Course Description

Digital signage is one of the most exciting and fastest growing segments of the commercial audio visual, IT, traditional signage, content creation and marketing/advertising industries. It has far reaching implications and opens expansive new markets for systems designers, integrators, content creators, sign shops, marketing/advertising companies and end users alike. From the obvious explosion of the retail signage market, to the unique applications for indoor venues such as corporate communication, education, healthcare, transportation, and way finding, digital signage cannot be ignored. In short, the opportunities within digital signage are immense if we open our minds to what might be.

The problem we face with this market, is that digital signage appears quite simple on the surface but becomes a tangled web of interconnected and complex technologies that all act together in unison to produce the image we see on screen. The challenge this poses for the designers, installers, content creators, advertising/marketing people and service providers alike wanting to enter this space, is one of immersion and full understanding of what it is all about. Many companies have parts of the puzzle they may understand, be it displays networking, software, content etc… but few understand the whole picture of what digital signage requires.  To truly succeed in this space, a company must understand all of the disparate parts that make up the entirety of a digital signage project and understand how to properly sell or more correctly translate the value in those networks to the customer.

Industry leaders recognizing the need to provide a degree of clarity for those entering the digital signage business agreed that an impartial, agnostic, and vendor neutral training and certification program would provide a platform for continuing education and both personal and business growth for participants.  The Digital Signage Certified Expert (DSCE) program was created to address this need. It begins with a market overview to assess the opportunities and growth available to those willing to grab the brass ring.

The DSCE provides an umbrella or business tool under which each digital signage project resides. It introduces the 7 Key Elements of Digital Signage and takes each one of the key elements and demonstrates how they relate to one another in each and every digital signage project that is undertaken. The 7 Key Elements of Digital Signage in order of complexity revolve around business, content, design, software, hardware, connectivity, and operations.

For digital signage and its practitioners to reach their full potential, we have to begin a paradigm shift and think outside of the proverbial box. In this regard the DSCE examines applications in each of the major vertical markets and clearly illustrates where thinking beyond the obvious will serve the customers in a more profound and meaningful manner.

All digital signage projects must first and foremost begin with a proper business assessment. It all starts with due diligence and a clear understanding, consensus, and articulation of the actual objectives of the network and then examine return on investment and return on those objectives. The DSCE introduces the four business models that are most prevalent today as they relate to ROI and ROO and illustrate how to achieve financial success that can actually be measured.

Next in degree of complexity is content. It is an industry axiom that content is king and to a certain extent it is. The project may have the best hardware, software, and network in the world but if the content is not up to the task of communicating and realizing the objective of the digital signage network, then everything fails. The DSCE explores what good content is and then its evaluation, creation, partnering, with examples to start those creative juices flowing.

Software is next in terms of complexity and another one of those often-misunderstood areas. The DSCE presents the different types of digital signage software as well as what most software packages include. With so many software vendors to choose from, the DSCE and provides a software selection process that will help you make sense out of the 600 plus vendors currently on the market.

From these new found perspectives the DSCE then delves into the key elements of hardware components.  From displays, to mounts. To media players and infrastructure, it is all addressed. Since it is impossible to cover every brand, model, and vendor so the course provides a proven vendor selection process that will work across vendor types and lines for companies small, medium, or large.

Attention is then turned to connectivity and networks where a concise introduction to networks will fill in those blanks on types of connectivity, such as wired, wireless, etc. and just as importantly what to look out for.

The DSCE wraps up all of the information garnered heretofore and applies the new found knowledge to Selling Value in Digital Signage. Success in digital signage ultimately boils down to value and how to translate the value that a digital signage expert can bring to the table. The value of what you have to offer must be identified, quantified and translated into the value paradigm of the customer or end user. The process of translation involves due diligence and the application of the knowledge contained in the DSCE.

Simply understand that this is not the end rather the beginning of the journey of becoming a digital signage expert and the journey starts with the first step, the DSCE.

Course Outline

• Welcome to the DSCE, and a first look at the industry
• The 7 Key Elements of Digital Signage
• The evolution of signs – the history of digital signage
• Digital signage definitions, terms, and convergence factors
• The digital signage market quantified
  • Understanding the market
  • Market drivers
  • Barriers to entry
• Understanding digital signage: natural fit applications
• Business, ROI, and ROO
  • Understanding ROI & ROO
  • Tangible and intangible benefits, measuring return, and mastering revenue
  • Digital signage business models
• Understanding content
  • Defining content for digital signage
  • Analyzing content, and the 5 keys to good content
  • Guidelines on content, standards and practices
• Designing an effective digital signage system
  • Understanding the needs analysis
  • Top design considerations
• Understanding Content Management Software (CMS)
  • Software components
  • Software operational models
  • Selecting a software vendor
• Understanding digital signage hardware
  • Display types
  • Infrastructure
  • Mounts
  • Media Players
  • Audio
  • Interactivity and mobile
  • Selecting a hardware vendor – 5P Analysis
• Networking: digital signage connectivity
• Digital signage operations
  • Key elements of operations
  • Partnerships and risk abatement
• Selling digital signage