In my opinion, from the software side of digital signage, adding QR codes is simply the addition of “art” to the medium.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s “smart art” that is capable of providing valuable information to the consumer and to the deployer, and I think it’s very cool that digital communication vehicles are able to tap into a hot new print trend that happens to be applicable to the digital world as well. But aren’t all digital signage companies able to add QR code art to their communications with relative ease? Once the code is mapped, isn’t the "smart art" file just added to the playlist loop like all other artwork? Where’s the differentiating value?. 

A quick-response code, or QR code, is a matrix, or two-dimensional barcode, readable by QR scanners, camera-enabled mobile phones, and of course smart phones. To create the code, black modules are arranged in a square pattern on white background. The encoded information can be text, URL or other types of data.

VIEW EXAMPLES OF QR CODE USAGE 

You may not have seen them in digital applications as of yet, but they’re popping up everywhere in print. If you don’t believe me, start looking around. I was just perusing the new Pottery Barn catalog, and sure enough there it was smack in the middle of the glossy spread: a scanable QR code linking me to more information.

I would think all digital signage software companies would already have or be quickly scrambling to incorporate QR codes into their files, expanding their product offering with a simple click of a button? 

As usual, the devil is in the details. Significant questions relative to the digital domain remain, including: In order for the QR code to work, does the screen need to be landscape vs. portrait? Is there any cause for concern with a moiré pattern?

Millennials, GenX, baby Boomers, and the silent generation, the Matures, all on the front line

I recently attended a conference in Atlanta that addressed the demographics of foodservice employment in the United States and how four generations of workers are simultaneously represented in that industry’s workforce: the Millennials, GenXers, Baby Boomers, and the Matures. As a result, you have new complexities such as Matures being managed by Millennials, and although the Matures may have significant work experience compared to their new bosses, they frequently lack the tech-savvy skills or innate technology navigation abilities brought to the table by the younger generations.

Conversation around work ethic in general, and the strength of the Baby Boomers' work ethic versus the other generations' in particular, along with the need for varying vehicles to deliver training were all topics of concern. And, my guess that it’s not just the foodservice industry dealing with these issues.

In addition to the management and training nightmares this generational phenomenon presents, it also represents an amazing opportunity for supplying targeted digital media training via digital signage and interactive touchscreens, from the corporate level all the way down to the store level. And, providing training through digital screenmedia builds an even stronger ROI argument for the installation of technology in the ubiquitous in-store environment.

I met several training consultants while at the conference, and we discussed the various methods in which employee training is currently being delivered. The conversation ranged from printed manuals, one-on-one through group training sessions, brand “universities,” and of course Web-based content. It appeared to me that concurrently, and effectively, managing and responding to the needs of multiple unique generations within the workplace has many trainers looking to expand into both on-demand kiosk and interactive touchscreen-driven training, and pre- and post-store opening training via digital signage. I’d love to hear and share other examples of in-store training modules being offered through digital media.