SEGD_Design - (Page 46) A key challenge for the Smithsonian team was integrating digital elements in a very traditional architectural environment. Digital displays are wall-mounted, placed within cabinetry, or ensconced in kiosks. “There’s definitely a misconception that digital wayfinding will replace traditional media,” says Bryan Meszaros, director of business development at OpenEye. “I believe it’s meant to be complementary, add value, and improve the experience.” Digital wayfinding indoors “Digital signage often is about popping a sign somewhere and putting ads on it, and that gives it a bad name,” says Rob Wolf, senior managing partner and creative director for Launch Dynamic Media (Wyomissing, PA). Launch has recently completed what is being called the first digital wayfinding system of its kind for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian’s 7.5 million annual visitors were creating congestion at the information desk, where staff were bombarded with questions that could be answered quickly through signage. OpenEye Displays (South Amboy, NJ) saw an opportunity to use digital wayfinding and interactives to guide visitors through the museum and enhance the environment. “There’s definitely a misconception that digital wayfinding will replace traditional media,” says Bryan Meszaros, director of business development at OpenEye, which worked with Launch to develop the digital wayfinding system. “I believe it’s meant to be complementary, add value, and improve the experience.” And fortunately, money earmarked for the sign program had a stipulation, according to Mike Laurence, chief of design in the Smithsonian’s Office of Exhibits. The donor specifically requested a prototype digital program. A digital wayfinding system is constructed much like a website. Launch uses open-source code, a browser and Internet connection, databases, and Flash. The content is managed through a content management system and displayed on appropriate hardware (LCD screens for the Smithsonian). The LCDs are hooked up to PCs, and all the individual displays are networked to a main server which, using LAN or WAN, tells different pieces of data to play at different locations at different times. The Smithsonian system uses network signage software by 3M Digital Signage. Developing digital content for the museum had its share of challenges. For one, Launch had to create the content from scratch and with little direction from the client. They created categories of content (e.g., main areas of interest, exhibits, “you are here”) and branded each one using colors, in the same way a traditional wayfinding program would be developed. Installation was also challenging and costly. “We couldn’t drill holes in the marble floors and we had to make a high-tech system look seamless and integrated within a traditional setting,” Meszaros explains. In some cases, kiosks designed by Fitch were installed. In other cases, LCD screens (by NEC Displays) were wall-mounted or placed within cabinetry. Sometimes the PC was placed right behind the sign, while other times they were placed inside cabinets that slide out on wheels. Now that the system is up and running, Launch is fine-tuning it—perfecting the timing, ensuring adjacent screens sync up—and working on the next phases of the project, including integrating realtime data and adding interactive components. segdDESIGN 43
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