About University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong (UoW) has forged a distinctive identity as an enterprising institution with a personalised style. UoW is a University of international standing with an enviable record of achievement in teaching and research. The University consists of nine faculties offering a wide range of courses across Arts, Education, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Engineering, Law, Science, Informatics, Commerce and Creative Arts.
The main Wollongong campus is set on a site covering 82.4 hectares of lush greenery which establishes the natural setting of the campus.
The Scope
Improving the engagement of students, visitors and the wider community is part of any tertiary institution's key objectives.
UoW required a platform where they could convey key information to students and visitors easily and effectively via a visual display network of LCD, plasma and alternative visual methods. The content to be displayed included welcome notices, UoW news through UOWtv (a faculty & student initiative), announcements, parking information and weather.
The digital signage required needed to be student and public facing. One of the main factors in incorporating the digital signage network was to convey that UoW is part of the wider community.
UoW achieved this by displaying information that was not only relevant, but also engaging to the students and visitors to the University. "To achieve this balance we had a focused strategy on buy-in from faculties, business units and our broader community", said Megan Huisman, Academic Registrar. The screens are located in high traffic areas throughout the campus. They offer information including UoW news, courses and events engaging students to look at the screens.
The strategic outcome is that Omnivex Moxie Digital Signage has brought together faculties, business units and administration to collaborate and share content.
The Solution
Omnivex Moxie provided advanced functionality over all other digital signage software platforms evaluated. Its features include full design layout, flexibility and the full range of content types such as flash, RSS feeds, video files and linking of data in real time. Omnivex Moxie provides a system with unique intelligence by following pre-defined business rules, which automates content playlists, resulting in time savings during everyday use.
Omnivex Moxie automates many of the processes associated with managing a digital signage network. This meant that UoW would realize a huge time-saving benefit with respect to the ongoing management of the system. The Omnivex Moxie software manages all aspects of UoW's digital signage network, including content creation and management, real-time acquisition and distribution of data.
UoW has identified a number of benefits from the Omnivex Moxie Digital Signage system from its launch in March 2010. One of the major benefits UoW have gained from using the software is increased awareness of digital media and a focus on getting the content right. UoW was conscious of the risk of poorly designed content and the possible negative impacts on their brand because digital signage is so visual. UoW is a campus of innovation and its primary audience is technically savvy. The message is subtle and the media has been noticed. The sense of community has now bought together internal teams as well as students.
The Results
University of Wollongong have been enormously pleased with the Omnivex Digital Signage software rollout.
"Not only is the software easy to implement, its intuitive interface with metadata allows me to set content and forget it, as it will expire if necessary and adapt to changing data conditions without manual intervention. This means I spend less time on content and more time on tailoring content to suit my audience in real-time", says Anthony at UoW.
The communication channel is highly visible and has assisted in providing a more co-ordinated approach to messaging on campus.
General Manager of Communitech, Mr. Gary Else, congratulates UoW on their achievements to date and is looking forward to the inevitable expansion of the system. Gary considers Communitech to be a strategic partner with UOW's digital signage system. Their success will be reviewed again in 12 months time.
