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Interactive Media for Health and Medicine

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Interactive media plays such a large role in our everyday lives. We use websites to increase our knowledge and to shop for products, we communicate with friends and family through social media and we play video games to pass the time. These are all common uses of interactive media that just about everyone has some experience with. All of these examples are worthwhile uses of the technology, but recently interactive media has become a valuable tool in the fields of health and medicine.

The reason that interactive media is useful for things like medical training and health awareness is similar to the reasons that it can be so effective as a marketing tool. It does more than just convey information, it also provides an experience to the user. The experience gives the information more impact and in doing so, it makes for content that the consumer is more likely to remember. Just as this can be very effective for selling a product, it can also be useful for educating and raising awareness.

The FDA and interactive media

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The Food and Drug Administration of the United States uses interactive media to disburse information about health and medicine. They have resource pages for consumers, health professionals and for businesses that are in the industry. This includes videos and articles that are designed to raise awareness about commercial drugs, foods, vitamins and the different practices of the FDA. This can be a very useful resource for consumers that are looking to learn about the drugs that they get at the drugstore or products that may have been recalled by the FDA. It has resources to help train and educate professionals about the different programs the FDA is running and about the laws and standards that must be followed in different sectors of the industry.

The IDF uses interactive media

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The Israeli Defense Forces have recently started using interactive media to train medics and it has already shown to improve upon the educational process. This is very effective for the training of medical personnel because it provides more than just a stream of information, but an actual experience where they can apply what they have learned. One component of the interactive media learning is the use of videos. The videos contain information about a variety of medical topics and many of them end with a quiz. Another innovative use of interactive media that the IDF has employed is a videogame where they simulate situations that a medic may encounter on the battlefield. The game requires the player to analyze injuries and select the correct procedures using the knowledge that they have gained through other parts of their training.

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The use of this technology to teach consumers, students and health professionals is a relatively new development in the field of interactive media. With the success of programs such as these, it is likely that this application for the technology will only grow. Companies that specialize in interactive media will continue to develop new ways to expand the uses of the technology and it will have an ever-increasing presence in the areas of health and medicine.

Image Credits:

http://allfacebook.com/files/2012/04/HEALTH.jpg

http://www.curemelanoma.org/assets/FDASIgn.jpg

http://rlv.zcache.com/idf_israel_defense_forces_speaker-r1a27fb962ea94e61963ea0456593f664_vs8xj_8byvr_398.jpg

http://www.funforever.net/wp-content/InteractiveMediaWall_2_01.jpg

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3 ways to utilize Interactive Media for Business

Media is essentially the collective means of communication and information disbursement that we use for a variety of purposes. The types of media that we are most familiar with are things like television, radio, the internet and print. These can be effective tools for getting a message to a particular audience or obtaining the information that we may need about a give topic.

3 ways to utilize Interactive Media for Business5

When we talk about interactive media, we mean a type of media that can engage the consumer with a back and forth. Rather than a one-way flow of information like a television program or a radio broadcast, interactive media responds to input from the individual that is using it. This could include everything from a website to a videogame or an interactive kiosk at a shopping center. These forms of media can be particularly advantageous to a business because it not only sends the message that the business is trying to share, but it also engages the consumer and provides them with the information that is most relevant to their needs.

3 ways to utilize Interactive Media for Business5

1. Websites

A website is a very common piece of interactive media and in many ways, a website can actually be described as interactive multimedia. This is because a website can include different types of media into the user experience and allow them to interact with all of them. By navigating a website and selecting different options for the content that interests them, the consumer is interacting with the media on the website. This can obviously be a very powerful tool when it comes to providing information to the consumer in a way that is engaging and convenient.

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2. Apps for tablets and smartphones

A business that chooses to build a consumer app is also taking advantage of another form of interactive media. An app can be a very effective marketing tool because most consumers take their mobile devices everywhere they go. With your app installed on their mobile device, the consumer is in effect, taking a connection to your business along with them for the experience of their everyday life. These apps can include information about products and services, information about the latest sales and specials and it can even include special features that will motivate the consumer to visit your location.

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3. The interactive kiosk

An interactive kiosk can offer a business a lot of great benefits. It can work as a directory to help consumers search for and learn about products, it can be used as a digital wayfinding device, it can be employed as a part of a customer outreach campaign and most of all, it can be used to personalize the consumer experience. One of the great things about the interactive kiosk is that it can be used to tie all of your media efforts together. The business can build apps that will interact with the kiosk and they can hold promotions on social media or at the website that bring the consumer back around to the kiosk.

Having a complete media presence is essential in the world of marketing and in today’s marketing world that means the use of interactive media. While the traditional forms of media are important, the interactive media offers so much more in regard to consumer engagement and the ability to deliver a dynamic and up to date message.

Image credits:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6104/6267374196_4a313fa278_z.jpg
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/182/5/0/vision_of_human_technology_0002_by_agsandrew-d6bkbs9.jpg
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/239/5/f/technology_possessing_world_by_pj93-d4809z7.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Space_Technology_5.jpg
http://pixabay.com/p-237402/?no_redirect


 










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Digital Signage for Hospital Wayfinding
 




Managing a complex of medical facilities poses a series of very complicated problems. One of these problems is the issue of patient and visitor wayfinding. In many cases, a hospital is just one part of a much larger medical complex that can consist of many different buildings, multiple parking lots and a series of walkways. For visitors and patients, navigating this environment can be confusing and in some situations frustrating.


The solution to this is to have some form of wayfinding system. In the past, this was usually achieved by using static signage and maybe some form of interior or architectural design that helps to make different areas of the complex easier to identify and find. However, there is a newer solution that can work much better for helping patients and visitors to find their way around and this newer option is digital wayfinding.


