Advice and guidelines for screen publishing
Here we have collected some useful advice and guidelines for those publishing on Uppsala University screens.
Tailor your information to your target audience
When publishing on digital screens, it is important to keep in mind your target audience. The location of the screen determines the target audience, which may be students, employees or other visitors.
- Public spaces (students and visitors)
- Division/department or similar defined area (employees and/or students).
- Specific rooms, e.g., lunch room, working group room, work station or similar room within a security perimeter (employees).
Be careful with the message originator
The screens are not a marketing channel for external companies/operators. Only information where Uppsala University is the message originator may be published. In some cases, the contact and organisational details of the message originator may be relevant.
Don't overload pages with information
Visitors are almost always on the move near the screens. The best we can hope for is to briefly capture someone’s interest and get our message across. The shorter and clearer the message, the more likely we are to succeed.
Leave images up for a while
Leave the image for 15-20 seconds depending on the length of the text. A good rule of thumb is that you, the writer, should have time to read it three times. Screens are not a good channel for posters, as they contain too much information for people to read.
No more than seven information images and prioritise content
A visitor will only linger for a brief while to look at all the information images in a loop. Two minutes is considered the maximum, which means you should avoid having more than 6-7 information images in the loop. This means that prioritising content may be necessary. The following order of priority is recommended for content on information screens:
Recommended order of priority for information screen content:
- Crisis information (e.g., threats, evacuation)
- Safety issues (e.g., infection risk info, locked doors, fire drills, breakdowns).
- Information about local events (seminars, conferences).
- Information about local activities (opening hours, changes of premises, etc.).
- Information relevant to the target audience (calls for proposals, awards, new staff, etc.).
- University events and other activities on University premises.
- External events and information related to the target audience (but not advertising).
Don't leave content up for too long
The information on the screens must be changed periodically and livened up. Leaving the same information up for too long will only lead passers-by to lose interest in the screen content. For example, if you want to announce an event, don’t post your content until 1-2 weeks beforehand.
Use images
Images and photos help grab attention. Use images with a resolution appropriate for the screen. It is important that you have permission to use the image. You are not allowed to use images from the Internet unless you have first obtained permission. If your image covers the city skyline in the background, remove the skyline from your image. The content should be balanced in terms of image size and text. The University's image policy must be followed, as well as the University's style guide.
Avoid video clips and sound
Video clips are often too long and require the visitor to stand still for a long time. For that reason, avoid video clips. Animations are fine, but sound is not recommended as it can be disruptive and not all screens are sound-enabled.
Use one font and underline links
The font Gill Alt One MT is to be used. The font and size of headings, subheadings and body text should not be changed in the templates. The same applies to links, which should be underlined.
Create your image in one of the available templates
The easiest way to create a good image is to use the PowerPoint template designed for this purpose. The templates conform with Uppsala University's graphic profile and should not be changed. The templates are adapted for 16x9 (standard TV screen) format, landscape and portrait screens. There are templates with and without logo. The logo is important to indicate that Uppsala University is the message originator. Use the templates with care.
The Diskus Guide
A simple guide on how to use Diskus step by step.