Digital Directory Boards for Office Buildings

The static lobby directory, with its slide-in letters or engraved plates, is out of date the day a tenant moves. Digital directories fix that, and they do more than list names.

What a digital directory shows

• Tenant listings by name, suite and floor, alphabetical or by floor
• Building announcements: maintenance, fire drills, holiday hours
• Wayfinding: elevators, washrooms, parking, accessible routes
• Building amenities: conference rooms, fitness centre, bike storage
• Sponsor or tenant promotions, if the landlord chooses

Why landlords switch

Updates without a sign shop

When a tenant moves in or out, the directory updates in minutes. No ordering new letter strips or plates.

A better first impression

A clean, current, well-designed directory tells visitors the building is actively managed. An out-of-date directory with missing letters tells them the opposite.

More useful to visitors

Adding floor maps, accessible routes and amenity information turns the directory into a wayfinding tool.

Placement

• Main lobby, visible from the entrance and near the elevators
• Parking level elevator lobbies, for visitors arriving by car
• Floor lobbies in multi-tenant floors

Large portrait screens (43"–55") are a common choice for the main directory. Recessing them into the lobby wall or a feature panel gives a built-in look. See flush mount vs surface mount.

Touch or not?

Touchscreen directories with search are useful in large buildings with many tenants. In smaller buildings, a scrolling or paged list is simpler, more durable and easier to maintain.

Accessibility

• Large, high-contrast text
• Mounting height that works for standing and seated visitors
• Don't make touch the only way to find information
• Keep the directory clear of the main path of travel. See protruding objects.

Who updates it

Usually the property manager or building operator, through a browser. Tenant changes should take a minute, not a work order.

See also wayfinding screens for mixed-use buildings and tenant communication screens.