| Project overview
Client
Smarta Kök is a Sweden-based restaurant group operating eight different restaurants that offer café services, catering, and weekly buffets.
Agency
Hybrid State (Advertising & design agency)
Delivery
A scalable digital signage solution for the restaurant Bricks Eatery, featuring a standardized layout and a functional, easily updatable menu with high usability.
Requirements
5 Defined sections: Menu (weekly/daily) | large video panel | small video panel | information box (dates, opening hours) | Logotype.
Standardized Layout: Ensure a standardized layout that allows for quick updates with stock materials and supports expansion to additional locations.
High quality & readability: Ensure high quality and readability to guarantee visibility from a distance of 3 meters.
My role
In this project, I was responsible for designing the digital signage solution from start to finish, ensuring its successful implementation and functionality for Bricks Eatery.
CONTEXT.
Smarta Kök contacted Hybrid State in search of a solution to streamline how Bricks Eatery updated and showcased their weekly menu, as they frequently struggled to keep the information current and consistent. Additionally, if the project proved successful, they were looking to implement the solution in more locations to enable quick, simultaneous updates of promotional materials across several restaurant locations.
| layout
Tackling the menu function.
The first priority in this project was to figure out the menu feature, as this would set the foundation for all other dimensions and sections. The challenge was to strike a balance between design, flexibility and simplicity. Firstly, the 'menu function' required high accessibility and readability and needed to be easy for local staff to update on the spot. In addition, it also needed to accommodate the four additional sections with standardized formats such as 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16 to ensure future promotions or information could be pushed out on demand.
To solve this challenge, multiple options were explored, tested and iterated to find the most effective solution. Below are the three main solutions we considered.
playipp's Integrated menu feature
One promising option that was explored was to utilize PLAYIPP's integrated 'Lunch-menu' function, which would enable direct updates to the menu within PLAYIPP itself. One of its strengths was that it allowed for quick updates with reduced workload and had a low learning curve, making it easy to use. Additionally, it featured self-adjusting height, which was particularly useful when the menu was long. However, there were some weaknesses to consider. The system operated in a fixed format, resulting in a thin display and when the menu length increased, the text size also decreased, which compromised readability. It also had restricted font choices, a background color limited to grey.
PLAYIPP'S 'integrated menu' function
using a Website screenshot
Another great feature was to utilize an extension that would automatically capture and upload screenshots of the restaurant's website to the signage screen. Using the website screenshot function meant that we could eliminate all the menu updates completely as the client already updated the website. However, there were some obstacles to make it work. The website's menu format was incompatible with digital signage, leading to layout issues, as larger text would exceed the screen's height. Additionally, the website's background did not match the signage. All in all, this meant that there was a need for adjustments to the website itself, to align it with the digital signage.
The prototype of the 'website screenshot' solution
building an external template
A third option was to use external software to create templates, which were then uploaded to PLAYIPP. One of the strengths of this approach was the greater control it provided over design elements such as layout, fonts, colors, and text size. It also offered more flexibility in creating a menu that aligned with the restaurant's branding, while ensuring full control over readability and accessibility. However, this solution also had some weaknesses. It involved a higher workload, as updating the menu required multiple steps. Additionally, there was a steep learning curve, increasing the risk of human error.
The 'Manual template' in 16:9 format
converging on a solution & testing
❌ PLAYIPP's 'integrated menu feature: During the prototyping it was already decided that the integrated menu's functional limitations made it unsuitable for our needs. As a result, we turned our focus on the remaining options: the website screenshot and manual template.
❌ Website screenshot solution: Given the significant benefits of using the website screenshot function, a suggestion was made to the client to update Bricks Eatery's website alongside the digital signage, aligning it with the new layout. Unfortunately, while there were som future plans for a website update, it was being managed by another agency and could not be updated during this project.
✔ Manual template: After ruling out the other solutions, it was determined that the manual template was the most viable solution. We therefore moved forward with usability and remote testing to validate its effectiveness in real-world use.
#1 usability testing
A workshop was conducted with the staff at Bricks Eatery to evaluate the entire process of updating and uploading the menu to PLAYIPP. Although this process required extra steps compared to other prototypes, feedback from all stakeholders was positive, confirming that the external template was a viable solution to move forward with.
#2 Real-Time Remote Testing
After the successful usability test we proceeded with remote testing the signage solution as a whole. Since I couldn’t physically observe the screen, I relied on real-time feedback from the onsite staff to fine-tune the details and ensure the interface was user-friendly. We focused on key elements, like ensuring text was legible from at least 2 meters, allowing anyone to read it comfortably without approaching the screen. Additionally, we verified that the display updated instantly, that we could schedule changes and addressed smaller issues that arose during testing.
Layout Wrap-Up.
The outcome of first phase of the design process was highly successful and the layout & menu solution crossed of all the key requirements:
✔ Standardized Layout: A standardized layout was implemented, enabling quick updates with stock materials and supporting expansion to additional locations.
✔ 5 defined sections: The layout incorporated all required sections—Menu (weekly/daily), large video panel, small video panel, information box (dates, opening hours), and logotype—successfully organized within the design.
✔ High Quality & Readability: The solution ensured high-quality visuals and readability, with content clearly visible from a distance of 2-3 meters, fulfilling the accessibility and visibility requirements.
| visual identity
Aligning Digital Signage with Brand.
Style Guide
To maintain visual consistency for any potential updates to the digital signage, I created a style guide with key elements such as the logo, fonts, and the color palette to maintain a consistent graphic profile across all media. The style guide ensured that anyone involved could easily reference it when creating graphic materials for Bricks Eatery's digital signage.
visual tone
In addition to the style guide, the visual tone was defined to further align the choice of graphic material with Bricks Eatery's existing visual identity. The tone reflected the overall mood and aesthetic of the brand and a collage of images was created to capture the feeling and visual tone. Alongside the images, four key words — colorful, refined, rustic, sophisticated — defined the core essence of the tone.
"colorful, refined, rustic, sophisticated"
The visual tone representing Bricks Eatery
Pre-Deliverable layout
Style guide and visual tone applied to the completed layout template in PLAYIPP. This pre-deliverable was scheduled and tested on digital signage before going live.
| demonstrating success
scaling the solution to two additional locations.
After the successful creation and implementation of the digital signage solution at Bricks Eatery, the client requested that the same solution be rolled out to two additional locations: Restaurant INSPIRA and Restaurant Edison. Thanks to the scalable layout, we were able to quickly implement the solution at the additional locations and easily align it with each restaurant's visual identity.
pushing a quick promotion.
This is one example among many that highlights the success of the digital signage solution, demonstrating how a last-minute promotion was efficiently applied across all three restaurants simultaneously. The promotion was requested and executed within just a few hours, thanks to the standardized design layouts, which highlight the effectiveness of the overall layout, design, and process. As seen, each restaurant maintained its unique character while the overall brand identity was preserved through the standardized layout and promotion.
| deliverables
'Pizza days campaign' on the dual screen setup for restaurant Inspira
