Where to put screens in a venue so people look at them

Put screens where people stop and wait, at about eye level or a little above, facing them as they arrive. That means above the counter where the coffee queue forms, behind the bar where people wait for a pint, at gym reception, beside the till, or in a window at the height of passers-by. A screen people walk straight past, or have to crane their necks to see, gets ignored however good the content is.

Start with where people wait

Watch your venue during a busy hour and note where people stand still. Those are the spots where a screen gets read.

In a cafe it's the queue. People in a queue are deciding what to order, so a menu board above or just behind the counter is right where their eyes already are. In the Casty demo, Harbour Cafe has one screen behind the counter and another in the window, which is a sensible pair for a small cafe with passing trade.

A pub's main spot is the bar, while people wait to be served and while the pint settles. A screen on the back wall, or high on a pillar facing the bar, catches them at the moment they're choosing. The other good spots are wherever people sit for a while, such as the garden room, the area round the dartboard, or the corridor to the loos.

At the gym, members pass reception and walk the same route to the changing rooms on every visit, so class timetables and announcements belong there.

Shops have two good spots: the till queue and the window. Someone in the queue has a minute or two with nothing to do, while people outside give you a couple of seconds as they walk by.

Height and angle

For people standing close, like a queue at a counter, put the middle of the screen at around eye level or a bit above, and tilt it down slightly if it has to go higher.

For people watching from across a room, it has to go up so heads and shoulders don't block it, which is why pub TVs live near the ceiling. The higher it goes, the more you'll want a tilting bracket and the bigger the text needs to be.

Behind a counter, watch for the coffee machine, the till screen, the cake stand and anything else that might sit in front of the bottom edge. Stand where the customer stands to check.

Text size follows distance. The further away people read from, the bigger the words have to be, and that limits how much fits on one screen. A menu board read from two metres can hold far more than a screen across the room. Designing for screens covers text size and contrast properly.

Light and glare

Before you drill, look at the spot at different times of day. A screen opposite a big window can be unreadable at four in the afternoon once the sun comes round, and spotlights reflect off glossy screens. Moving the screen a metre along the wall, or angling it slightly, often fixes it.

Window screens need more thought. A screen facing out through glass is up against daylight, so it needs a high-brightness display made for windows. A normal TV in a shop window looks dim and washed out from the street on a bright day. There's more on that in consumer TV or commercial display.

Power and network at each spot

Every screen needs power at the screen, and if the player is a separate stick or box, power for that as well. A socket behind the screen, fitted by an electrician, keeps leads out of sight and out of reach. Extension leads trailing down a wall look scruffy and get kicked.

It also needs a connection. Stand where the screen will go and check the Wi-Fi on your phone. If it's weak there, it'll be weaker still behind a TV. Screens that play in sync need a wired connection. Wi-Fi or wired goes through the options.

Think about getting to the player later, too. If the screen's above the bar, can someone switch the player off and on without fetching a ladder? Ask the electrician about a switch for the screen's socket at a height staff can reach.

And keep it safe: a bracket rated for the screen's weight, fixings that suit the wall, nothing covering fire exit signs or narrowing a walkway, and no cables across the floor.

Match the content to the spot

A window screen gets a couple of seconds from each passer-by, so it needs one big picture and a few words, such as today's soup and its price, on a short loop.

In a queue people have a minute or two, which is enough for a menu, the prices and an offer.

Screens near seating get the longest look of all. That's where events, quiz nights, the fixtures list and the new cocktails go, along with anything with a bit of personality.

Members walk past the gym's reception screen every visit, so change it often enough that they keep glancing at it. The same goes for any screen regulars see daily.

Mock it up before you drill

Cut a piece of cardboard to the size of the screen, or mark the outline on the wall with masking tape, and stand where your customers stand. Can you see it from the back of the queue? Does the coffee machine block a corner? Where's the sun at four o'clock? Ten minutes with a roll of tape can save you a second set of holes in the wall.

How many screens to start with

Start with fewer than you think you need. One screen in the right place does more than three in the wrong ones, and it's easier to keep one up to date. Add more once you've seen how the first gets used. Every screen goes into the same Casty account, and with a display group for each venue you can schedule to all of them in one go. If you're planning a first install, your first week with digital signage takes it from there.