Article

How a digital medium tells an analog story

Digital signage kiosk solution at Virginia Tech gives visitors a look at the college's land-grant mission and agricultural history.

March 5, 2015 by Scott Slucher — Account Executive, Networld Alliance

Sometimes the best way to tell a low-tech story is with a high-tech solution.

When the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was looking for an effective way to communicate their mission as a land-grant institution to visitors, it didn't have to go far afield to find an answer.

Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, CALS has a long history of academic rigor, world-class research and effective outreach within the local farming community through its involvement in running the Virginia Cooperative Extension. The CALS story stretches back to the 19th century, with a wide array of archived material in a variety of mediums.

Blacksburg also happens to be home to Interactive Design and Development, a kiosk software developer specializing in translating complex stories into intuitive user experiences. By the time CALS reached out for help with their project, IDD had already worked with the university on an interactive touchscreen solution for the school’s basketball team called Hokie Hoops.

Using digital technology to tell an agrarian story

IDD, founded in 1991 by Dr. Mary Guy Miller, is a software company that designs end-to-end solutions for clients by also specializing in Web and mobile design, content management systems, graphic design and other media services. Their solutions are designed to transform complicated stories consisting of data, images and video and turn them into streamlined narratives that are easy to navigate.

ThinkTouch, an interactive kiosk software platform developed by IDD, is the heart of their digital signage kiosk solutions, combining a powerful cloud-based CMS platform with an easy to use interface that makes it easy for clients to manage once the kiosk has been launched. The success of ThinkTouch has led to contracts with a roster of clients that includes Citibank, HP, Volvo and the Library of Congress.

Developing solutions in 3 steps

When representatives from IDD met with CALS, they came away with a three-pronged mission for the digital signage kiosk they were to develop. It would have to showcase CALS's philanthropy and research, as well as provide facility information.

Armed with these marching orders, IDD went to work, employing a three-part strategy for creating the CALS kiosk.

1. Collect stories.First, IDD had to unearth the story that needed to be told, a process that can be very exhaustive. "Everyone has a story to tell," said Rachel Doyle, marketing manager for IDD. "We help clients define what their story is, outline the architecture of the story and manage all of the content from beginning to end, depending on their desired level of involvement."

"Story" is a fluid term at IDD that can mean many things: historical outline, a museum exhibit enhancement, a showcase of teaching and research, an interactive map or instructions on how to get from point A to point B.

During this early phase, the point is to flesh out everything that might be useful, compile it into a narrative and work with the client to translate everything into what they hope will be an elegant finished product.

2. Curate in the cloud.As the first step is completed, the "story" is loaded into the CMS and hosted on IDD's servers. The goal of IDD is to create a solution that can easily be managed by the client once the touchscreen is installed and launched.

IDD provides hands-on training for clients, as well as detailed documentation that guides users through each function of the solution. "Our clients will tell you that one of the main successes of ThinkTouch kiosk software is the ease of use," Doyle said. "The steps to enter, edit and publish a story are as simple as filling in a form field and pressing 'update.'"

3. Communicate.Once the "story" has been edited and loaded in the CMS, the result should be an intuitive touchscreen experience that is so simple to navigate a child can do it.

According to Doyle, development of individual solutions is a relatively quick process, averaging two to four months of development time per project.

Response

When it was all said and done, IDD delivered five digital signage kiosks to CALS that were deployed in different locations within the college.

When Capterra reviewed the ThinkTouch software platform, Vernon Meacham, the director of development for CALS was asked for his thoughts. "This was a new concept for the college," he said. "And IDD was great in helping set up the hardware and implement the software package to deliver stories and current information about the college to our donors, stakeholders and visitors."

The ROI of digital signage kiosks

Understanding that everything these days has an ROI attached to it, IDD includes a way for clients to generate revenue for their interactive kiosk solutions by including design options that allow for advertising.

Further, IDD offers graphic design services for clients without the in-house staff to design their own ads, a value-add service that deepens the relationship with many customers.

With a minimal amount of effort, traffic studies can be done to quantify the amount of foot traffic a proposed kiosk will get, which can be translated to daily, weekly or per-event impression counts that can then be converted to a chargeable rate for potential advertisers.

From CMS platforms that are easy enough to use an entry-level staffer can do it to built-in advertising inventory to an elegant user experience, how do you define the ROI of a digital signage kiosk installation? We'd love to hear about it in the comments below.