...and tigers and bears and digital screens and...oy!
I don’t know of an environment that could not benefit from proper digital signage. I find a zoo to be probably the most challenging situation. There is little chance of true audience engagement when it competes with exotic animals. A lot(!) of work must go into understanding how it can complement an environment where there is a live animal, or provide extra engagement in areas without live animals, like a theater.
The Minnesota Zoo is just outstanding. The park planners put a lot of thought into creating a world minimzing the separation between animal and audience so you don’t feel like you’re looking at a caged animal.
In one particular exhibit, the zoo showcases animal species that are native to Minnesota. You walk through an elaborate trail, past beavers, otters, and wolverines, into this underground tunnel to see fish indigenous to Minnesota. It’s dark, with ambient audio sounding like you’re underwater. (It’s the “Medtronic Minnesota Trail” in the upper right on the map)
It’s here where you see one of the very few locations in the entire complex with a screen as part of the exhibit. The gigantic aquarium is about 12 feet long and five feet tall. The little screen to the left is 7”.
It is indeed that dark in the exhibit. Using a flash would not give you proper perspective.
Here's the exhibit with the flash. My son, Trevor, is taking in the sight.
In customary fashion, I took notes. I thought about what I was experiencing, where I saw challenges with the experience, and solutions to those challenges.
Challenge:
The screen is competing with a gigantic pane of glass with big, live fish behind it; the screen looks like a night light next to it. When viewers walk by, there is simply no competition here.
Solution: Remove the screen. No one is watching it.
The sign above the tank.
Challenge:
It’s dark in the exhibit. There are only two sources of light: One is the sign above the tank showing the different kinds of fish living in the tank, the other source is the natural light creeping in from above the tank itself. It’s so dark that you can’t see anything else on the wall, including the signage around the screen.
Solution: Remove the screen. No one is watching it.
I had to use the flash just to read the copy above the screen.
Challenge:
The content on the screen doesn’t really have any relationship to the aquarium. The aquarium shows fish. The screen talks about mussels. While the video about mussels is entertaining (and only about two minutes long), it doesn’t have a relationship to the dozen different species of fish in the tank. I had to take a flash picture of the sign surrounding the screen just to read it.
Solution: Remove the screen. No one is watching it.
Challenge:
The ambient exhibit audio complements the aquarium with underwater sound effects. There is no audio with the screen. The screen has subtitles.
Solution: remove the screen. No one is watching it.
In almost every case where I find digital signage that could be better, I try to find ways to make it better. In this case the visual and aural experience of the aquarium just crushes the impact of the screen. I would have suggested the money be spent elsewhere.
This is why I (along with, literally, hundreds of my colleagues) will tell you that you must think about your strategy before you spend the money.
But, the zoo still rocks. And it’s a blast watching Trevor enjoy it.
"Kitty!"
