Warum Bildschirme wirken · Field guide
Checklists
Every list from the book, ready to tick off.
01
Before the first quote
- What is the screen meant to achieve? One sentence, not a paragraph.
- Who walks past, who stands still there, and for how long?
- Who creates the content, and how much time does that person have each week?
- What share of the content can run automatically?
- Is there power and a network connection at the intended spot?
- Do you need permission from the landlord or the municipality?
- Who notices when the screen goes black?
02
Site visit
- Note the direction of travel and sight lines, take photos at eye level
- Measure the brightness on site at the brightest time of day
- Check the path of the sun through the day, look for reflections
- Measure the viewing distance: shortest, typical, longest
- Set the mounting height, mark the bottom edge, check the wall construction
- Find the power socket and network socket, decide the cable route
- For shop windows: assess ventilation and heat build-up behind the glass
- For outdoor surfaces: ingress protection, foundation, vandalism, glare
03
Content that survives everyday life
- One message per slide, no more than seven words in the main statement
- A family of templates rather than one-offs: promotion, information, menu, team, event
- Check the type size at the longest viewing distance, not at your desk
- Match the loop length to how long people stay in that place
- Build in automatic content: weather, opening hours, appointments, stock levels
- Set an expiry date for every item so nothing outdated stays on screen
- Sound only where it disturbs nobody – otherwise subtitles
04
Operation and service
- Monitor availability, have faults reported automatically
- Agree a restart schedule and a maintenance window
- An editorial plan with fixed dates and one person responsible
- Assign access and roles cleanly, allow for staff leaving
- Clarify replacement units or response times in the service contract
- A monthly look at availability, playout and the age of the content
- Once a year: review the objectives and clear out the content