#416: Digital displays and their impact on health and sustainability, with Tim O'Malley, E Ink

Digital interfaces, displays, signage, and more are a fixture of our lives, and they aren’t going anywhere. In fact, as digital displays get more flexible and sustainable, they will continue to grow in usage, but at what impact to our health, energy usage, and overall sustainability? Today we’re going to talk about creating sustainable, long-term digital displays that improve the lives of consumers and businesses. To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Timothy O'Malley, AVP US RBU at E Ink Corporation, which you might not have heard of before, but if you’ve ever used an Amazon Kindle, seen digital retail display signage, healthcare signage, or even the recent color-changing BMW at CES earlier this year, you’ve probably seen their work. RESOURCES Full details of the study can be found at the Journal for the Society of Information Display: http://doi.org/10.1002/jsid.1191 Link to the collaboration between Kohler and E Ink: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7072135602229399552/ The Agile Brand podcast website: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com/theagilebrandpodcast Sign up for The Agile Brand newsletter here: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-brand/ For consulting on marketing technology, customer experience, and more visit GK5A: https://www.gk5a.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems.Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company SYNOPSIS In this episode, the host and guest delve into the topic of sustainable long-term digital displays. They acknowledge that digital displays, such as phones, tablets, televisions, laptops, and watches, have become an integral part of our lives and are continuously growing in popularity. However, there are concerns regarding their impact on health, energy consumption, and overall sustainability. One of the challenges discussed is the power usage of digital displays. The guest highlights that Germany recently implemented restrictions on the operation of digital out of home and digital signage screens between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., limiting their usage to only six hours a day. This serves as a clear example of the environmental and sustainability issues associated with digital signage. The guest also introduces the concept of e-paper displays as a more sustainable alternative to traditional digital displays. They explain that e-paper displays can effectively replace paper displays, such as shelf tags in retail or small advertisement signs. By adopting e-paper displays, energy consumption can be significantly reduced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices