Outdoor digital signage has many advantages over indoor screens; the potential audience that will view an outdoor screen is much larger than an indoor display meaning more people will get to see the content. However, people view outdoor digital signage differently compared to indoor screens, and this is important for planning any outdoor campaign.
Generally, people are receptive to outdoor digital signage. Good, interactive and appealing content is something people enjoy seeing, according to research, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that people will automatically view an outdoor screen.
The biggest difference in how people view an outdoor screen compared to an indoor one is the dwell time. Typically, a well-positioned indoor display may enjoy up to eight seconds of view time as people meander around a store or shopping mall. Outdoors, however, people tend to walk faster and spend less time looking around meaning the dwell time for an outdoor digital signage display is perhaps less than a couple of seconds,
Because of this briefer dwell time, outdoor content needs to be less cluttered, more to the point and bolder, with important information continuously prominent.
Another big difference in the viewing habits for an outdoor display is distance. People view outdoor screens from much farther away; not just passersby, either, but also those travelling on buses and taxis who may catch sight of the display.
Because of this advantage, the larger the screen size the better. Larger screens can be viewed from farther away so can generate more views than smaller displays.
Outdoor digital signage needs also to be prominent. Screens lying flush against walls, commonplace in indoor locations, often aren’t viewed outdoors as people’s eyes tend to wander less.
Prominent floor-standing totems and kiosks provide the best solution for outdoor digital signage, as they become a feature that has people have to negotiate, forcing them to interact as they walk around.
