Role: Lead Designer & Frontend Engineer
Project Overview
The reception area at Euromoney's London HQ had a blank screen that was underutilised. The Facilities team approached us with a simple brief:
We've got that spare screen in reception that's not being used and we'd like to do something nice with it, give our guests something useful to see and perhaps something about the company.
This open-ended request provided an opportunity to enhance the visitor experience without the constraints of tight deadlines or complex requirements.
Strategic Approach
To make the most of the space, we considered the needs of the most likely visitors and what would be helpful for them to know. Key considerations included:
- Visitor Personas: Understanding the types of visitors and their information needs.
- Minimising Content Overhead: Using automated data sources reduced the need for manual content generation and ongoing maintenance.
- Data Sources & API Integration: Leveraging external APIs — Transport for London (TfL) for real-time tube and bus updates, news feeds, and weather data — to provide dynamic, up-to-date content.
- TV-Specific Design Challenges: Designing for a large screen meant optimising layouts, font sizes, and contrast to ensure readability from a distance, while keeping the display uncluttered.
- Simplicity: Keeping the design clean and straightforward to ensure ease of use and maintenance.
Implementation & Deliverables
The solution brought together multiple data sources into a cohesive display:
- News Headlines: Aggregated from multiple sources to provide current events.
- Transport Information: Real-time updates from TfL for local tube and bus services.
- Weather Updates: Local weather information to help visitors plan their journey.
- Clock: A simple CSS-powered clock to display the current time.
A continuous integration (CI) pipeline was set up to streamline updates, and a client-side check ensured smooth deployment without disrupting reception operations.
Outcome
The reception screen became a valuable addition to the office environment. Its success led to deployment on multiple screens throughout the building, highlighting its positive reception and utility.
This project demonstrated how thoughtful design, integration with external APIs, and careful consideration of unconventional display formats can enhance the workplace experience without significant investment. It also reinforced the importance of understanding user needs and leveraging available data to create meaningful, engaging solutions.