The wayfinding kiosk


An interactive digital wayfinding kiosk will be an especially effective tool for helping people to navigate a complex that consists of many different parts. It can include maps of the entire complex that illustrate where the buildings are in relation to each other and how they can be accessed by the individual. You can also use color-coding on the screen that matches color-coding in the building to make directions easier to follow. Since the kiosk is also interactive, the user can also select locations that they need to find and get precise directions that will lead them there. You can place an interactive kiosk in all of the main points of entry and it will go a long way toward eliminating confusion.


Apps for digital wayfinding


This is one digital wayfinding solution that is relatively new for hospital navigation, but it can be very useful for a complex that is very large. A wayfinding app that the patient can install on their mobile device can help them to find the health services that they need with less trouble and it can even offer additional services that guests will appreciate. With the app, it can tell the guest exactly where they should park, which door will best help them to get to their appointment and where it is and from there it can give them turn by turn directions to the location that they are looking for.


An integrated system of wayfinding


For a wayfinding system that is intended to help people navigate a really large environment that has a range of different sections and subsections you probably won’t abandon all of the old methods completely. With a large environment like a hospital complex, you will need to integrate digital wayfinding into a strategy that includes static signage and building design. With the right level of planning and the use of the right wayfinding tools in the right places, a large environment can be made very easy to navigate.


To build a digital wayfinding system, it will take a considerable investment of time and money. Even though it is a rather large investment, it is something that will benefit the patients and the facility alike.










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The Use of Interactive Kiosks for Car Dealerships
 




Car dealerships are always looking for ways to increase sales and expand their customer outreach. One tool that can help them to engage more consumers and improve the dealership experience is the interactive kiosk. With an interactive kiosk, the dealership gets a marketing tool that can really improve the experience for potential customers in a range of different ways, but not only that, it can also assist your staff in with certain tasks.


Advertising


The most obvious job that a touch-screen kiosk can perform is that of advertising the automobiles and services that you offer. While the machine is waiting for a customer or sales representative to interact with it, it can be set to feature the advertisements for a range of products. It can also be set to place subtle advertisements in with the functional display screens that the consumer will use. While advertising is a nice feature, the interactive kiosk can do much more than that.


It can be a virtual showroom


The interactive kiosk can allow the dealer to feature more vehicles than they have physical space for. The kiosk can be programmed to have directories that will help to guide the consumer through the catalog of vehicles that are available and it will allow them to view features and specs of their different options. If the vehicle is onsite, it can also give them directions to the vehicle so they can see it up close. This can also be helpful to the sales associates, because they can take the customer on a tour of the cars that they might be interested in without having to walk the entire lot. Users can search by parameters such as price range, model year, color and the dealer can even setup a tab for their featured autos.


For new cars, this can be a really advantageous tool. You can program the interactive kiosk to allow the user to build the car how they want it. The consumer can select a model, learn about the different options that are available and choose the ones that they want, all the while viewing a digital representation of the car that they are building on the screen.


Alternative point of contact


You can also use the interactive kiosk as a partial substitute for the sales associate. On a busy day, a customer might come in and have to wait for a sales representative because the staff is already busy with other customers. Instead of having to wait for assistance, a staff member can direct them to the interactive kiosk where they can begin shopping and learning about their options until a sales representative is available to assist them in person. This can make for a better experience for the consumer and it can be a great service to the sales staff.


With the range of different options that are available, auto dealerships can find a lot of uses for interactive kiosks and digital signage. They can be used to increase consumer awareness and to provide information to the customer and the staff while also being a key component to the dealer’s consumer engagement strategy. For dealers that are looking for versatile tool that can build on their brand, an interactive kiosk might be the perfect solution.










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Wayfinding Solutions with Digital Signage
 




When most people think about digital signage, they tend to think of it as simply a marketing device. While this may be one of the most common applications for digital signage, it is really only scratching the surface of what can be done. Recently, there has been a rise in the popularity of using digital signage as a wayfinding solution. Using digital wayfinding instead of the older static wayfinding systems can offer some serious benefits to the location and the visitor/consumer.


When we talk about wayfinding, we are referring to using something for the purposes of orienting individuals in an environment and helping them to find their way around. In the past, this would be achieved by posting static signage that informed the visitor of where they were and the locations of different elements in the environment. This may have been better than having no wayfinding strategy at all, but it still has some limitations that can be addressed by using digital signage in its place.


It offers versatility


With a digital wayfinding system, you have more options for how the information is presented. You can offer turn-by-turn direction to a location in the environment or you can show a visual representation of how to get there on a map. The digital signage can also contain information about different elements of the environment. That means that it can go beyond showing the visitor how to get from point A to point B, but it can also help them to decide where they want to go when they are unsure. Along with that, you can update the system to reflect any changes that may occur to the environment. If something in the building is moved from one place to another, the digital signage can be easily changed to maintain accuracy. Furthermore, these are just a few of the ways that digital wayfinding is more versatile than static signage wayfinding.


Interactive wayfinding


Using an interactive kiosk for wayfinding can make for an even better visitor experience. It turns the wayfinding system into a more complete information center. With a touchscreen, the visitor can search for locations in the broader environment by name or by classification and they can even request information about the different locations as they may need. Not only is this better for the visitor, but it can also do some of the tasks that would normally require a human staff member.


With the interactive kiosk, you could also have the option of mobile wayfinding. Some digital signage can interact with mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. With this technology, the visitor can request the information from the wayfinding system and stream it to their device. This could give them simple direction to the desired location or it could give them a map to help them navigate the entire environment.


Digital wayfinding can provide benefits to a range of different establishments and the larger the environment, the more beneficial it will be to have a dynamic wayfinding system that really aids the visitor. However, it is not just for the really big establishments, with a range of hardware and software options, there can be a digital wayfinding solution for almost any location.