Best Practices for Screen Placement: Maximizing Impact Across Various Settings

The importance of strategic screen placement cannot be overstated. Getting it right is not just a matter of aesthetics; it's a critical factor that can make or break the effectiveness of your entire digital signage network. Proper screen placement ensures that your message reaches the right audience at the right time, maximizing impact and driving engagement across various industries.

Consider this: with the majority of the global workforce being deskless, digital signage serves as a lifeline of information, connecting employees to vital updates and fostering a sense of community. In customer-facing environments, well-placed screens can significantly enhance experiences, guiding visitors, showcasing promotions, and creating memorable interactions. For manufacturing facilities, strategic screen positioning can streamline operations, boost productivity, and even improve safety protocols.

The power of digital signage lies in its flexibility and reach, but this potential can only be fully realized through thoughtful placement. Screens that are poorly positioned may go unnoticed, rendering your investment ineffective. On the other hand, screens placed with strategic intent become powerful communication hubs, driving engagement and delivering measurable returns on your digital signage investment.

As we delve into best practices for screen placement across customer-facing applications, manufacturing facilities, and corporate office locations, remember that each decision about where to position your screens is an opportunity to enhance communication, improve experiences, and ultimately, drive your organization's success in the digital age. Getting screen placement right isn't just about where you put your screens—it's about how effectively you connect with your audience and achieve your communication goals.

General Tips

Regardless of your industry or specific application, there are some universal principles to keep in mind when planning your digital signage strategy. These general tips will help ensure that your screen placement is effective and your content resonates with your audience:

1. Understand Your Goals: Before placing a single screen, clearly define what you want to achieve with your digital signage network. Are you aiming to increase sales, improve internal communication, enhance customer experience, or boost productivity? Your goals will guide every decision you make about screen placement and content.
2. Know Your Audience: Consider who will be viewing your screens and what information they need or want in relation to where those screens are. Ask yourself, “what information will my audience need or want from each screen?” This understanding will help you place screens where they'll have the most impact and create content that engages your specific audience.
3. Content is King: Even the most strategically placed screens will fail if the content isn't compelling. Develop a robust content strategy that aligns with your goals and resonates with your audience. Remember, your content should be informative, engaging, and frequently updated to maintain interest.
4. Consider Traffic Flow: Place screens where they'll be seen by the most people. This might mean high-traffic areas, natural bottlenecks, or places where people tend to wait or gather.
5. Ensure Visibility: Make sure your screens are easily visible and readable from the intended viewing distance. Consider factors like screen size, height, angle, and potential obstructions.
6. Integrate with the Environment: Your digital signage should complement your space, not clash with it. Consider the aesthetics of your environment when choosing screen locations and design elements.

Keep these general tips in mind as we get into more industry-specific best practices, as traffic patterns, audience needs, etc are all important, regardless of the impact you’re hoping to make, or the industry you’re in.

Customer-Facing Applications

In retail stores, hotels, and casinos, digital signage can significantly elevate the customer experience and drive engagement. The key is to place screens strategically throughout the customer journey. While each location is unique, it is possible to base a general starting point on the below information:

• In customer-facing settings, 1-2 screens per 1,800 square feet in building lobbies to create an immediate impact and set the tone for the customer experience.
• As customers move through the space, position screens in high-traffic areas such as corridors and hallways, with a recommendation of 1 screen per 100 feet to ensure consistent messaging.
• Near points of sale, screens can promote last-minute offers or provide helpful information, so ensure every point-of-sale location has signage visible from it.
• And for properties with food and beverage locations, ensure you have menuboards that are easily readable from a distance.
• For locations with multiple floors, don't forget about elevator bays, where 1-2 screens can engage customers during wait times.
• And for larger properties, ensure wayfinding—touchscreen and directional—is available at major intersections and entryways.
  
  For retail, hotels, and casinos alike, understanding traffic flow and sightlines is a huge factor in screen placement. In settings like these, there are typically more things to distract a viewer’s eye, so getting the location right is important, followed immediately by the content strategy for each screen. If your screen placement is right, but the content isn’t, your screens won’t do the job you need them to do. And the opposite is true—if you have the best content in the world, but nobody can see it, your signage network won’t make the impact you need it to.
  

Manufacturing Facilities

On manufacturing floors, digital signage connected to data systems can display real-time metrics and safety information that can have a significant impact on productivity. A well-planned screen placement strategy is crucial in this environment. Many of our manufacturing clients start by:

• Installing two screens per production line or cell to display real-time metrics, production goals, and important announcements.
• In shift gathering areas, it’s common to place one screen to brief employees at the start of their shifts.
• Near time clocks, many clients choose to position 1-2 screens to share important updates as employees clock in and out.
• In lunch and break spaces, we see a lot of clients install 1-2 screens per 50-person capacity to share company news and reinforce culture.
• For general manufacturing areas, you might start by using a ratio of one screen per 50 employees to ensure widespread coverage of important information.
  

Again, audience needs and sightlines are critical within manufacturing and production facilities. Consider what a person on the manufacturing floor needs vs what they need when they are clocking in or out, or on break. They have different comms needs in each of those areas, and those needs must also be balanced by safety considerations. On the production-floor, screens can’t be mounted in a way that blocks sightlines, but they also need to be easily viewable by the people that need instant access to the KPIs that impact their work. Conducting a site-survey with digital signage experts can go a long way ahead of implementing a new signage network.

Corporate Office Locations

In office environments, digital signage can enhance internal communication and create a more connected workplace. Digital signage in office buildings can actually be really interesting because of the different types of communications that happen within the space, with employee comms obviously being critical, but also visitor needs, and facilities management needs to be considered. Generally, we recommend our clients:

• Begin with the entrance area, placing screens to welcome visitors and share company information—consider making an impact with a large video wall, a dedicated welcome screen, and for large properties, consider a wayfinding kiosk or digital directory.
• In open office spaces, many clients choose to install one screen per 25 desks, to ensure good viewing distance for all employees. And some clients like organize their screens by team—it just depends on what your preference is.
• Typically, each meeting room should have its own screen outside of the room to enable room booking and show others whether the meeting room is in use or not.
• Position screens in common areas like cafeterias and coffee bars to reach employees during their downtime—tailoring the content to match the dwell time in those areas.
• In hallways and corridors, place screens at key intersections to catch employees' attention as they move through the office.
• Finally, install screens near exit points to share last-minute reminders or updates as employees leave for the day.

So much about screen placement depends on understanding traffic flow and audience needs. In most modern offices, there are two distinct audiences—employees and visitors. Many of our clients have Executive Briefing Centers within their office spaces, so it’s critical that digital signage is optimized for existing and potential clients, as well as optimized for employees. And the best companies use digital signage to create unique experiences for each of those audiences. So, when you’re considering installing screens in your office, put some thought into who will be coming into the space, and what their needs will be. Start with the lobby experience, and move on from there.

Conclusion

Effective screen placement is crucial for maximizing the impact of your digital signage. By carefully considering the unique needs of each environment—be it customer-facing, manufacturing, or corporate—you can create a powerful communication network that engages, informs, and drives results. Remember, the key to success lies not just in the number of screens, but in their strategic placement and the relevance of the content they display.

Regularly review and optimize your digital signage strategy, collaborating across departments to ensure your messaging remains impactful and aligned with your business objectives. By embracing these best practices, you can transform your communication approach, enhance engagement, boost productivity, and ultimately drive your organization's success in the digital age. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out—we’re here to help you get every aspect of your digital signage network right.