Since its inception in 1925, the bulletin board has been transformed – from a humble piece of cork to a globally used digital tool for sharing information in locations such as schools, offices and multi-dwelling residential buildings. But how exactly did the bulletin board get to where it is today? What does the future hold for the format, and how can Housing Associations take advantage of the latest technology?
Adapting needs, changing times
Invented in Kansas by George Brooks, the original corkboard became so popular in his local area of Topeka, it was soon being used across the U.S. When the patent expired in 1941, the opportunity opened for enhancing versions: for example, a combined chalkboard and bulletin board which was patented in 1959.
It wouldn’t be until the 1970s, however, when the bulletin board took a decisive step into the new digital realm: software developers Ward Christensen and Randy Suess launched the first public dialup bulletin board system (or ‘BBS’) in 1976. In layman’s terms, this was a piece of software that allowed anyone with a modem and a computer to dial in and share simple messages, upload files and more, with those in their local area code. It marked a new era of information sharing before the world wide web arrived on the scene.
Following the explosion of the internet and technological advancements at the turn of the century, digital signage as we know it today was born in the 2010s. Replacing bulletin boards, they reduce the need for so much paper and provided real-time information. Coincidentally, the year 2010 also saw the origination of Pinterest, a social form of public bulletin or pin board, where users could share content and photos – ‘pinning’ what interests or inspires them to their own digital space.
Exploring interactivity
Fast forward to the present day and there are some exciting developments in the digital noticeboard world – namely the introduction of interactive features. Touchscreen displays allow for quick and easy information-sharing along with more visual options on how users receive updates and real-time news. Plus, messages and polls are easy to upload and change via online remote management systems – the latter being especially crucial in a time in which social interaction has to be kept to a minimum.
Take our brand-new Interactive Digital Noticeboard, which has been designed to make communicating with Housing Association residents smarter and more inclusive. Not only can housing managers set up and send out multiple messages in minutes via our secure online management system, but the Interactive Digital Noticeboard also has an integrated survey feature. Housing managers can pose questions to residents, who then use the scroll buttons to navigate to their answer, and then vote by placing their key fobs on the built-in proximity reader.
What does the future have in store?
…plenty! To create more meaningful experiences for users, facial recognition could eventually be used measure how people interact with the noticeboards, for example their expressions and emotions, with this data then used to deliver personalised content or for immediate and enhanced user feedback.
And that’s not all. Other exciting developments in future years could include gesture responsive noticeboards and mobile device integration to create a seamless user experience. Apple already has a patent for an ‘in-air gesture recognition system’, allowing a user to remotely interact with applications on a screen, via hand signals. So watch this space!
Next-generation noticeboards
We’ve come a long way from traditional bulletin boards – and the future of the format is bright. Allowing for quick communication with tenants and easy remote management, digital noticeboards are now an important tool for any Housing Association. Discover the exciting benefits of Intratone’s NEW Interactive Digital Noticeboard today.
