Museums are more than just spaces to display artifacts. They are also places where stories come to life.
However, traditional labels and static signs can only convey so much, leaving visitors with limited context and engagement. Digital signage changes that.
By combining text, images, video, and interactive elements, museums can create immersive experiences that inform, entertain, and inspire.
In this guide, we’ll explain why digital signage matters for museums and the benefits it offers.
Why Museums Should Consider Digital Signage
The benefits of digital signage extend far beyond aesthetics. They touch every aspect of museum operations, from visitor satisfaction to operational efficiency.
Enhanced Visitor Engagement
Static museum label formats have worked for centuries, but they can only share limited information. After all, text and a single image can only convey so much.
Digital signage breaks through these constraints with multimedia storytelling that brings museum exhibits to life.
Instead of relying solely on static descriptions, video places artifacts in context. Imagine displaying footage of an archaeological dig right beside the objects uncovered there.
Animations further enhance understanding by showing how ancient machinery worked or how historical events unfolded.
When visitors can interact with the content themselves, they explore at their own pace, which makes the experience more personal and engaging.
This doesn’t replace your curation. It enhances it. Visitors get clearer, more memorable insights, and each artifact becomes a doorway to real understanding.
Real-Time Updates & Flexibility
Traditional signage is expensive to change. Spot an error in a label? That's a reprint. Event time changes? New posters needed. Special exhibition coming? More printing costs and staff time hanging new materials.
Digital signage removes these hassles. Instead of reprinting and rehanging signs, you can update exhibit information instantly from your computer.
Event schedules can also change in real time, and pricing adjustments happen with a click.
Cost Savings and Sustainability
The initial investment in digital kiosks can seem significant. On average, a single digital kiosk hardware costs between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on size and features.
However, the long-term savings add up quickly. Less paper means lower printing costs. No more paying for rush printing jobs when something needs updating urgently. Labor costs for installing and removing physical signage are also reduced.
Beyond finances, there is the environmental impact. Museums increasingly prioritize sustainability, and digital signage supports that mission. E-paper displays, in particular, consume minimal energy while remaining perfectly readable.
With digital signage, you reduce waste while modernizing the visitor experience, creating a win on both fronts.
Better Wayfinding and Visitor Flow Management
While static maps and directional signs provide some guidance, they have limits, especially in large or complex museums.
Digital wayfinding changes that. Interactive maps show visitors their current location and help them find specific exhibits.
Screens can also display real-time capacity information, directing people away from crowded galleries and toward quieter areas. Dynamic signage can even adjust suggestions based on the time of day or special events.
This improved flow makes the visitor experience more enjoyable and reduces congestion in popular areas. Visitors feel less stressed, and staff spend less time answering navigation questions.
Multilingual Support and Accessibility
Museums serve diverse audiences. International tourists, immigrant communities, and visitors with different accessibility needs all deserve full access to your content.
Digital signage makes multilingual support practical. A single display can cycle through multiple languages or let visitors select their preference.
You can also update translations across all screens at once and add new languages as your audience grows, all without reprinting anything.
Accessibility features also become easier to implement. Adjustable text sizes help visitors with vision impairments. Audio descriptions can accompany visual content. High-contrast modes improve readability.
These features make your museum more inclusive and expand your potential audience.
Common Use Cases & Applications of Digital Signage in Museums
Understanding where digital signage fits in your museum helps you plan implementation strategically. Here are the most impactful applications.
1. Welcome Screens
Your entrance sets the tone for the visit, and digital welcome screens make that first impression engaging and informative.
They can show ticket information, including special pricing or timed entries. They also display today’s schedule of talks, tours, workshops, and activities. Important guidelines can be shared clearly, and messages can cycle in multiple languages to welcome all visitors.
The screens can also highlight current exhibitions, building excitement before guests enter. Digital welcome screens ensure your first impression is professional, helpful, and modern.
2. Exhibit Labels & Information Panels
Digital signage takes museum storytelling to the next level. Traditional museum labels are limited to text and a single image, while digital panels open up many more possibilities.
With digital panels, you can:
- Combine text with multiple images showing different angles or contexts
- Add video clips to demonstrate how objects were used or created
- Include audio from experts explaining their significance
- Layer information so casual visitors get the essentials while enthusiasts can explore deeper details
For example, Ring's Redoubt, a historic fort from the New Zealand Wars, is featured in an interactive exhibit at the Papakura Museum in Auckland.
Using STQRY Kiosk, visitors explore a large digital display showcasing around 6,000 artifacts connected to the redoubt.
This immersive experience helps visitors connect with the site’s history in ways traditional exhibits cannot.
3. Wayfinding & Navigation Signage
Getting lost can frustrate visitors and reduce their enjoyment. Digital wayfinding solves this problem by guiding visitors clearly throughout the museum.
Interactive maps show visitors their current location and direct them to specific exhibitions. At the same time, directories list all current exhibits with clear directions. Screens can even suggest routes based on visitor interests or the time they have available.
Real-time updates make navigation more flexible. If a gallery closes temporarily, the system automatically reroutes visitors.
Capacity information also helps distribute crowds evenly, improving the experience for everyone.
4. Event Promotion & Announcements
Museums regularly host special events such as gallery talks, workshops, curator presentations, and special exhibitions. Encouraging visitors to attend these events requires clear and effective promotion.
Digital screens placed throughout the museum can highlight upcoming events with eye-catching visuals and video teasers.
They can also show real-time updates, like a gallery talk starting in 10 minutes in the Ancient Rome exhibition.
After events, screens can display highlights to spark interest in future programs.
5. Visitor Engagement & Social Integration
Modern visitors want to participate, not just observe. Digital signage makes it easy to turn that interest into interaction.
For example, interactive quizzes engage visitors with exhibition content in a fun and educational way. Surveys let visitors share their opinions and feedback, giving you valuable insights while making them feel heard.
This type of engagement turns passive observation into active participation, creating a stronger connection between your museum and its audience.
Power Your Museum’s Digital Signage with STQRY
STQRY Kiosk and STQRY Signage give museums a complete digital content system, and each tool serves a different purpose.
STQRY Kiosk offers an interactive experience. Visitors can tap through digital labels, stories, videos, audio guides, images, and quizzes on touchscreen kiosks. This setup replaces static labels with deeper and more engaging content.
The kiosk also supports multiple languages and voice-over features, which helps museums create more accessible exhibits.
STQRY Signage provides the non-interactive add-on. It takes your STQRY Kiosk content and displays it on screens around the museum. This works well in welcome areas, exhibit entrances, or any space where visitors benefit from passive content.
Signage plays videos, images, and curated highlights automatically. It uses the same content library as STQRY Kiosk, so updates stay simple and consistent.
Get started with STQRY today and transform how visitors experience your museum.