opportunity to explore the offerings of many vendors in the marketplace, from the very largest such as IBM to smaller vendors with specialty niche components or interesting software applications.

Today is a setup day for me, so I'll be at the center this afternoon setting up the booth, kiosks and our digital signage. Rob Brinkmeyer, our salesperson will be joining me this evening and throughout the show. I hope to be able to blog occasionally and share pics. But on the other hand, I hope to be so busy talking to you that I won't have time to blog! This show we have the new Hike & Bike concept app which is geared towards outdoor outfitter retail stores.

We are also showing a new wayfinding application that is for office complexes, a "Building Directory" application which allows for dynamic content management via an online tool to manage people and companies within an office building. This is shown on a large touch screen digital sign, but future versions will include a kiosk sized version. The flash front end allows you to search for a person or company in an office building or complex. The predictive text typing feature speeds up the process and gives a full profile with optional items such as photos, etc. Future enhancements include instant alerts that let your appointment know you have arrived for your meetings, and so much more. This is to be offered in an ASP model where you pay a monthly fee based on the number of people in your building. Touch Screen hardware is available for sale or lease as part of the package. Stop by the booth to see this cool real estate management tool.

Hope to see you at the show!

Does your kiosk need a keyboard?

Our company often have prospects looking for kiosk hardware or software who have not thought through the entire experience. This includes not considering the amount of information on screen that a person is willing to read while standing at a kiosk, or considering how the person interacts with the software. A common example is the keyboard. The basic question of "Should I have a keyboard on my kiosk?" doesn't seem to go through their minds... so it's our job to help them think through this when we consult for them.

Think about it, you have a touch screen kiosk with a killer app that is going to make your company money, reward your customers, streamline operations, etc... why do I need a keyboard when I can just have an onscreen keyboard? In our experience, there are some pros and cons to having only a touchscreen keyboard. By relying on the touch keyboard, you will need to consider the interface and how much real estate it will consumer onscreen. This means you have less space for your content or form fields that they use to enter data into. It also increases your software development budget, as the keyboard needs to be integrated, customized to your branding, etc. But one of the biggest reasons not to use an onscreen keyboard for your kiosk is your customer. As long as you only are asking for small amounts of data, a onscreen keyboard is great. But if you are asking for much typing from the customer, we have found that the adoption rate or completion rate drops considerably. Nobody wants to enter as much data as they would on a web page, when using a touch keyboard. The user is not accustomed to the flat surface that is perpendicular to the ground, and they will type much slower. A tradition keyboard sits flat and with proper ergonomics, a person can type very fast.

So if you are asking for a good deal of typing from your customers, consider a tradtional tactile qwerty keyboard. While it will still be slower than when they are at their comfy chair and desk, it will be more natural for them and you will get better participation in your programs. There are many different styles to chose from, and each kiosk vendor has their own preferences based upon testing, availability, durability, etc.

At Electronic Art, we integrated a smaller keyboard with a built in trackpad which requires less cleaning than a trackball, has no moving parts, and we believe more people are comfortable with the trackpad that is similar to laptops, than an ball system. The keyboard is not hardened or vandal resistant, but is is also about 1/6 of the cost of a hardened keyboard. We rarely have problems with them, and when we do it is easy to replace.

Hardened keyboards or vandal resistant keyboards are very cool. They are well engineered to resist spills, prying off of keys, breakage, and they are made to take many more cycles of up/down on the keys so they will last longer. There are many reasons to consider using them, such as when you have a kiosk in an unattended environment like a shopping mall. But if you are using it in a monitored area such as a retail shop, you may find them to be overkill. They are also often harder to depress (slightly) and flat without finger curves on top which can lead to some users typing slower or not liking the experience as it makes them feel uncomfortable. Some models are also not in a typical configuration, so the space bar or control keys are in places you would not expect. They add $200-$450 to the cost of a kiosk on average. There are both ruggedized plastic or metal versions depending on your risk tolerance.

Another cool keyboard concept is the software/hardware from Staco Switch that allows onscreen keyboards to feel as if you are really touching a button. It sounds impossible, but when touching an screen it gives the right vibrations to your brain that make it feel like you just depressed a physical button. I'm so hoping to get a customer that will want to integrate this great attention getter into their applications. It would be great on kiosks or touch screen digital signage.

Recently, our technical director passed on a link to me about a brand new methodology of using onscreen keyboards called Swype. While in it's infancy, it seems really cool. Instead of touching each letter individually, you draw a path between letters and a word matching search engine helps to do a predictive text to speed you up. CNet did a quick video on their site about it from the TechCrunch50 show (see below). It would not work for every project, and introducing a new mindset on input may confuse your customers so you should only use it when appropriate to your audience. And expect to have to give assistance while people learn it, but it can provide an impactful wow factor to your edgy project!

So no matter if you plan to use a physical keyboard or an onscreen keyboard... consider your customer. What will they prefer, what will be most intuitive and easy for them. Test with A/B testing if you have budget. But don't let the input method get in the way of your killer app and kiosk's success.