Birgit Jackson, Commercial Director of the Visual Solutions Division at Sharp Europe, presents his vision for the future of digital and interactive display technologies, and professional environments.
No one could have predicted the events of 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, but these elements had a direct impact on Sharp's strategy in terms of visual solutions. Our predictions for the European digital signage market for 2020 did not take the pandemic into account. We did not yet know at the time that the priority and the main trend of the year would be to support telework professionals. We now know that this trend will continue in 2021, or even beyond. First, we are still in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic ; in addition, many companies have found that they have managed to adopt the telework model without disrupting their activities too much. If some now exclude returning their employees to their premises, we are starting to see a trend where others are considering exceptions for specific reasons, for example for the management of workshops, face-to-face interviews and other tasks where physical presence offers a tangible advantage. Facial expressions and body language being difficult to interpret through video conferencing tools, the office still has a role to play !
The professional environment of tomorrow
The spread of teleworking has prompted companies to completely review their security strategy. According to U.S, this phenomenon will become a trend in the visual solutions industry, companies looking for IT support offers allowing their employees to interact, to collaborate and share information with their colleagues in a healthy environment, as they would in the office. All of this should be done in the least invasive way., so employees can stay productive and experience minimal disruption. We recently conducted a survey on the impact of Covid-19 on the work environment, and discovered that the current situation had its share of advantages and disadvantages. One of the main positive effects is the attitude towards teleworking and the individuals participating in remote meetings. Before, many meetings were face-to-face, and only one or two people connected to it virtually. This resulted in a situation where individuals participating at a distance found themselves somewhat on the margins of others.. But at a time when most meetings follow this pattern, culture evolves, and everyone is now included and fully participates in the discussions. New technologies allow all users to enjoy the same experience wherever they are
Between telework and face-to-face
As a supplier of office equipment and meeting room displays, we spend a lot of time thinking about how these solutions can help employees become more productive, and to feel comfortable and secure in their work environments. Interactive displays are at the heart of the visual solutions market. However, the whole industry needs to think about the nature of touch screens: are professionals comfortable with having to touch them, or should they be equipped with an antibacterial coating ? Gesture recognition technologies are becoming a trend, because they allow users to interact with a screen without touching it, which can be reassuring for many. Corporate culture will therefore not disappear, but we expect the office to change considerably in the future. The focus will then be on collaboration and meeting spaces, rather than traditional arrangements.
Size and definition
Outside the professional context, the trend in the digital signage industry remains in the size and definition of screens. This is a natural evolution of display technologies, end users always demanding more realism. Higher definitions meet this need by allowing image details to be viewed vividly.. To meet the demands of the high-end product market, we will soon launch a 120-inch display offering exceptional 8K definition. Sharp is a leader in the industry, not only by the dimensions of its screens, but also with regard to the image quality. Its products offer sublime visuals and adapt perfectly to the most prestigious environments and settings. Another trend set to strengthen in 2021 and beyond in the digital display market : that of integration with mobile devices. Indeed, consumers now expect to be able to connect and interact with a device using their mobile device. It has become commonplace to share content with a digital signage directly from your smartphone. However, we are seeing more and more frequently the big screen delivery of content transmitted from the cloud by a mobile device.
