To say the world has changed over the last two years would be an understatement. COVID blindsided the globe in 2020 and it’s still not through with us. While many of us are triple vaccinated by this point, there has been a fundamental shift in the way the world works.
Remote working is now the rule rather than the exception, masks have become as important a consideration when leaving the house as our wallets and millions of us have found ourselves financially or professionally displaced.
There are lots of little things that got us through the pandemic. From the antics of Joe Wicks and Matt Lucas to the clapping for carers and Zoom quizzes. But one unsung hero might be the digital signs keeping us safe and ferrying us through these uncertain waters.
A lifesaver for small businesses
Almost overnight, millions of businesses were forced to pivot their operations and choose between either closing temporarily or completely overhauling their health and safety protocols. Digital signage allowed them to do this thanks to the flexibility of modern LCD signs that could switch from showcasing promotional material to communicating critical health and safety information.
Helping keep hospitals safe
With hospitals overflowing with COVID patients, wayfinding operations needed to be upped considerably, sometimes to include makeshift medical facilities. Digital signage helped hospitals navigate through complete chaos by displaying constantly changing safety measures and medical advice and allowing hospitals to make announcements as and when they happened. Bespoke health & safety signage, meanwhile, allowed relevant information such as available beds and patient numbers to be displayed clearly at all times.
A very permanent temporary solution
For hospitality and retail, the pandemic meant completely changing the way they did business and interacted with customers. Pubs were forced to become bottle shops, retail stores were forced to become home delivery stores services and school halls had to become makeshift hospitals. The beauty of modern LED digital signage is that it can be erected in minutes and can display just about anything anywhere.
A self-service future
If you’ve visited a fast-food restaurant or a bank in the last few years then you’ve probably experienced self-service. These kiosks facilitate social distancing by removing the person completely from the conversation. Of course, the next logical step is touchless sensors but even touch screens still offer a more practical social distanced alternative than one-to-once commerce.
Inspiring innovation
Finally, one unexpected way digital signage has helped us through the pandemic is by allowing so many incredible new experiences to be brought to life. Art installations, for example, have been created using the technology, with flexible LED screens particularly lending themselves to being utilised in less conventional ways. There is still so much left to be discovered as far as what these screens are capable of and the pandemic gave people the time and space to experiment. Long may that spirit of adventure continue!
Image: cktravels.com / Shutterstock.com
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